英文里许多惯用语也喜欢用X and Y这样的句型,而且X和Y不是押头韵(alliteration)、就是押尾韵(rhyme),多念上几遍,很容易就记下来了。
做营销或者写文案的人必定都知道,想要吸引别人注意、记得某句话,甚至朗朗上口,最好能善用押韵。以下就举几个例子:
1 betwixt and between 犹豫不决、模棱两可
betwixt是“between”的古语,而between是指在“两者之间”,合在一起引申形容模棱两可的状况,或犹豫不决的态度。
例:
To stay or to leave, she is very betwixt and between, and can't make up her mind.(要留下或离开,她很犹豫,无法下定决心。)
2 forgive and forget 尽释前嫌
forgive指“原谅”,forget是“忘记”,合在一起就是指把仇恨一笔勾销。
例:
These two families had been feuding for a long time, but they now decided to for -give and forget.(这两个家族长久以来互相仇视,但现在他们决定尽释前嫌。)
3 hustle and bustle 熙来攘往
hustle和bustle都有“忙碌、奔忙”之意,两个词合在一起,更强化了熙熙攘攘的意象。此外,也可以直接用来形容人们“进进出出”。
例:
I can't stand the hustle and bustle of big cities.(我受不了大城市的熙来攘往。)
I can't concentrate on anything if others are hustling and bustling around me.(如果有人在我身旁进进出出,我就无法专心做事。)
4 part and parcel 重要部分
part和parcel都是指某事物的“一部分”,合在一起,用来表示这一部分是不可或缺、极重要的。
例:
Meeting friends is part and parcel of Mary's daily life.(与朋友相聚是玛丽日常生活的重要组成部分。)
5 vim and vigor 精力充沛
vim和vigor都是“精力、活力”的意思,合在一起用来形容某人热力四射。
例:
John complains that he doesn't have the vim and vigor that he had in his twenties.(约翰抱怨他没有20多岁时的精力了。)