·1. ordinary people·
ordinary /ˈɔːdnri/ /ˈɔːrdneri/ /ˈɔːdənəri/ 形容词,表示average, common, or usual, not different or special,寻常的,普通的,没有什么特别的。表示这个含义时一般用在名词前,情感色彩中性,ordinary people,ordinary life,ordinary citizen,ordinary day等等。
ordinary people普通人,和它相对的是extraordinary, remarkable, wealthy or famous people,特别优秀的人,很有钱或很有名的人。
例:It's hard for ordinary people to imagine having a personal chef, a driver, and a team of stylists on call.
普通人很难想象拥有私人厨师、司机和随叫随到的造型师团队的生活。on call是一个固定表达,If a worker such as a doctor is on call, they are available to work or make official visits at any time when needed,形容随时待命,随叫随到。
例:This book is about ordinary people living ordinary lives and doing the best they can.
这本书写的是普通人,尽其所能地过着普通的生活。
例:Ordinary people can do extraordinary things if they believe in themselves.
只要相信自己,平凡人也能做出不平凡的事。
ordinary还可以表示not particularly good or impressive,平平无奇的,平庸的,情感色彩偏贬义。
例:The food at the restaurant was nothing special. It was just ordinary.
这家餐厅的菜没什么特别的,很一般。
·2. common people·
意思和ordinary people接近,都是表示普通大众,但是common会让人联想到commoner或者the common man,指的是a person who does not come from a royal or noble family,不是出身于王室或者贵族的人,也就是平民百姓,和它相对的是贵族,是一个有点阶级色彩的单词,所以现在有些人会避免用common people,除非想表达的确实是和贵族相对的普通老百姓。
例:In ancient times, common people and the nobility lived very different lives.
在古代,平民与贵族的生活截然不同。the nobility /nəʊ'bɪləti/ 指贵族群体。
例:Common people don't have fancy titles, but their hard work is what keeps the world running.
普通人没有华丽的头衔,但他们的辛勤工作是世界运转的动力。
·3. layman, laywoman, layperson·
layman /ˈleɪmən/ 名词,表示a person who does not have expert knowledge of a particular subject,没有某一领域的专业知识、没有受过专业训练的普通人,和它相对的是professional (专业人士) 和expert (专家)。
layman是放在某个领域里讨论的,不像上边两个短语一样是个比较固定的身份,一个医生在医学领域是a professional ,但可能在音乐领域是a layman。
layman, laywoman, layperson三个单词意思一样,只是做性别上的区分。复数形式分别是laymen, laywomen, laypeople。
例:Even a layman like me can easily get the main ideas of the theory.
像我这种普通人也能很容易地理解这个理论的要点。
例:When doctors talk about health issues, they usually explain them in layman's terms.
当医生谈论健康问题时,他们通常会用通俗易懂的语言来解释。
例:I'm just a layman when it comes to art, but I can still appreciate the beauty of this painting.
说到艺术,我只是个门外汉,但我还是能欣赏到这幅画的美。
根据首字母补充单词,文本左滑查看答案:
For o__________ people, traveling the world seems like a dream.
对于普通人来说,环游世界听起来像做梦一样。
A lot of history's greatest heroes were c__________ people. They didn't have a fancy family name, but they made their mark on the world.
历史上许多伟大的英雄都是普通人。他们没有高贵的姓氏,但都在世界上留下了自己的印记。
L__________ often can't tell the difference between these plants. They look pretty similar.
普通人往往分不清这些植物之间的区别。它们看起来非常相似。
For ordinary people, traveling the world seems like a dream.
对于普通人来说,环游世界听起来像做梦一样。
A lot of history's greatest heroes were common people. They didn't have a fancy family name, but they made their mark on the world.
历史上许多伟大的英雄都是普通人。他们没有华丽的姓氏,但都在世界上留下了自己的印记。
Laymen often can't tell the difference between these plants. They look pretty similar.
普通人往往分不清这些植物之间的区别。它们看起来非常相似。
往期推荐:
“别往心里去”用英语怎么说?
“整数”用英语怎么说?
“不然呢”用英语怎么说?
推文说明:
这系列推文主要分享那些中文里常说、换成英语就不太会讲的话。每天早晨8点更新。
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