关于should have done(本应该做)的用法…

当我们需要表达某人本应该做某事,但实际上却没有做时,我们在中文里说:”你本该…” 。英文里的对应说法是:you should have (done)。注意这里的should,在英语语法中叫情态动词(modal verb),而should have,则是情态动词的过去式(past modals)。Should have后面要接动词的过去分词。我们看个英语例句:I should have listened to you, Mom.(我本该听您的话,妈妈。) You should have arrived earlier.(你本该早点儿到的。)

如果要表达“你本不该”,则使用should not have,或shouldn’t have。例如:You shouldn’t have told her about us.(你本不该告诉她我俩的事儿。)I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.(真的很抱歉,我不该冲你大叫大嚷的。)你可能也见到过should have never的用法,它同样表示“本来绝不该”,例如:This kid should have NEVER gone there in the first place.(这孩子当初根本就不该去那个地方。)

需要注意的是:You shouldn’t have,本身是一个固定的短语,若单独使用,其意思是:你太客气了。常用来在收到别人的礼物之后表示感谢。比如:These flowers are for me? Aww, You shouldn’t have!(这些花儿是送给我的?啊,你太客气啦!)

在美式口语中,should have,往往被简化为should’ve或shoulda。而在非正式的书写中,should have常被写成should of。注意这些都并非规范的做法,在书面/正式英语中应当避免。

延伸阅读:

Chicago P.D.经典台词: You saved my life. I would’ve been dead at 15 if you hadn’t taken me in…

参考链接:

Understanding and Using Modal Verbs

Past Modals: Should Have, Could Have, Would Have

Past Modal Verbs in the Passive Voice

https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/you-shouldn-t-have

“强行平仓”(强平)的英文怎么说?

“强行平仓”,或简称为”强平”,是保证金交易(或称杠杆交易)中的一个常见术语。其意思是指:当交易者账户的亏损达到预先设定的值/比例时,经纪商(broker)对其账户当前所有仓位进行强制性地卖出(了结),以防止损失进一步扩大的行为。

在英文里,强行平仓的常见对应说法是:margin closeout。这里的margin,意思是保证金,而closeout,指的是平仓,或了结(全部)头寸。Margin closeout常见于外汇交易(Forex trading),或带杠杆(leverage)的股票交易。除了margin closeout,类似的说法还有:forced close-out,forced selling,或forced liquidation。

参考例句:I just suffered a margin closeout and lost over $2000.(我刚被强平了,损失了2000多美元)。

Updates:

(1) 2018.4.12, closeout,除了在外汇交易中表示平仓外,在日常生活中,往往用来指清仓大甩卖(a sale of goods at reduced prices to get rid of superfluous stock),或是某家店关门(不再经营)时清理所有存货的降价销售行为(a sale in which a store tries to sell all of its products because the store is going out of business)。(见参考链接(3))

参考链接:

(1) http://www.investorwords.com/18347/margin_closeout.html

(2) https://www.oanda.com/resources/legal/united-states/legal/margin-rules

(3) https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/closeout

(4) https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/forcedliquidation.asp

(5) https://ibkr.info/node/845

1st还是the 1st?(附英文例句)

许多学习英文的朋友都接触过1st这个词,它是英文单词first的简写方式,意思是:第一、首个。但在使用1st这个写法的时候,是否还需要在前面加定冠词“the”呢?

答案是,需要加the。因为1st并不含有the(见参考链接(1)),所以the 1st才相当于the first。

看两个英文例句:

For the 1st time, the city deployed drones to monitor vehicle traffic.(该城市首次采用无人机来监控车流量)

The 1st Amendment guarantees a right to ‘peaceably’ assemble.(第一修正案明确了公民的和平集会权利)

以此类推,2nd(第二), 3rd(第三), 4th(第四), 5th(第五)等等,前面都是需要加the的。当然,如果要表达我的、他的第一次,可以不用冠词the。例如:I’m really psyched ’cause this is my 1st time here.(我非常激动,因为这是我第一次来这里)

参考链接:

(1) http://www.dictionary.com/browse/first

In someone’s face, 是什么意思?

In someone’s face,是一个固定美语短语,其英文释义为:in a confrontational way that shows annoyance or contempt; involving confrontation; defiant; provocative; In front of or against someone directly。其中文意思为:以一种使人不快、轻蔑的方式与…对峙;与…直接对立。具体可翻译为:(就)在…面前,当着…的面。注意这里的介词使用in,类似于in front of。in someone’s face出现的语境往往具有较浓的挑衅、对抗意味。

参考例句:He slammed the door in her face。(他当着她的面甩门而去。)在经典美国电影A Few Good Men中,Demi Moore有这样一句台词,其中就用到了in your face:”My job is to make sure that you do your job, so my jurisdiction’s pretty much in your face“。(我的责任是确保你恪尽职守,因此我的管辖权清清楚楚就在你面前。)点击这里收听该句的原声英文音频。

参考链接:

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/in-someone-s-face

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/in+someone%27s+face

Jesse Livermore英文投资名言: It never was my thinking that made the big money for me…

“After spending many years in Wall Street and after making and losing millions of dollars I want to tell you this: It never was my thinking that made the big money for me. It always was my sitting. Got that? My sitting tight!”

— Jesse Livermore

“在华尔街闯荡多年之后,在大赚、大赔过数百万美元之后,我想告诉你这一点:我的想法从未帮我挣过大钱。总是安坐不动替我赚到钱。明白吗?不动如山!”

— 杰西.利弗莫尔

参考链接:

The Top 30 Quotes From Jesse Livermore On Trading And Investing