很多人都觉得英语学起来枯燥无味,其实并不是这样的,英语中也有很多非常有趣的东西,比如英语中的一语双关。
所谓pun,通常是指利用一个单词的两个含义,或者利用两个特定的单词,达到“一语双关的目的。比如grave有两个含义,一个是“严肃的(形容词),一个是“坟墓(名词),因此这句话的意思是:他不是一个严肃的人,除非他躺到坟墓里,才能严肃起来。再比如下面第二句话,其中的pray(祈祷)和prey(捕食),发音相同,外形相似,因此这句话的意思是:他们今天为你祈祷,明天就会加害于你。这就是两个典型的pun。
①He is not a grave man until he is a grave man.
②They pray for you today and prey on you tomorrow.
国外一个网站评选的2003年十大pun,下面是其中的三个例子,如果您能看懂、听懂,肯定会觉得pun很有意思。
①He drove his expensive car into a tree and found out how the Mercedes bends.
他违章超速驾驶,结果将昂贵的名车撞到树上,他终于看到他的奔驰车(Mercedes)是怎样撞弯(bends)的。这句话的幽默之处是将Mercedes Benz(奔驰车)中的Benz,故意改写成bends。
②Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.
这句话乍一看,好象是说:时光像箭一样飞逝,水果像香蕉一样飞逝。其实这句话后半部分的真正意思是:果蝇喜欢吃香蕉,也就是fruit flies/like/a banana。
③A bicycle can’t stand on its own because it is two-tyred.
这句话的表面意思是:自行车自己站不起来,因为它只有两个轮胎(two-tyred)。而这句话的另外一个意思是:这辆自行车被它的主人骑了很长时间,它现在太累了(too tired)。
怎么样,pun是不是很有意思?我下面再列出三个pun,但不告诉您意思,请您自己琢磨一下。如果您能琢磨出来,那说明您的英语水平已经很高了。
①he wore a new hairpiece every day and was considered a big wig.
②Old math teachers never die, they just become irrational.
③When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
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