Jeff 試著說服國外老闆今年能夠撥出更多的預算新產品的研發上,講了好久,結果老闆對他說:
“You’ve got another think coming.”

聽到 “another think”,Jeff 以為老闆要他好好思考,於是他繼續提案。其實他搞錯了!

“You’ve got another think coming.”這句話裡的think,也可以用thing代替,說成 "You’ve got another thing coming.”

這兩句話,韋氏字典的解釋是:
Both expressions are used to tell people that they're wrong and should consider changing their mind. (意思都是告訴別人他錯了,最好改變主意。)

You’ve got another think coming.

(X)你有了新想法。
(O)你錯了!

再來看一個常常出現美劇中的台詞:

If you think I’m going to let you get away with that, you’ve got another think coming.
如果你認為我會放過你,那你就錯了。

說到another這個字,簡單但搞錯的機率其實很高,來看幾個例子:

Tell me another.

(X)告訴我另一件事。
(O)少來了!/我才不信!

有時候也會加一個One,說成 ”Tell me another one.” 非常口語的表達,有點像中文的「少來了/我才不相信!」

A:"I worked all day yesterday." 「我昨天工作了一整天。」
B:"Oh yeah, tell me another one!"「是嗎,我才不信!」

There’ s no improvement in this problem. Tell me another!我就不信,在這一問題上沒有改善的可能。

Just another pretty face

(X)又是一張漂亮的臉。
(O)虛有其表。

Pretty face不是真指漂亮的臉蛋,而是有諷刺地說人虛有其表,像中文批評人是「花瓶」。

She had a time convincing us she was a genuine expert, not just another pretty face.
她曾一度讓大家相信,她是真有本事,而不是虛有其表。

another VS the other

很多人常常分不清楚another和the other,先看一張圖,再來看例子:


記太多容易搞混,簡單來說,the other是其他的全部,這全部可能是一個、兩個、三個….。

Another是(三個以上的)另一個,表示還有其也的存在。

我有三個姐妹,一個住台北,另外兩個的住在新竹。
(X)I have three sisters. One lives in Taipei, and another live in Hsinchu.
(O)I have three sisters. One lives in Taipei, and the others live in Hsinchu.

另外兩個是「其他全部」,用the other two sisters,避免重複,直接在把other變複數,變成the others。

在玻利維亞一個月後,我準備好啟程往另一個國家。
(X)After a month in Bolivia, I was ready to move to the other country. 
(O)After a month in Bolivia, I was ready to move to another country. 

國家有很多,到另一個國家用another。

商業英文學得又快又準:http://bit.ly/2HSHW7p

責任編輯:洪婉恬