cut * out +
排除；剔除；(尤因有害健康而) 停止食用
I’m cutting out salt from my diet.

cut out
(引擎、機器等) 停止運轉
The car cut out at the traffic lights just as they went green.

cut * out +
(從報紙、雜誌等) 剪下、割下
I cut some pictures out to use as visual aids.

cut out

start over
重新開始；重頭做起
It’s a mess – I think we should just start over.

start * up +
創辦，創立
He left the company last year to start up his own business.

start up
(聲音) 出現
There was a pause, and then the noise started up again.

start up

Very 是個副詞加強語，可修飾某些分詞形容詞 (participial adjectives)，但卻不能修飾其他分詞形容詞。在此，筆者提供3個判斷 very 是否能修飾分詞形容詞的方法讓大家參考，準確度相當高。

判斷方法之一：若分詞形容詞為可置於名詞之前起修飾作用的形容詞，則 very 可以修飾這些分詞形容詞，如 He had a very surprised expression on his face. (他臉上露出非常驚訝的表情)。判斷方法之二：若分詞形容詞為極限形容詞，則 very 不可以修飾這些分詞形容詞，如 He is terrified of his wife, so he is a hen-pecked husband. (他很懼內，所以他是個妻管嚴或怕老婆的先生)。判斷方法之三：這方法比較傾向於經驗法則，當 very 被用來修飾某個特定分詞形容詞時，若聽起來或看起來蠻熟悉和流暢的，那麼這樣用應該沒錯，否則就不要用。

英語純正人士傾向於嚴格限制可用 very 來修飾的分詞形容詞的數量，所以當心中有疑惑時，我們可使用 very much 或另一限定詞來代替 very，如 very much astonished (非 very astonished) (非常驚訝) 或 very absolutely disgusted (非 very disgusted) (討厭至極)。

例句：
(英) You can withdraw money at the cash dispenser/cashpoint with a bank card.
(美) You can withdraw money at the ATM with a bank card.

解釋：
(英) cash dispenser/cashpoint：櫃員機；自動提款機。
(美) ATM (automated teller machine)：櫃員機；自動提款機。

4 月 11 日是「(2011 年) 311 東日本大地震」屆滿一個月，CNN 新聞畫面出現 One month on，請問這個 on 的用法和意思?

1. What size shoes do you take / are you wearing? (你穿幾號鞋?)
2. What ages are (不是 have) your children?/ What age is your child? (你的小孩年紀多大?)
3. You don’t look your age. (你看上去比實際歲數年輕)
4. The picture/photo doesn’t flatter you. (這張照片沒有你本人漂亮)
5. I’m caught short. (我錢帶不夠 – 如買東西時發現錢帶不夠)
6. My son has outgrown his clothes. (我兒子個子長大了衣服穿不下了)
7. The toilet is backed up. (馬桶不通了)
8. Mary is available. (瑪麗沒有男朋友)
9. Mary is already taken. (瑪麗已經有男朋友)
10. Our homeroom teacher is a real pain (in the ass/butt). (我們班導很機車)

例句：
(英)The girl blushed when people stared at all the love bites on her neck.
(美) The girl blushed when people stared at all the hickeys on her neck.

解釋：
(英) love bite：吻痕；種草莓 (親吻脖子時留下的紅色痕跡或唇印)。
(美) hickey：吻痕；種草莓 (親吻脖子時留下的紅色痕跡或唇印)。

Those (people) who = They/People who = Such (people) as + 複數動詞 – 意為「凡是…的人們」。這是 those who 的複數句型，但我們亦可用下面的單數句型來表達相同的意思：He/One who = Anyone who = Whoever + 單數動詞 – 意為「凡是…的人」。請看下面的例句：

Those who have money do not want for friends. (凡是有錢的人都不會缺乏朋友)
= Such as have money do not want for friends. (在這句中，as是當關係代名詞)
= He who has money does not want for friends.
= Whoever has money does not want for friends. (Whoever = Anyone who)

下面兩句分別是 those who (主格) 的受格 those whom 和所有格 those whose的應用：

No distance can sever those whom the fate unites. (有緣千里來相會)
Almighty Heaven is not indifferent to those whose hearts are earnest. (皇天不負苦心人)

(名詞) 喝啤酒賽跑 (比賽) 的參賽者。
—beer mile (名詞)：喝啤酒賽跑 (比賽)。
—beer miling (現在分詞)：喝啤酒賽跑。

顧名思義，這項賽跑的距離為一英里，跑四圈，男子組每圈喝一罐啤酒，共喝四罐，而女子組則喝三罐。這項運動比賽起源於加拿大，但有逐漸向世界各地蔓延的趨勢。目前 beer mile 的世界紀錄保持人是一位名叫 Jim Finlayson 的加拿大男士，時間為 5 分 9 秒。

引句：
He belongs to a generation of runners whose carefree attitudes have fuelled the popularity of running clubs that prove, according to Canadian Running magazine editor Michal Kapral, "we’re not a bunch of prudes." They include beer milers, who claim a fair number of frat boys but also serious runners.
—Hayley Mick, "A beer before a run? Some serious runners say yes,"The Globe and Mail, October 29, 2009

The event usually happens at a dark, secluded track, away from campus security or city police — sometimes it might even take place on a farmer’s field in the country — but no matter the venue, the challenge remains the same. The contest calls for runners to chug four beers (three for the women’s event) at regular 400m intervals during a mile race, in an attempt to crown the fastest beer miler.
—Mihira Lakshman, "Beer and running — an unlikely pairing," Canadian Running, October 29, 2009

字義：根據霍伊爾

轉喻：根據規則；根據規定；按照常規；按照慣例

說明：Hoyle 指的是英國作家 Edmond Hoyle (1672 – 1769)；他是公認的紙牌遊戲 (card games) 規則權威，因其紙牌遊戲規則大全及相關著作而馳名。

例句：

• They do everything according to Hoyle. (他們一切都按照規定辦理)
• You are not playing the game according to Hoyle. (你這樣玩不合規則)
• According to Hoyle, they need to provide all necessary operation data and report failures. (根據規定，他們必須提供所有必要的操作數據和故障報告)

1. We need to strike hard and establish our initial market share. 

2. We really need to appeal to younger users. 

3. I don't think we're going to be able to reach new consumers with this product—this will have to be marketed to our existing customer base. 

4. This is the perfect time to try to extend internationally. 

The days get shorter, the air gets colder, and we all get stuck inside a lot more. Who wouldn't find winter just a little bit depressing? 

Many of us may get a bit blue in the winter, living in the dark, unable to enjoy the weather very much. But for some people, these blues can become something quite serious. Seasonal Affective Disorder (appropriately shortened to “SAD”) is the name for a mood disorder that causes normally mentally healthy people to become seriously depressed in the winter. 

People with SAD may start to have trouble waking up on winter mornings. Some of them may even feel sick in the mornings. They may lose their energy, especially in the afternoon, and they may move slowly and sluggishly. Unlike with other depressions, people with SAD feel hungrier than usual and desire carbohydrates. One sign of SAD, in fact, is gaining significant weight in the winter. SAD sufferers may often become irritable and stop wanting to see friends and family. 

Doctors don't know exactly why people get SAD, but two things are probably important causes: sunlight and hormones in the body. Sunlight is important in several ways. It tells us when to sleep and when to wake up. This may explain the problems SAD sufferers have waking up. Sunlight can also affect how much serotonin our brains produce. Serotonin influences happiness. The lack of sunlight may also cause people to make more melanin, a hormone which makes us slow and sleepy. 

cut * out +
排除；剔除；(尤因有害健康而) 停止食用
I’m cutting out salt from my diet.

cut out
(引擎、機器等) 停止運轉
The car cut out at the traffic lights just as they went green.

cut * out +
(從報紙、雜誌等) 剪下、割下
I cut some pictures out to use as visual aids.

cut out

字義：像潘趣一樣高興

轉喻：非常快樂；興高采烈；樂不可支

說明：Punch (潘趣) 是英國著名木偶布袋戲《潘趣與茱迪》(Punch & Judy) 中的男主角，Judy (茱迪) 是他的太太。據說，這一木偶戲早在 1662 年就有資料證明已在英國演出，而 Punch 這個名字本身則源自義大利十六、十七世紀即興喜劇 (commedia dell’arte) 中的人物 Pulcinella (英文拼成 Punch 或 Punchinello)。

典型的《潘趣與茱迪》中約有10個主要角色 (包括這對夫妻、一個嬰兒、一個警察、一個醫生、一個小丑、一隻鱷魚和一隻小狗)，但它不是以一個完整的故事來演出，而是由多個不同的片段拼湊而成，在表演形式上有強烈的即興成份，沒有固定情節，因為演出者會依據觀眾反應而將演出片段加長以求達到最佳的效果和氣氛。觀眾也可以隨意和木偶對話。

《潘趣與茱迪》紅白相間的經典小舞台約只有 80公分寬、80公分長，設計精美簡潔。此一木偶戲幕後只有一人演出，他用右手操縱潘趣先生，左手輪流套上不同的角色，並以特殊的發聲技巧演出搞笑橋段，讓觀眾在很短時間內完全沉醉在演出中，樂得哈哈大笑。演完一段，他的助手就會出來收錢，然後再演另一段。

start over
重新開始；重頭做起
It’s a mess – I think we should just start over.

start * up +
創辦，創立
He left the company last year to start up his own business.

start up
(聲音) 出現
There was a pause, and then the noise started up again.

start up

儘管大多數字典所列的意思仍顯示這兩個字的意思有一些重疊的地方，但事實上，它們的意思發展至今幾已分道揚鑣；字典永遠趕不上字詞創新和字義變化之速度，再度獲得印證。當形容詞用的 classic 意為「典型的；經典的；典雅的，(式樣) 簡樸優美的，素雅的；一流的，最優秀的」：This is a classic example/case of bureaucratic inefficiency. (這是一個官僚主義沒有效率的典型例子)；William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a classic novel. (高定的《蒼蠅王》是一部經典小說)；That is a (simple) classic suit. (那是一套典雅/素雅的套裝)；It wasn’t a classic game, but it was pretty entertaining. (那不是最好的比賽，但卻相當令人開心)。

當名詞用的 classic 意為「經典作品，傑作，名著；經典之作；傑出的事物」：Shakespeare’s plays are among the great classics of English literature. (莎士比亞的戲劇是英國文學中的偉大經典著作)；"War and Peace" is a literary classic. (《戰爭與和平》是一部經典文學名著)；The goal from John in the 90th minute was a classic. (約翰在第90分鐘時的進球堪稱經典)。必須注意的是，classic 的複數 classics 與意為「(研究古希臘和古羅馬語言、文學、文化和歷史的) 古典學」的 classics 拼字相同。

Classical 意為「正統的；傳統的；古典的 (指古希臘和古羅馬語言、文學、文化和歷史)；古典 (音樂) 的；(語言) 文言的，古文的」：Classical scientific ideas about light were changed by Einstein. (愛因斯坦改變了科學上有關光的傳統觀念)；How do you explain this in terms of classical Marxist theory? (你怎樣用正統的馬克斯學說來解釋這一點呢?)；He is proficient at classical Arabic. (他精通古阿拉伯語)。就「古典的」意思而言，classical 是指與古希臘和古羅馬有關的或受古希臘和古羅馬影響的，所以 classical mythology (古典神話) 指的是「古希臘和古羅馬神話」(ancient Greek and Roman mythology)，classical literature (古典文學) 指的是「古希臘和古羅馬文學」，classical education (古典教育) 指的是「希臘文和拉丁文的教育」，而 classical languages (古典語言；古文) 是指「希臘文和拉丁文」。至於 classical music (古典音樂)，其最狹義的意思是指大約1750至1830年的音樂，但現在則被廣泛用來指所有非供消遣或娛樂的音樂 (serious music)，以別於 jazz (爵士樂)、folk music (名俗音樂) 和 popular music (流行音樂)：She prefers pop music and jazz to classical music. (她比較喜愛流行音樂和爵士樂，不太喜愛古典音樂)；Bach and Mozart are classical composers. (巴哈和莫札特是古典音樂作曲家)。

Q：請問 your idea and mine 是指兩人共同的 idea 還是個別的 idea?

字義：酒神淹死的人比海神還要多

轉喻：喝死的人比淹死的還要多 (勸人少飲酒或勿飲酒)

說明：Bacchus (巴克斯) 為古羅馬神話中的酒神 － 相當於古希臘神話中的酒神 Dionysus (狄奧尼索斯)；Neptune (尼普頓) 為古羅馬神話中的海神 － 相當於古希臘神話中的海神 Poseidon (波塞頓)。Neptune 也是太陽系八大行星 (註) 中距離太陽最遠的海王星的英文名稱。事實上，海王星就是以尼普頓命名，因為尼普頓是海神，所以中文譯為「海王星」。

Bacchus has drowned more men than Neptune. 這句諺語字面的意思是「酒神淹死的人比海神還要多」，比喻為「喝死的人比淹死的還要多」，其目的在勸人少飲酒或勿飲酒，因為美酒對人之危害遠甚於海水。

註：太陽系 (solar system) 原本有九大行星，但國際天文聯盟 (International Astronomical Union, IAU) 2006年在捷克首都布拉格舉行的第26屆大會中通過決議，將冥王星降級為矮行星 (dwarf planet，亦稱侏儒行星)，所以目前太陽系是八大行星。總之，九大行星已正式走入歷史，成為八大行星。

例句：

• "Bacchus has drowned more men than Neptune." means "Wine has drowned more men than the sea." (「酒神淹死的人比海神還要多」的意思是「美酒之害甚於海水」)

Q：電子郵件位址中 @ 的唸法?

Teetering along a crumbling walkway over 100 metres high, a group of intrepid climbers carefully inch their way across what has beendubbed the most dangerous path in the world.

And they’re not alone. Adrenaline-junkies have been flocking to southern Spain to experience the 110-year-old El Caminito Del Reybefore work begins to refurbish it next year.

Companies have now begun offering unofficial tours after a video of a walker tackling the hair-raising trail went viral on YouTube.

And you don’t need to be an experienced climber either, the only requirements are that walkers should be at least twelve years old and have a good head for heights.

The trail, also known as the King’s Pathway, was originally built in 1905 for workers to travel between two hydroelectric power plantsbut was closed-off in 2000 after two walkers fell to their deaths.

It snakes its way along cliff edges high up in El Chorro Gorge, thirty miles from Malaga.

Much of the one-metre-wide walkway is crumbing away with rusting supports, gaping holes, no handrails and sections that have completely fallen down.

A makeshift wire has now been attached to the rock face which walkers and climbers can clip themselves on to in order to have some degree of security – but many still prefer not to use any safety equipment at all.