1. No problem! 在國內學到的是： -Could you help me with xxx? -No problem!
而在這邊聽到的往往是： -Thank you! -No problem.
有時甚至： -Oh sorry! -No problem!
2. Go by 在課堂自我介紹時，有時會說中文名，然後英文名。Instead of saying "My Chinese name is xxx, and my English name is xxx.", 你可以這樣說：
-My name is xxx（你的原名）, and I go by xxx(你的英文名).
一些美國學生不樂意用自己的原名，而偏好昵稱，也可以用go by來表達：
-My name is Catherine, and I go by Cat.
3. Appreciate it! 每次從校車上下來時，大家都會禮貌地對司機表示感謝，有次看到四個小哥魚貫而出，每個人表達感謝的語句都不同。除了常見的"Thank you very much!"，"Thanks a lot!"以外，我覺得最好聽的就是「Appreciate it!"
4. Have a good one! 美國人很喜歡互相道好，無論認識不認識。每次和人再見的時候（可能是下班，結完賬離開超市，下課等等），往往會對同事/收銀員/老師/...說聲"Have a good day/night"之類的。有時下午5,6點，天還沒黑，我總會把」Have a good night!"說成"Have a good day!"，後來發現，還有種更簡易的表達，日夜均可使用，即"Have a good one!"，簡單順口，客套必備。
5.賓語前置（知友@Scrummble指出應該是狀語前置） 這是種B格很高的表達方式，在每張美元背面都有一句話"In God We Trust"（如下圖）
此外有次等紅燈時，看見前面一輛車的車牌上的Motto寫的是"United We Stand"，當時瞬間感受到這種句式的力量與B格，於是腦補出一句「A Sandwich I Had"。（@Scrummble還說我的例子語法錯誤…我去角落捂臉了）
6. Without further ado 這句在YouTube視頻里經常聽到，那些YouTubers在視頻開頭往往先介紹這個視頻是幹什麼的，再順便扯幾句近期生活，然後在切入正題之前，有時會用這麼一句"Without further ado, let"s get started."這句話的意思就類似於「廢話少說，讓我們開始吧。」
9. Email常用禮貌用語 -I hope this email finds you well.用於開頭。 -Any response will be appreciated.用於結尾，通常正文是找對方詢問事情。 -Please feel free to let me know if there should be any question.用於句尾，通常正文是上交文件，材料，或者回答問題等。 -It would be great/the best if you could...這就是傳說中比"Could you please..."還要更加委婉的請求式句型了。
10. I"m good. 這句可以用來回答How are you?此外，常用於：
-Do you want some chips with your sandwich? -No, I"m good. Thanks.
-Do you have any questions? -No, I"m good.
也可用作委婉拒絕。 -Do you wanna go to a strip club? -I"m good.
（以下為8.2更新）
11. Shoot 除了「射擊」之意，還有以下日常用法：
-Whenever you need help, just shoot me an email. （比send更口語化）
-I"ve collected some negative comments on you. -Shoot. （類似於Go ahead說吧)
-I was shooting for 100, but 98 is ok. （意為本想衝擊100分）
-Oh shoot...（其實就是Oh s**t! 的委婉說法）
12. 結束對話用語 -I"ll leave you be. （類似於「打擾了」，「告辭了」，是在《紙牌屋》里看到Claire對一個白宮工作人員或是記者說的）
-As you were. （這句通常上司對下屬講完工作之後可能用到，是在《基本演繹法》里看到的）
13. Off the hook 意為「從麻煩脫身」，可以想像一條魚脫離魚鉤的樣子。
-He paid all the fines so he"s finally off the hook now. -He"s off the hook, he doesn"t do drugs any more.
《絕望主婦》裡面Bree問她兒子Andrew，現在年輕人還說"Awesome"嗎？Andrew告訴她，他們現在都說"Off the hook"，可見，這個片語也有Cool, awesome之意。
-That party was off the hook!
印象中《宋飛正傳》里Jerry, Elaine和George有對off the hook和on the hook的一段討論，但是在網上搜出來的似乎都是小黃網站，於是隱隱覺得似乎這個表達不是什麼好表達了。。。
14. Hands down 有「絕對，毫無疑問」之意。可以這樣聯想，因為毫無疑問，所以不會舉手提問，也就是hands down。
-My favorite TV show is hands downFriends.
15. Though 大家都熟悉though用於句首和句中錶轉折，但可能不太了解它放在句末的用法。
-Do you want me to get you a cup of coffee? -No, I"m good. Thank you though. （意為不過還是）
-Would you like to get a cup of coffee or something? -Sure!
而Of course則有「那當然了」，「不用多說」的意味在裡面：
-There are, of course, exceptions to the rule.
-What do you do now? -Still farming. -Of course. （此對話來自《唐頓莊園》里莊主Robert問他領地里的一位農民現在做些什麼，農民回答還是做農活，並且一臉頹喪的樣子，潛台詞是「我還能做啥，還不是做做農活而已」，Robert聽後稍愣了一下，大概覺得自己問的問題有點愚蠢，於是說了句Of course. 可見，如果問了一個本該知道答案的問題，對方回答後，你可以說這麼一句Of course.）
Certainly則比較少見，在Google上查到它的使用頻率也是漸漸下降：
不知道是不是一個漸漸淡出江湖的辭彙。
（以下為8.4更新）
17. 模糊語氣 在表達「差不多」，「接近」，「...的樣子」 ，「之類的」等模糊的意思時，除了nearly, approximately, almost, kind of, sort of 等辭彙外，更口語的說法還有or so, -ish, ...something等：
-He has worked in the company for a year and two months or so. -After dinner I had 30 cherries or so.
-That movie was good-ish.（此人應該覺得電影並不怎麼好看） -That color is blue-ish. -Let"s meet around 9-ish.
-30 books every twenty-something girl must read. （類似於知乎豆瓣經常出現的20多歲女孩的必讀書單） -Wanna a cup of water or something?
18. Sense sense的意思非常多，有「...感」，「意思/意識」，「目的」等，無法和一個中文辭彙完全對應。國內用到a sense of的標配經常是a sense of humor，其實可以使用的範圍非常廣。
-What is the sense of going out in the rain? （意為「目的」） -The purpose of the meeting is to let you get a sense of how we work. （好難翻譯！請意會） -Does that make sense to you?（這句話很常見，通常在解釋完某個複雜的事情或事物後，為了解對方是否聽明白，會問這麼一句，配以擰巴的眉頭，微傾的頭顱）
19. 沒聽懂對方的話時 聽不懂或沒聽清對方的意思，這種狀況常常發生，不論你是不是native speaker。除了Sorry? Excuse me? Could you repeat that? 以及英語課本里教的I beg your pardon? 可以用來要求對方再說一遍外，還可以這樣告訴對方你沒聽清：
-!#%^*&>??#^ -Sorry, you lost me.
-#%^^$(!_+?&>&< -Sorry, I didn"t follow.
20. A touch of 意為"一點兒"， 但是不是比a little, a bit of聽起來要更有畫面感？
-"Chinese White Tie" means White Tie with a touch of China. （這是美國Vogue雜誌主編Anna Wintour給記者解釋剛過去的中國主題Met Gala的dress code的含義時用的原句。）
-I have a touch of flu and need some rest.（意為「輕微的」）
21. Shy of 意思類似於short of。 -He"s just shy of 6 feet. （"接近"6英尺=1.8288米）
《老友記》裡面有次6人玩撲克牌，Ross加註的時候發現錢不夠了，說了句"Joey, I"m a little shy here."，意思是錢不夠了，想找Joey借錢，結果Joey傻了吧唧地拍了拍Ross肩膀，說有哥們兒在，不怕。還好Chandler聽出了shy的第二層意思，掏出了錢包。
-You need to dress up for the dinner. But during the daytime, you can dress down as you like.
（以下為8.11更新）
23. 又是幾個對話常見表達，適用於特定場合。
在賓館/圖書館/售票處/電話客服..辦事結束後，經常會聽到一句"You"re all set." 聽到這句話就知道事兒已辦妥可以拎著東西滾了。如果不知道自己的事兒是不是弄好了，而對方又專心致志作敲鍵盤狀時，可以問一句"Am I all set?" 不要像樓主第一次住完賓館在前台傻了吧唧地站在那兒等人家給我receipt等了二十分鐘，人家終於忍不住問我"What else can I help you with?"才知道我早就可以滾了。。
有時用公共飲水機/洗手池時有可能不巧地前面正好有人在使用，於是站在別人身後兩英尺處耐心等待，同時說一聲"Take your time" 讓對方不用太著急，對方使用完可能對你說聲"All yours"讓你放心上前使用，文明的世界真美好。
24. At some point 這個表達非常好用，可以表示過去某時刻，也可以表示將來某時刻。
-At some point I decided she was no longer my friend. （表示之前某時刻）
-Do you want me to add that information in the document? -No. But at some point we will need that. （表示將來某時刻，比in the future明顯更適用）
-It does"t hurt to take a look of what you"ve done and see if it could be improved.
32. You might wanna/you don"t wanna
這可以是給別人建議做某事/別做某事時使用的短語。
-You might wanna have a cup of water at hand in case that food is too spicy. -You don"t wanna call her in the middle of the night. You don"t know how grumpy she could be.
33. Can use some
意為「正需要」。
-After a long week, I can really use some rest.
-That shirt is too flashy. -You can use some flash. （來自《宋飛正傳》）
34. At the end of the day
意為「到頭來」，「到最後」，「最終」，並不是「一天的最後」。
-They all said they would help me, but at the end of the day nobody did.
35. The last thing I wanna do
可不是「最後一件想做的事」，而是「最不想做的事」。
-The last thing I wanna do is hurting your brother. （來自《老友記》Rachel對Monica說她不會傷害Ross）
（以下為4.14.2016更新）
36. Be my guest
這個表達可不是邀請對方做客，而是在對方提出要做某件事的時候給出允許。
-Can I have the last piece of cake? -Sure! Be my guest.
MONICA : He took up the carpets and now you can hear everything. PHOEBE : Well, why don』t you go up there and ask him to just, like "step lightly, please"? MONICA : I have, like five times, but they guy is so charming that I go up there to yell and then I end up apologizing to him. PHOEBE : Ewww, that is ...(angrily) silly. I』ll go up there, I』ll tell him to keep it down. MONICA : Alright. Be my guest.
37. Gut
直譯過來是「肚子」，但在英語裡面有「直覺」之意。
-I don"t know how to decide. -Well, what does your gut tell you?
有時又指「膽量」。
-I hate that guy! I want to punch him in the face! -You don"t have the guts.
回複評論區：為什麼用was wondering 而不是 am wondering呢？ -- 其實都對啦，引用老師的回答："I was wondering..." sounds much more natural and polite, even though "I am wondering..." makes more sense grammatically in regard to the actual meaning.
下面和大家分享雅思官方出品方 British Council （英國文化教育協會）對 The的用法的官方解讀，簡單易懂。
The 的使用
我們在一個單詞使用定冠詞the是因為我們相信讀者或聽者知道所指事物具體是什麼。
因為這一事物在世界上是獨一無二的。
比如：The Pope is visiting Russia.
The moon is very bright tonight.
2. 或者說這一事物所具備的特徵在那個特定情景中是獨一無二的。
例如在形容詞最高級前加定冠詞
He is the tallest boy in the class.
It is the oldest building in the town.
3. 這一事物在上文中已經提到。
A woman who fell 10 metres from High Peak was lifted to safety by a helicopter. The woman fell while climbing.
The rescue is the latest in a series of incidents on High Peak. In January last year two men walking on the peak were killed in a fall.
4. 一個名詞前有定冠詞代表這一事物的集群
The wolf is not really a dangerous animal (= Wolves are not really dangerous animals)
The kangaroo is found only in Australia (= Kangaroos are found only in Australia)
5. 指代某個系統或某種服務
How long does it take on the train?
I heard it on the radio.
You should tell the police.
6. 放在樂器前
Joe plays the piano really well.(= Joe can play any piano)
She is learning the guitar.(= She is learning to play any guitar)
7. 放在個別形容詞之前指代某個群體
Life can be very hard for the poor.
I think the rich should pay more taxes.
She works for a group to help the disabled.
8. 一般不會在人名、事物名稱前加定冠詞The
不過也存在一些特殊情況，
例如，國家名中包括kingdom, states, republic，國家名為複數，
描述地理特徵時，如山區，島嶼群，河流，大海，運河
報刊雜誌，世界聞名的建築物或藝術品
組織，賓館酒吧餐廳的名稱
家族名稱
We do not normally use the definite article with names:
William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet. Paris is the capital of France. Iran is in Asia.
But we do use the definite article with:
? countries whose names include words like kingdom, states or republic:
the United Kingdom; the Kingdom of Nepal; the United States; the People』s Republic of China.
? countries which have plural nouns as their names:
the Netherlands; the Philippines
? geographical features, such as mountain ranges, groups of islands, rivers, seas, oceans and canals:
the Himalayas; the Canaries; the Atlantic; the Atlantic Ocean; the Amazon; the Panama Canal.
? newspapers:
The Times; The Washington Post
? well known buildings or works of art:
the Empire State Building; the Taj Mahal; the Mona Lisa; the Sunflowers
? organisations:
the United Nations; the Seamen』s Union
? hotels, pubs and restaurants*:
the Ritz; the Ritz Hotel; the King』s Head; the Déjà Vu
*Note: We do not use the definite article if the name of the hotel or restaurant is the name of the owner, e.g.,Brown』s; Brown』s Hotel; Morel』s; Morel』s Restaurant, etc.
These are the colors of the flag: red, white, and blue.
These are the colors of the flag—red, white, and blue.
打出em dash的方法為：按住alt，順序按數字0151或將中文的破折號刪除一半。
參考資料：Dash - Wikipedia
如您覺得這個回答還不錯，請點個贊支持支持，多謝！
——————————————
了解更多學習英語的好方法，請戳我的專欄：英語語法其實蠻簡單
"Do you mind..." is a confusing, but polite, way to ask a question: it asks if the person objects to a hypothetical.
For example, A: Do you mind if I sit here? B: No, go ahead. A: So I can"t sit here? B: No, I don"t mind. A: ...
A: Do you mind if I sit here? B: Yes, I do mind. A: Great, thanks. B: No, I do mind! A: ??
Technically, if she/he doesn"t object, i.e. agrees, the answer is "No"; and if she/he does object, i.e. disagrees, the answer is "Yes". It"s confusing because it"s the opposite of what your expect compared to if you"d asked "Can I..."
I usually try to avoid saying "Yes" or "No", and instead try to answer unambiguously.
For example,
Stranger: Do you mind if I sit here? Me: Sure, go ahead =)
Stranger: Do you mind if I sit here? Me: Sorry, someone"s sitting there =
必須是Yes和No在回答疑問句時的使用啊！
I』ve never played basketball before but I』ll give it a shot 嘗試
EMINEM那首Lose Yourself裡面就有這麼一句
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
其中的shot指的就是嘗試、機會。
會了這個詞，下次說英語的時候就更接地氣啦。
Context
Context這個詞我們應該見得很多了，畢竟當年做閱讀理解的時候到處都是『in the context』。但我來了美國才發現，context這個詞的抽象層級非常的高，具體的意思就是，context不光光是指『上下文』的意思，所有與『環境』『情況』『前後關係』有關的意思都能用context表達。甚至連我寫OS作業的時候，都能碰到switch context這種操作系統層級的概念。
e.g.
The decision was taken within the context of the great depression. 背景條件
So this is what you meant When you said that you were spent And now it"s time to build from the bottom of the pit, right to the top Don"t hold back Packing my bags and giving the Academy a rain check
Giving the academy a rain check的意思是休學， academy在這裡代指學校，give學校a rain check的意思是擇日再和學校相見，也就是休學的意思。
2.
例句
She is out of your league。
翻譯：
她不屬於你的聯盟（意思是她太優秀了，你追不到她）。
解釋：
美國有職業棒球大聯盟，職業棒球小聯盟，以及各種地區聯盟和業餘聯盟，球隊只和同聯盟的球隊比賽，對更高級聯盟的球隊只能仰望，無法接近，out of one"s league也就有了無法高攀的意思。
先來回憶下，霉霉的歌《Shake it off》里唱到『You could have been getting down to this sick beat 』，這裡could have been 意思是本可以，get down to doing 著手做某事。至於sick在這的意思，也和幾個美國朋友確認了一下，這裡霉霉不是自嘲自己的歌曲節奏有多爛，相反，她在說自己的歌很燃，簡直fantastic, terrific。sick一詞，其意思現在有可能是好、也有可能是壞，當sick表示「酷、棒」的意思時，多為年輕人使用，多為口語使用。這個一定要結合語境和語氣來判斷。
? wicked有了褒義的意思後，可以做形容詞（cool, good, great, funky），也可以做副詞（really,very, extremely）：That tune is wicked dope. = That tune is wicked!
?ill有了cool, sweet的意思：oh my god man that car is so ill!!! (我的天，哥們，這車太酷炫了!)?
?crazy有了awesome,cool,hip的意思：Dude, that movie was crazy! (哥們，那電影太棒了！)?
?insane有了fantastic, awesome的意思：: Did you see him rocking out on guitar? Man, that was insane. (看到他彈吉他了嗎？實在是太燃了)?
?當stupid後面跟了一個褒義形容詞，轉義成superb: This dimsum is stupid good! (這個點心好吃到哭！)
?哦，對了，現在Interesting 也變成感覺「呵呵」了。
另外，如果用貶義形容詞派生出的副詞修飾褒義形容詞,在口語中同樣會有褒義的效果,也是個挺生動的用法，比如awfully和terribly這類副詞,表示「非常」的意思，可以修飾褒義的形容詞。比如She is awfully gorgeous. 以及This has been so nice, so terribly kind of you.
所以，不要把英語想當然了，跟牢時代的步伐，畢竟只要被時代接受的都應該表示理解，也沒必要較真。
? 英語口語里的雙重否定也可能就是表示否定。
中文裡，我們習慣用雙重否定加強肯定語氣，比如「我不得不這麼做」， 「你不會不知道這件事」。 英文正式場合下，雙重否定也等於加強肯定語氣的用法。但在看美劇的時候，you don"t know nothing == you know nothing，that doesn"t make no sense == that doesn"t make any sense . 這種雙重否定表示加強否定語氣的語言現象，稱為negative concord，在葡萄牙語、西班牙語、法語、波斯語、古英語和中古英語里都有negative concord，但是拉丁語、德語和現代標準英語沒有，現代英語里只有像美國黑人口語、倫敦土話等少數方言有negative concord的現象。
比如，西城男孩的《leaving》中有句詞「It"s late and I can"t get no sleep,」 這裡用了can"t和no，但意思其實是「夜深人靜，我輾轉反側難以入睡」 ；《了不起的蓋茨比》有個插曲"A little party never killed nobody"意思是「小小的聚會無傷大雅」。
? Please show me your picture. =Please show your picture for/to me.
? He bought her a lip stick as a birthday present.= He bought a lip stick for her as a birthday present.
當然, 作轉換時, 該用那個介詞, 是看動詞而定的，如:
? give him a pen =&> give a pen to him
? get him a pen =&> get a pen for him
? ask him a question =&> ask a question of him
而SVOC主動賓補，不可以如上這麼改，而且，這裡的補語是用來修飾賓語的，如：
? Keep the children quiet, please. 這裡的quiet用來修飾the children，而且這句話不可能改成Keep quiet for/to the children, please.這是明顯的語法錯誤；
? He painted the wall white. 這裡的white 用來修飾the wall，而且這句話不可能改成He painted white for/to the wall. 這是明顯的語法錯誤；
? We found him an honest person.這句話不能改成We found an honest person for/to him.這不是語法錯誤，但在意思上說不通，因為依常理來說，這裡的an honest person 用來修飾him。
那麼，之前那四個句子就好分辨了：
? We made him our spokesman.這裡 our spokesman修飾him，是SVOC。
? They elected him president. 這裡president修飾him，是SVOC。
? I made myself a cup of tea.= I made a cup of tea for myself.是SVOO。
? People call him a coward. 這裡a coward修飾him，是SVOC。
? I"ll make you my wife. 這裡的my wife修飾you，是SVOC。
? She will make him a good wife. 依常理來說，顯然a good wife不是修飾him，不會是讓 him 成為 a good wife，所以是SVOO ，意思其實是She will make a good wife for him.
※ 註：補充一點, 感官動詞和使役動詞的用法也歸入SVOC句型, 比如:
? I saw him work in the garden yesterday.
? I see him working in the garden yesterday.
? I"ll make him do what he says.
?這裡要注意make詞性的區分。Make詞性不同， 句子分析起來會是不同的句型。比如剛剛例句提到I made myself a cup of tea.是SVOO，而We made him our spokesman.和I"ll make him do what he says.是SVOC。因為前者的make是實義動詞——「做」的意思，而後者的make是使役動詞。所以一定要結合語法和語境來分辨。
－"In the midst of vice we are in virtue, and vice versa.」(Samuel Butler) 惡中存善，反之亦然。（塞繆爾·巴特勒）
3. alma mater: 母校。畢業生用來指稱自己的高中或大學。
-He donated 1 million pounds to the University of Oxford, his alma mater. 他為自己的母校牛津大學捐了100萬鎊。
4. magnum opus: "an artist"s true masterpiece", 大師的代表作（可以是任何寫作繪畫雕塑作品）。
－Proust"s magnum opus is Remembrance of Things Past. 普魯斯特的代表作是《追憶似水年華》。
5. quasi: 類似的，有如。
-since my father was in the military for 25 years, he treats our home like it is a quasi-base camp. 因為老爸在軍隊里待了25年，所以他把我們家搞得像個准基地營。
6. status quo: "the state in which" ，現狀。
-They have no wish for any change in the status quo. 他們不想改變現狀。
7. sic: 通常的出場是這樣的，[sic]，指原文中出現了拼寫或語法錯誤，編輯在此指出。
-I particularly want to point out one person John [sic] Smiths. 我特別要指出一個人，John [原文有誤] Smith。
8. i.e.: "that is", 即，通常在作者想要給出具體的例子和解釋來證明某觀點的時候。
-When I went home last weekend, my parents bought me my favorite novel; i.e., the Harry Potter series.上周末回家的時候，我爸媽給我買了最喜歡的小說，即，哈利波特系列。
9. cf. : "confer, compare",參照。
- Abbott found supportive results in her memory experiment, unlike those of previous work (cf. ZellerWilliam, 2007). Abbott從她的記憶實驗中找到了支持性的結果，這些結果和此前的不一樣（參照ZellerWilliam2007年的論述）。
10. ibid: 「in the same place" ，同上。常被用在腳註或參考文獻頁，指引用同上出處的材料。
[1] E. Vijh, Latin for Dummies(New York: Academic, 1997), 23.[2] Ibid.[3] Ibid., 29.
這裡可以看到，注[2]和注[3]裡面的ibid是指注[1]提到的這本由E.Vijh寫的Latin for Dummies這本書，其中，注[2]的引用頁碼和注[1]一樣，都是23頁；而注[3]和前兩者不一樣，是29頁。
11. et al: 在論文中，通常用在某一個作者以後以省略羅列其他的作者名字，省略人數必須為兩人或以上。
-On page 230 in this issue, Mason et al describe a very unusual method in performing the experiment. 在本期雜誌的第230頁，Mason等人描述了一個很不尋常的做該實驗的方法。
12. ad infinitum: "to infinity」，無止盡的。
-You cannot stay here ad infinitum without paying any rent. 如果不交房租，不會讓你在這裡一直住下去的。
13. de facto: "from the fact" ,事實上來說
-The city is rapidly becoming the de facto center of the financial world. 這座城市正在迅速成為金融世界事實意義上的中心。
-English is de facto the common language of much of the world today. 就事實來說，英語是當今全球大部分地區的通用語言。
14. Ipso facto: "by the fact itself" ，本質上/事實證明
-You cannot assume that a speaker of English is ipso facto qualified to teach English.你不能理所當然地認為一個英語使用者本質上是能夠教英語的。
15. ergo: "therefore", 因此。
-Ergo, responsibility is more important than anything else. 因此，職責高於一切。
16. ad hoc: "to this," 為此即時特設的。
-The university has set up an ad hoc committee to deal with the problem. 為了處理這個問題,學校成立了一個臨時特設的委員會。
17. pro rata: to charge at a proportional rate， 按比例，成比例。
-Fees are calculated on a pro rata basis. 費用是根據比例計算的。
-My attitude towards life is carpe diem. 我的人生態度是及時行樂。
19. veni, vidi, vici: "I came, I saw, I conquered", 我來了，我看到了，我征服了。出自凱撒。
- My was extremely empresses by Julius Caesar"s words after the war with Pharnaces II of Pontus. He wrote: veni, vidi, vici. 我被凱撒在打敗本都國王法爾納克二世之後寫的「我來了，我看到了，我征服了」這句話深深地震撼到了。
20. Cogito ergo sum: "I think, therefore I am", 我思故我在。笛卡爾的著名哲學命題。
-I am very interested in the Latin philosophical proposition by René Descartes, Cogito ergo sum, which usually translated into English as, I think therefore I am. 我對於笛卡爾提出的拉丁文哲學命題很感興趣，Cogito ergo sum, 通常翻譯成英文I think therefore I am（我思故我在）。
etc (UK English) etc. (US English)：et cetera， "and the others」，
e.g. : exempli gratia, 「for the sake of example, for example」,
A.D.: Anno Domini Nostri Jesu Christi, 「in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ」（不過，B.C. 是「Before Christ」的縮寫，不是拉丁語哦）
……
還有這個單詞，相信大家以後在英國高校參加畢業典禮之前都有機會看到它～
in absentia: "in the absence」,缺席。
-If you would like to graduate in absentia, you will be able to select this option when you receive your email invitation. 如果你想以缺席的形式畢業（即，本人不參加畢業典禮），你可以在收到邀請郵件的時候，點擊這個選項。
王爾德的粉絲可以學下這個辭彙：
de profundis: 「from the depths」, 「from out of the depths of misery or dejection」，悲痛至極的。王爾德當年寫給道格拉斯的書信集就用的這個書名，常被譯為《深淵書簡》or《自深深處》。
記得有一次，朋友圈裡面有人傳了這麼一張圖求真偽，如下：
我一看就笑了。What? an alumni? 受過高等教育的川普再怎麼無厘頭也不可能犯這麼低級的錯誤啊。這裡順道科普下～
alumni: 「pupils」,"a graduate or former student of a specific school, college, or university" , 校友。Alumni是複數形式，其單數形式為，女性alumna，男性almunus。此外，再講究一點 ，如果指稱的校友都為女性，就是alumnae啦。
比如要別人幫一下，或者吃飯點餐，或者讓別人過來和你開會說話一下，要使用問句，不然比較無禮。比如： Could you please come over here? Can I get a coke (orange juice)? (飛機上) May I have a Big Mac meal? Do you mind doing xxx? Could you do me a favor, xxx?
而不是我們習慣的： I want to order a Big Mac meal.
2. 老美經常使用 like It"s like a pretty nice day. I was like, kind of loving this project, but you know that there could always a tough time.
但是對於我們國人我推薦大家少用。和you know一樣，這種沒太多含義的習慣語，對於我們老外還是別說，說得越多越奇怪。（有一次電話面試一個老中，每兩三句話他就來你個 you know，醉了。但是畢竟是同胞，我讓過！）
3. 說一些瑣碎的： a. 一個簡單的左邊右邊：一般不說 left side or right side，習慣用 left hand side 和 right hand side
b. 堂食還是打包？ For here or to go? 或者 Here or to go?
4. 老美的 a 發 ei 的音： 不如 a good experience , a piece of cake.
5. 當別人回你郵件很快，我一般學老美寫說一句：thanks for your prompt reply
對應地，郵件要人做個事情，但是有不想顯得很催促別人，可以說： at your earliest convenience.
比如說： Hi, Zuck:
Thanks for your prompt reply. Your suggestion helps me a lot. Really appreciate it. But seems like I still have a few more questions regarding the message sending lib. If you could come over to my desk at your earliest convenience,that"d be awesome!
"I would like to inquire about..."（詢問） "I would like to inquire if..."（確認）
可以像@Demilia 答案里那樣說"I was just wondering if maybe..."，一般我們都是平時私底下發簡訊聊天、比較隨意的場合會更喜歡這樣講，"Ohhh just wondering if you wanna come HAHAHA"。正式一點的句式推薦使用"I would like to inquire about ..."，適合給機構/公司/學校/組織等發相對正式、希望引起對方重視、簡單粗暴要成效的書面郵件時使用。
舉栗子：詢問學校是否有這樣一門課程
上交文件等待對方確認
"Please kindly refer to the attachments." "Please kindly see the attachment(s) as follow(s)." "The XXX（對方需要的文件） is/are attached as follow(s)."
再具體解釋一下，"Kindly" 本身就包含了請求，然後這個請求里包含著一點"you should do xxx"的意思。前面加上please表politeness. To be honest I don"t really think anyone would put in too much thought into such cliché... They are simply being polite. 謝謝評論區的小夥伴~
Sentence structure refers to the way sentences are built using words, phrases, and clauses. Words are single units, and words link up in sentences to form clauses and phrases. Clauses are word groups with subjects and verbs, and phrases are word groups without subjects and verbs. Clauses are the most important sentence structures because they make statements—they tell who did what (or what something is) in a sentence. Look at the following sentence for example:
We bought oranges at the farmer』s market on Mission Street.
It contains ten words, each playing its own part in the meaning of the sentence. But which of the words together tell who did what? We bought oranges is correct. That word group is a clause. Notice that at the farmer』s market and on Mission Street also link up as word groups but don』t have somebody (subject) doing something (verb). Instead, they are phrases to clarify where we bought the oranges.
Importantly, you could leave out one or both of the phrases and still have a sentence—We bought oranges. However, you cannot leave the clause out. Then you would just have At the farmer』s market on Mission Street. Remember, every sentence needs at least one clause that can stand by itself.
Learning about the structure of sentences helps you control your own. Once you know more about sentence structure, then you can understand writing errors and learn how to correct them.
Among the most common errors in writing are fragments, run-ons, and awkward phrasing.
Here are some fragments: Wandering around the zoo all afternoon. Because I tried to take too many classes at once. By tutoring the students in groups.
They don』t make complete statements—not one has a clause that can stand by itself. Who was wandering? What happened because you tried to take too many classes at once ? What was the result of tutoring the students in groups ? These incomplete sentence structures fail to communicate a complete thought.
In contrast, here are some run-ons: Gasoline prices are rising they』re definitely too high. The forecast calls for rain tomorrow I won』t wash my car. A truck parked in front of my driveway and it made me late for school.
Unlike fragments, run-ons make complete statements, but the trouble is they make two complete statements; the first runs on to the second without correct punctuation. The reader has to go back to see where there should have been a break.
So fragments don』t include enough information, and run-ons include too much. Another problem occurs when the information in a sentence just doesn』t make sense.
Here are a few sentences with awkward phrasing:
The problem from my grades started to end. It was a great time at the picnic. She won me at chess every time we played.
Try to find the word groups that show who did what, that is, the clauses. Once you find them, then try to put the clauses and phrases together to form a precise meaning. It』s difficult, isn』t it? You』ll see that many of the words themselves are misused or unclear, such as from, it, and won. These sentences don』t communicate clearly because the clauses, phrases, and even words don』t work together. They suffer from awkward phrasing.
一、每一個英文句子只用兩種方式來描述所有的事情， 一是「什麼做了什麼」；二是「什麼是什麼」，即「who did what」和「what something is」，所以基本就是實意動詞謂語表達「什麼做了什麼」，而be動詞表達「什麼是什麼」。也就是說，英文能夠用這兩個表達方式能夠描述世界上所有的事物。並由此而衍生了五種句型，且這五種句型的公共部分是「主語+謂語」。
二、英文的句子必須滿足下面這幾個條件，缺一不可： ① 所有的句子以大寫字母開頭。 ② 所有句子以句號或者嘆號和問號（. ! ?）結尾（有時用分號或者冒號）。 ③ 一個句子至少有一個主幹分句（main clause或者independent clause），也就是說所有的句子至少包含一個主語和一個謂語。 ④ 句子中的單詞遵循一套標準的順序 The dog bit the man. The man bit the dog. 但是下面這個句子就錯了： The bit man dog the. ⑤ 一個句子表達一個完整的意思，make complete statement 或者express a complete thought 這裡面第③點和第⑤點講得還不夠具體，而且這兩點是相互呼應的，我需要展開解釋一下，因為這兩點是中文跟英文差異最大的地方，也是我認為英語為什麼比中文容易學的地方，因為英文及其講究形式，甚至到了一種令人髮指的地步，所以及其具有操作性。
對於第③點，英文中是這樣認為的，任何一個句子首先只有一個主語（名詞）+謂語（動詞），而且你這個主語不能亂定，你寫一個句子之前要想好這個句子我主要講誰，然後他做了什麼事情?或者是他是什麼或者怎麼了？這個就是句子的主幹分句（main clause或者independent clause），主幹句不僅在形式上要佔主導地位，而且這個主幹必須要表示這句話的中心思想，我經常稱之為「形意雙合」，另外我也找到了一些佐證如下： A main clause carries the core meaning of the sentence and it must contain a proper verb and can be a sentence on its own, or part of a longer sentence. Sentence: The dog growled angrily. Main clause: The dog growled angrily and ran off. 摘自：「Nelson Grammar」, WendyWren.
英文句法規則是這樣玩的：任何其它基本動詞的引入必須要帶上一個典型的標記，就是說凡是要開始啟用一個其它的謂語動詞，你必須「舉旗吶喊」，帶上關係代詞、關係副詞或者連詞一起才能加入到句子當中，最典型的是「that」。這些詞其實有個說法叫「信號詞」，就是表示從句開始的信號，意思就是告訴讀者，你別弄錯了，我是從句中的謂語動詞，我來這裡是來幫忙的，不是來跟主幹謂語動詞搶位置的。如果是並列連詞，頂多也是謂語動詞平起平坐，但是連詞是必須的。在有些情況下that可以省略，至於為什麼可以省略，《文法俱樂部》中這個還是講得比較詳細，但是你必須要知道英語的句子到底是怎麼一回事，我經常稱英文句子中的這個情況叫做「主幹專政」。如下面這個句子: The dog that attacked the children was later put to death. 這個句子的主幹是： The dog was later put to death.狗被打死了。 如果去掉定語從句的關係代詞that，這個句子變成了The dog attacked the children was later put to death。這個句子會變得非常奇怪，而且會出現好幾種意思，讀者會搞不清你到底要表達什麼意思。
第⑤點在意思完整上進行控制 大家看看下面幾個句子 1）We ate dinner together. 2）After we ate dinner together…… 3）As we ate dinner together…… 4）That we ate dinner together…… 5）When we ate dinner together……
因此所謂的複合句是指由一個獨立分句加若干個從屬分句組成一個「多枝共干」的系統。獨立分句自己就是個句子，即我們經常找到的主幹句，主幹句自身可以不需要其它成分自己就可以獨立成句（stand alone），而從句（無法表達完整的意思）、單個的單詞或者片語（形式和意思都不完整）均無法獨立成句。即，獨立分句為樹榦，其他為樹枝，有干即為樹，再大的樹枝也不能獨立稱之為樹。 An independent clause contains a subject and a predicate; it makes sense by itself and therefore expresses a complete thought.（摘自維基百科英文版）。
假如你只有5個朋友，你舉辦了一個小聚會，這兩句話中哪一句表示這5個朋友都參加了你的聚會並且都上課遲到了，還是兩句話都可以表達這個意思，兩個句子就只有逗號的區別。 1. All my friends who went to the party were late for class. 2. All my friends, who went to the party, were late for class. 選第一句回復1 選第二句回復2 選第三句回復3 回復的情況如下：總計35人回復 回復1的有18人 回復2的有12人 回復3的有5人
導讀每一個英文句子只能用兩種方式來描述所有的事情，一是「誰做了什麼」；二是「什麼是什麼」，即「who did what」和「what something is」，所以謂語基本就是實意動詞表達「誰做了什麼」，而be動詞表達「什麼是什麼」。也就是說，英文能夠用這兩個表達方式能夠描述世界上所有的事物。對，就是這麼簡單。
英文句子跟中文句子有非常大的不同，先看幾個中國人寫的幾個英文句子或者片語： Traveler from to get into by bus. The Sichuan』s hair and blood is prosperous. The male sex toilet. 這些句子或者片語如果有人都看懂了的話，從明天起我就天天喊你師傅，住我附近的我請你吃一個月的早餐，帶兩個荷包蛋的那種（我在湖南長沙）。
×: Although I enjoyed my stay in the USA, but I was still glad to come home. √: Although I enjoyed my stay in the USA, I was still glad to come home. √: I enjoyed my stay in the USA, but I was still glad to come home.
其實下面的情況比如「因為……所以」和「如果……那麼……」也是一樣的： ×: Since it"s his birthday on Monday, so he"s having a party. √: Since it"s his birthday on Monday, he"s having a party. √: It"s his birthday on Monday, so he"s having a party. ×: If you"re a naughty boy, so the big crocodile will come and eat you. √: If you"re a naughty boy, the big crocodile will come and eat you.
介詞最初只是用來表示空間關係，所以通常介詞也非常具有「畫面感」。例如：沒有介詞的表達Cut the carrot. 切蘿蔔，畫面感非常有限。但是Cut the carrot off.把蘿蔔切開，因為有表達「不接觸」的介詞off的關係，蘿蔔被切成兩半的畫面感非常明顯。而由「不接觸」的本意，off引申出很多其它意思，例如keep off表示與...保持距離；take off可以表示起飛（脫離地面）等等。依照「畫面感——引申義」的思路，筆者詳細介紹十餘種常用的介詞，具體內容請看:
國內的教科書一般都是用 How are you ?來打招呼。來美國後發現幾乎只有我這樣跟他們打招呼、他們跟我打招呼都是 how are you doing ? 回答的時候也只有我說：Fine, thank you 而他們都是回答：I"m good/ good/ not bad/doing well.. 劇情這麼不一樣、真是心累～
7、ETA
Estimated time of arriva，預計到達時間。美國人聊天的時候經常用到，約見時很多人會問對方: get an ETA? 你知道大概什麼時候會到嗎？
8、being
我過去一直用 「 As a Chinese " 來表示 「 作為一個中國人」 但我老師幫我改為：Being born in China " 而且being 可表示目前狀態，如 The reasons to love being single. （喜歡做單身狗的理由）網購最常見的，your items are being delivered. 你的物品發貨了。
9、被動語態。如 have been + 過去分詞。
我看到很多中國朋友一般都喜歡用一般過去時來表達，可能因為更簡單直接。但是寫論文的時候，老師很多時候都要求用第三人稱，因為更客觀。如 I submitted my assignment ( 我交作業了）轉換成 My assignment has been submitted. 尤其是寫作時。
10、ish
一般和時間搭配，表示XX點左右。如7ish, 表示7點左右。
11. Overweight （超重的）
很多中國人會很直接地說：He is fat ! 其實fat 這詞有點不太禮貌的。說: He is overweight （他體重過重）比較好一些、但最好什麼都別說。美國人對體重很玻璃心、因為很多人很肥。哈哈
12、Go Dutch（各自買單）
我有次和一個美國女生討論美國約會文化時問她、美國情侶之間是不是很流行AA制。她說：什麼是AA啊？我當時就懵了：Algebraic average? 這不是你們西方人發明的東西么！怎麼還反問我。後來她告訴我比較流行的說話是 Go Dutch. 另外也有其他的表達方式如： go fifty-fifty.（平分） Let"s share the bill. Let"s split the check. 等～
看到這詞很多人腦海里浮現的是它的名詞意思，如地方，住所等。其實它也可以作為動詞使用，而且使用頻率挺高的。尤其是在線購物的時候，如 Place your order （提交訂單），Your order has been placed （你的訂單已提交）
17. Have a good one ! ( 祝玩得開心）
超級頻繁，天天都會聽到幾次。一開始我是真的不明白，實在理解不了 one在這裡是什麼意思。現在明白了，大概就相當於 Have a nice day。 回復的時候就回：Thanks, you too. 就行了。
18. Can『t make it ( 做不到，來不了等）
別人約你，你去不了就說 「 I can"t make it " 就相當於「 我去不了」 （可以加原因或者不加，你自己不主動說的話老外很少會問你原因的） 。別人叫你辦什麼事，你辦不到也可以這麼說。當然，如果答案是肯定的，就用 can.
19. what a crock.
有次在FB上看到的，有道詞典上說 Crock是「瓦罐，老朽的人」等意思。我靠猜猜不到這意思。後來問身邊的一個美國人。他說： It means something is nonsense. 相當於中文的胡扯的意思。
20. Rain check
補邀請。如 can I have a rain check? 意思就是我（現在沒空），可以改天再約嗎。
21. Jack off
美國頭口秀里經常都會聽到。就是手淫的意思，口語化。相當於漢語的擼一把。哈哈
22. smooch
口語化的接吻，摟摟抱抱。They smooch and chat. 他們擁抱親吻，聊天。
23. cutesy
口語聊天中也常用到的詞，形容一個人矯情，扭扭捏捏的。
24. stand-offish
和 unfriendly一樣表示不友好的。
25. pet peeve
和寵物沒太大關係，不要看字面意思猜。表示經常抱怨的問題，痛處，討厭的事。如，one of my pet peeves is .....
26. Have you finished or still working on it ? （吃完了嗎？還是還在吃？）
吃飯的時候最常見的。幾乎每次都會被問。美國的服務員和國內不太一樣，他們每隔一段時間都會過來問問你情況怎樣，有什麼需要的。一開始總會覺得有點怪怪的，習慣就好了。如果你作肯定回答的話，他們就會把餐盤收掉。沒吃完的話就直接告訴他：No. I"m still working on it. Thanks. 吃完後想埋單就說： "Can I have my check?" or " Can we have our checks" 剛來美國的時候我曾說過： Can I pay for my meal ? 服務員居然神懂了。哈哈哈
27. A pot party 這詞是我在我的 Business law書里看到的。這真的不是「一個鍋派對」 哈哈～
真實意思是毒品派對。Pot是大麻（marijuana )的俗稱。
28. recover 有道詞典的解釋是： 恢復; 重新獲得; 找回;
但是有時並非如此。如我 Business law書里的另外一個例子，如下：
Under contributory negligence, if the Plaintiff is even slightly negligent she recovers nothing.
如 He hasn"t seen the house yet. （他還沒有看過那房子）聽起來就比 He didn"t see the house yet. 要地道很多，雖然意思一樣。
34. House/ apartment （房子）
House 指別墅，一般帶前後花園。apartment 指公寓，一般是我們國內看到的那種高層公寓。還有一種叫Condo，就是聯排別墅。一般也有個很小的花園但是一般沒圍欄，有時是兩棟別墅連在一起有時候也可以是四五棟。
@倒裝句 1. 倒裝情況1:否定狀語前置（Inversions after negative adverbials）
Teachers are not responsible for mistakes made by their students in any way. In no way are teachers responsible for the mistakes made by their students. 老師在任何情況下都不應當為學生的過錯承擔責任。
We cannot ignore the significance of education on any account. On no account can we ignore the significance of education.
教育的意義不容忽視。
People should not be forced to vote in an election under any circumstances. Under no circumstances should people be forced to vote in an election. 人們無論如何都不應當在選舉中被強制要求投票。
The government has done little to stop air pollution from getting worse. Little has the government done to stop air pollution from getting worse. 政府沒有對控制空氣污染做出什麼改變。
2. 倒裝情況2: 條件句的倒裝（Conditionals with inversions）
If people had been more aware of the issue, the situation would have been much better. Had people been more aware of the issue, the situation would have been much better. 如果人們對這個問題多一點認識，情況會好很多。
Some young professionals insist that they can only catch their breath and find some perspective by leaving. Some young professionals insist that only by leaving can they catch their breath and find some perspective. 一些剛步入職場的年輕人表示只有離開才能讓他們有機會休息一下，找找新的感悟/靈感。
Advertisement are so pervasive that no one can avoid being influenced by them. So pervasive are advertisement that no one can avoid being influenced by them.
如果你的第一反應是： I"m going to fix my car tomorrow. 它的意思其實是 「我明天自己要當個修車工親手把車給修了。」
而你真正想要表達的「我要去修車／我要去把車修了（讓別人修）」 I"m going to get/have my car fixed tomorrow.
類似的： 我們要新裝一個電話系統了（別人來裝） We"re getting a new telephone system installed.
而不是 We"re installing a new telephone system!
2. 使，讓 （cause something to happen） Sorry to keep you waiting. We』re just getting the bill ready for you now.
Can you help me get this printer working?
They got me to talk to the police.
3. 口語中的被動語態，通常都是不好的事情 (這是一個非常有用的句式)
他的錢全被偷啦！ Somebody stole all of his money. (grammatically correct) All of his money was stolen. (grammatically correct) He had all of his money stolen.
類似的: The train got delayed for 2 hours due to some mechanical breakdown. We had our car damaged by a falling tree. I got my nose broken playing rugby. Damn, I got a piece of chicken thrown at me once when I was doing a stand-up comedy.
我聽你屁話夠了！！！ I"m getting tired of all your nonsense.
灶台涼之前別碰！ Don"t touch the stove until it gets cool.
5. 最常見的用法 (得到，搞到，獲得，收到，買到，掙得，贏的） Can you get me an ice-cream?能幫我搞到/拿/買個雪糕嗎？ Can I get you a drink? 能請你喝杯酒嗎？ Let go get some food/breakfast. 走搞點吃的去。 Where did you get that sh*t from?! 哪兒搞到的乾貨？！ He managed to get a job within one week after graduation. 他畢業一周後就找到了工作。 I got an F for my final! FML! 卧槽 我期末考了了F!!! It"s raining outside. I need to get the washing in. 下雨啦，我要去把衣服取回來。 You got my respect dude. 你贏得了我的尊重！ I got all these books for under 200 bucks. 我一共花了200塊買了這些書。 （門鈴響了）Can you get the door? 你去開下門。
6. 有機會 I never get to experience the fun I used to. 再也沒機會體驗原來那種快樂了。
