Improve Your Spoken English with Vague Language - English Speaking Lesson

英文口說 — 含糊說法

Hi, I’m Martin.

嗨，我是Martin。

Welcome to Oxford Online English!

歡迎來到Oxford Online English！

In this lesson, you can learn how to use vague language in English.

在本節課裡，您可以學到怎麼 使用英文的含糊說法。

What’s vague language, and why do you need it?

什麼是含糊說法，為什麼您需要它？

Here’s a question: do you ever feel like you can’t find the right word to express

這有一個問題：您是否曾經感覺像 是您不能找到正確的

what you want to say?

單字來表達您想要說的？

We’ve got good news!

我們有個好消息！

You don’t always need to find exactly the right word.

您不必總是要準確地 找正確的單字。

The word ‘vague’ means that something is not clear or detailed.

單字“vague”意思是某些事是 不清晰的或沒有細節的。

In spoken, informal English, fluent speakers often use vague language.

在非正式的英文口說裡，流利的講述者 常用含糊的說法。

For example, if you ask me what I did yesterday, and I reply, “Just some stuff at home,”

例如，如果您問我昨天做了什麼， 我回答，“Just some stuff at home,”

that is a vague answer.

那就是一個含糊回答。

I’m not giving you details.

我不給您細節。

Using vague language will make your English sound more natural.

使用含糊說法，您的英文 口說聽上去會更自然。

It will also make it easier to speak fluently, because you can communicate without needing

說得流利也更簡單， 因為您無需用精確的字彙

to use precise vocabulary.

即可以互動溝通。

Don’t forget to check out our website to learn more about spoken English and how you

要學更多關於英文口說的以及您怎麼 可以說英文說得更好，

can speak better English.

不要忘記訪問我們的網站。

Oxford Online English dot com.

Oxford Online English dot com.

You can also improve your English in online classes with one of our professional teachers.

您也可以和我們的一位專業老師 一起在線上課程上提昇英文能力。

But now, let’s look at how you can use vague language when you speak.

但是現在，我們來看看您怎麼 在您口說時使用含糊說法。

So, what are your plans for tomorrow?

那麼，您明天的計畫是什麼？

First, I’m going into the city centre.

首先，我會去市中心。

I need to buy a shirt and some toothpaste, then at 10.30 I’m meeting William Bukowski

我要買一件襯衫和一些牙膏，然後 10:30在Gloucester廣場的

for coffee at the café on Gloucester Square.

咖啡館和William Bukowski 碰面喝咖啡。

What about you?

您呢？

I have to spend two hours working in the morning, then I’m meeting six old friends.

早上我要工作兩個小時， 然後我會和6個老朋友見面。

We’re going to go for a drink, then to an Italian restaurant where they serve 44 different

我們會找地方喝一杯，然後去 一間提供44種不同

kinds of pizza.

披薩的義大利餐廳。

Really?

真的嗎？

I love Italian food.

我喜歡義大利食物。

I especially like caprese salad, spaghetti vongole, pizza romana, ravioli, tiramisu,

我特別喜歡卡布里沙拉、蛤蜊面、羅馬 披薩、義大利餃子、提拉米蘇、

panna cotta…

義大利奶酪…

Did that sound like a natural conversation to you?

您覺得那聽起來像是 一個自然的對話嗎？

Hopefully it didn't.

希望它不是。

Why do you think that is?

為什麼您認為它是？

What made it sound slightly weird?

它在哪裡聽起來有點奇怪？

The problem was that there was too much detail.

問題是有太多的細節了。

If someone asks you an everyday question like “What are your plans for tomorrow?”, you

如果有人問您一個日常問題像是 “What are your plans for tomorrow?”，您

don’t need to give *every* detail of your plans.

不必給出您的計畫裡面的 *每一個*細節。

This is where vague language can be useful.

這是含糊說法可以用到的地方。

Vague language lets you avoid unnecessary detail, which allows you to express your ideas

使用含糊說法，可以防止不必要的 細節，您表達您的

more efficiently.

想法更有效率。

Let’s see another version of this conversation.

我們看看對話的另一個版本。

This time, we’ll use vague language to avoid unnecessary detail.

這次，我們使用含糊說法來防止 不必要的細節。

So, what are your plans for tomorrow?

那麼，您明天的計畫是什麼？

I’m going into the city centre to buy some stuff, then I’m meeting a friend for a coffee.

我會去市中心買些東西，然後我會 和一位朋友碰面喝咖啡。

You?

您呢？

I have to do some work in the morning, then I’m meeting a few old friends later.

早上我要做一些工作，然後 遲點我會和幾位老朋友碰面。

We’re going for a drink, then to an Italian restaurant where they have lots of different

我們會去喝一杯，然後去一間 有很多種披薩的

kinds of pizza.

義大利餐廳。

Really?

真的嗎？

I love Italian food, especially the pasta.

我喜歡義大利食物，特別是麵食。

I really like spaghetti vongole and things like that.

我真的喜歡蛤蜊面和一些 像那樣的東西。

Here’s a question: can you remember all of the differences between the two dialogues?

這有一個問題：您能記得兩個對話 之間的所有區別嗎？

Let’s look at some of the language you heard.

我們看一些您聽到的說法。

First, the words ‘thing’ and ‘stuff’ are useful.

首先，單字“thing”和“stuff” 是有用的。

In the dialogue, you heard ‘I’m going into the city centre to buy some stuff’.

在對話裡，您聽到“I’m going into the city centre to buy some stuff”。

You can use thing or things to refer to an object or objects.

您可以用thing或things來指 一個物體或一些物體。

For example: ‘Give me that thing to clean the window.’

例如：“Give me that thing to clean the window.”

‘Don’t forget to take your things with you.’

“Don’t forget to take your things with you.”

You can also use stuff in a similar way.

您也可以用同樣的方式來使用stuff。

Remember that stuff is uncountable.

記得stuff是不可數的。

For example: ‘We’re only going for two days, so we don’t need much stuff.’

例如：“‘We’re only going for two days, so we don’t need much stuff.”

‘Every time I move apartments, I throw loads of stuff away.’

“Every time I move apartments, I throw loads of stuff away.”

Both words, ‘thing’ and ‘stuff’, can also be used to talk about things you have

兩個單字“thing”和“stuff”，也能 用於談論您要做

to do.

的事情。

For example: ‘I have to go to that thing tonight.’

例如：“I have to go to that thing tonight.”

‘I have a lot of stuff to do next week.’

“I have a lot of stuff to do next week.”

You can also use vague language when talking about numbers.

在談論數字時您也可以 使用含糊說法。

When talking about numbers or quantities, you can avoid unnecessary detail by using

在談論數字和數量時，您可以 通過使用像是 lots of、

expressions like lots of, loads of, a few, a couple, and so on.

loads of、a few、a couple等等的表達 來避免不必要的細節。

For example, instead of saying ‘They sent me 34 emails yesterday.’

例如，要取代”They sent me 34 emails yesterday.“

You can say ‘They sent me loads of emails yesterday.’

您可以說”They sent me loads of emails yesterday.“

Instead of saying ‘I saw six of my old school friends last night.’

要取代”I saw six of my old school friends last night."

You can say ‘I saw a few of my old school friends last night.’

您可以說”I saw a few of my old school friends last night.“

And, instead of saying ‘I have to finish three more things, and then we can go.’

以及，要取代”I have to finish three more things, and then we can go.“

You can say ‘I have to finish a couple more things, and then we can go.’

您可以說”I have to finish a couple more things, and then we can go.“

In these cases, it’s more natural to avoid giving the exact number unless the number

在這些事例裡，防止給出準確的 數字那更加自然，除非

is somehow important.

數字在某種程度上是重要的。

Finally, another way to use vague language is when shortening a list.

最後，另一種使用含糊說法的 方式是在縮減清單時。

Imagine that your friend just came back from vacation, and you ask, ‘What did you do?’

想像一下您的朋友剛度假回來， 您問，“What did you do?”

Your friend says ‘We went swimming in the sea, sunbathed on the beach, read books, ate

您的朋友說“‘We went swimming in the sea, sunbathed on the beach, read books, ate

in restaurants, took a surfing lesson, visited different villages, slept a lot, went for

in restaurants, took a surfing lesson, visited different villages, slept a lot, went for

a bike ride and spent one day sightseeing in the city.’

a bike ride and spent one day sightseeing in the city.”

That doesn’t sound good, right?

那聽起來不好，對嗎？

It sounds quite robotic.

那聽起來很像機器人。

In informal speech, we usually shorten long lists by using a phrase on the end like: ‘…and

在非正式的講述裡，我們經常在結尾用 一個短語來縮減長的清單，像是：

that kind of thing’, ‘…and things like that’, ‘…and so on’, ‘…or something

“…and that kind of thing”、“…and things like that”、“…and so on”、“…or

like that’.

something like that”。

So, your friend might say ‘We went to the beach, did some sightseeing and things like

那麼，您的朋友也許會說“We went to the beach, did some sightseeing and

that.’

things like that.”

This is more natural.

這是很自然的。

It’s also more polite in a way.

在某種程度上，那也更禮貌。

When you say something like this, you’re giving some details but not every detail.

在您說某些像這樣的事情，您在給出 一些細節，但不是每一個細節。

This shows that you’re engaged in the conversation, but it also shows that you understand that

這顯示出您參與了對話， 但是那也表達了您明白

the person you’re talking to probably doesn’t want to hear every single detail.

正在與您談話的人可能 不想聽所有逐個細節。

Using vague language to avoid unnecessary details is common, but vague language also

使用含糊說法來防止不必要的細節是 常見的，但是含糊說法也

has other uses. Let's look.

有其他的用途。我們來看看。

How about going to the cinema tomorrow?

明天去電影院怎麼樣？

Could do.

可以。

What were you thinking?

您怎麼想的？

We could see that documentary about climbing in Yosemite.

我們可以看那個關於攀登 優美勝地的紀錄片。

It looks really interesting.

那看上去真的很有趣。

I’m not interested in seeing that.

我對看那個沒有興趣。

I’d choose to watch something else, like that Japanese horror film everyone’s talking

我想選擇去看些其他的，像是 每個人都在談論的

about.

那個日本恐怖片。

I guess we could do that.

我覺得我們可以去。

What time should we meet?

我們要幾點碰面？

Come to my place at four o’clock, then we can walk down together.

4點到我這，然後我們 可以一起走下去。

Alright.

好吧。

Of course, in some situations, vagueness is bad.

當然，在某些情形下， 含糊是不好的。

For example, if you have a contract or a legal document, it shouldn’t be vague!

例如，如果您有一個合約或 法律文書，它不能是含糊的！

In general, we prefer to avoid vagueness in writing.

一般來說，我們傾向在 書寫上防止含糊。

However, in everyday speech, using vague, indirect language can help you to sound more

然而，在日常說話時，使用含糊、 非直接的說法聽起來

polite.

更有禮貌。

In this dialogue, I was direct.

在對話裡，我是直接的。

This might be fine if you’re talking to someone you know well, but being so direct

如果您在和一位您很熟的人說話，這也許 是好的，但是在另一種情形下

could seem rude in another situation.

太直接會被視為是粗魯。

Let’s see how you could use vague language to sound more polite in the same situation.

我們看看在相同的情形下您怎麼 使用含糊說法來聽起來更有禮貌。

How about going to the cinema tomorrow?

明天去影院怎麼樣？

Could do.

可以啊。

What were you thinking?

您怎麼想的？

We could see that documentary about climbing in Yosemite.

我們可以看那個關於攀登 優美勝地的紀錄片。

It looks really interesting.

那個看起來真的很有趣。

That’s not really my thing.

那個真的不適合我。

I’d kind of prefer to watch something else, like that Japanese horror film everyone’s

我比較喜歡看些其他的，像是 每個人都在談論的

talking about.

那個日本恐怖片。

I guess we could do that.

我想我們可以去。

What time should we meet?

我們要幾點碰面？

You could come to my place around four o’clock, then we can walk down together?

您可以在大約4點鐘到我這， 然後我們可以一起走下去？

Alright.

好吧！

What changed?

有什麼改變？

If you just look at the words, it’s almost the same, but nonetheless the tone is quite

如果您僅看單字，它幾乎是相同的， 但是儘管如此，語氣是

different.

差很大。

Here, Marie was more indirect.

這裡，Marie不是很直接的。

Instead of saying ‘I’m not interested in seeing that’, she said ‘That’s not

她說“That’s not really my thing”來取代 “I’m not interested in seeing that”，

really my thing’ Instead of saying ‘I’d choose to watch

我說“I’d kind ofprefer to watch something else” 來取代

something else’, I said ‘I’d kind of prefer to watch something else’.

“I’d choose to watch something else”，

Instead of saying ‘Come to my place at four o’clock’, she said ‘You could come to

她說“You could come to my place around four o’clock”來取代

my place around four o’clock’.

“Come to my place at four o’clock”

Let’s see what’s happening here.

我們來看看這發生了什麼事。

Imagine that a friend comes to your home.

想像一下一位朋友到您的家裡。

You notice your friend looks cold, so you ask, ‘Shall I turn on the heater?’

您注意到您的朋友看起來有點冷， 所以您問“Shall I turn on the heater?”

Compare two answers: ‘Yes, please.

比較兩個回答：“Yes, please.

It’s cold in here.’

It’s cold in here.”

‘Yes, please.

“Yes, please.

It’s kind of cold in here.’

It’s kind of cold in here.”

What’s the difference?

區別在哪裡？

The first answer sounds very direct, which could sound impolite.

第一個回答聽起來很直接， 可能聽起來不禮貌。

It sounds a bit like a criticism.

聽起來有點像批評。

By using the phrase ‘kind of’, you make the second answer vaguer and therefore more

使用片語“kind of”， 第二個回答變含糊了，因此

indirect.

不是那麼直接。

You can use the phrases ‘kind of’ or ‘sort of’ in this way.

您可以用這種方式來使用 片語“kind of”或“sort of”。

For example: ‘Can I have some milk?

例如：“Can I have some milk?

The food’s kind of spicy.’

The food’s kind of spicy.”

Here’s another example: ‘I kind of just want to stay in tonight.’

這有另一個例子：“I kind of just want to stay in tonight.”

Saying ‘I want to stay in tonight’ sounds direct.

說“I want to stay in tonight ”聽起來是直接的。

Adding ‘kind of’ makes it sound softer.

添加“kind of”聽起來更柔和一些。

You might also use this with times.

您也可以搭配時間來使用這個。

For example, you can use the words ‘about’ or ‘around’ when arranging to meet someone,

例如，在安排與某人會面時，您可以 使用單字“about”或“around”。

especially if it’s a casual meeting.

特別的是，如果是一個非正式的會議時。

For example: ‘Let’s meet at four.’

例如：“Let’s meet at four.”

This is more direct, which could sound like an order.

這更直接，聽起來像是一個命令。

‘Let’s meet at about four.’

“Let’s meet at about four.”

This is more indirect, so it sounds more like a suggestion.

這比較不直接，這樣聽起來 像是一個建議。

Of course, you don’t always want to use vague language.

當然，您不一定總是想用 含糊說法。

If your friend needs to be here by ten o’clock at the latest, then you shouldn’t say ‘Can

如果您的朋友最遲10點鐘 要在這，那麼您不能說“Can

you get here around ten?’

you get here around ten?”

But in other cases, using vague language will make you sound more indirect, which often

但是在其他的事例，使用含糊語言會 聽起來比較不直接，

sounds more polite.

那聽起來通常比較有禮貌。

Have you seen their apartment?

您看過他們的公寓嗎？

It’s amazing!

那太令人驚奇了。

Who do you mean?

您說誰？

Julia and her husband, … Ah, you know, whatsisname…

Julia和她的先生， … 啊，您認識，他叫什麼…

Can’t remember.

不記得了。

Anyway, you know them, right?

好吧，您認識他們，對吧？

Vaguely.

依稀記得。

I haven’t been to their place.

我沒去過他們那裡。

It’s incredible.

那是難以置信。

It’s like something out of a sci-fi film.

那像是科幻電影裡面的東西。

They have that thing, you know…

他們有那東西，您知道…

I don’t know.

我不知道。

That whatchamacallit, I’ve never seen one before.

那個東西叫什麼， 我之前從未見過。

I have no idea what you’re talking about.

我不知道您在說什麼。

Ah…

啊…

It has some weird name…

那有一些奇怪的名字…

It’ll come to me in a minute.

一分鐘就會到我這裡。

Often, English learners speak about ‘native speakers’ as if native English speakers

通常，學英文的人士談論“母語人士”時， 認為好像母語為英文的人

are all-knowing, but that isn’t the case.

都知道那樣，但事實並非如此。

No native speaker knows every word in English; people also forget words all the time.

沒有任何英文是母語的人士能知道英文的 每一個單字；人們在任何時候都會忘記單字。

So what can you do if you can’t remember the word for something?

那麼，如果您不記得的某些事情 的單字，您可以做什麼？

Vague language can be your friend!

含糊語言可以是您的朋友。

Take a look: ‘What does this thingy do?’

看一下： “What does this thingy do?”

‘You can use this little whatsit to take the back off your phone.’

“You can use this little whatsit to take the back off your phone.”

‘I found a little metal thingamajig in my desk drawer.

“I found a little metal thingamajig in my desk drawer.

No idea where it came from.’

No idea where it came from.”

Words like ‘thingy’, ‘whatsit’ or ‘thingamajig’ are not normally used in

像“thingy”, “whatsit”或“thingamajig” 的單字不常用

written English.

在書面英文裡。

You can use them when you’re speaking if you don’t know what something is called.

當您正在說某些您不知道叫什麼 的東西時，您可以使用它們。

You can also do this with people if you’ve forgotten someone’s name.

如果您忘記某些東西的名字， 您也可以這樣做。

For example: ‘I’ve got a meeting with whatsisface from the ad company tomorrow.’

例如：“I’ve got a meeting with whatsisface from the ad company tomorrow.”

‘He’s moving in with whatsername—that girl he met at his friend’s wedding.’

“He’s moving in with whatsername—that girl he met at his friend’s wedding.”

'Whatsisface’ is a word made from the question ‘What is his face,’ which makes no sense,

“Whatsisface”是一個由問題“What is his face” 構建的單字，它沒有意義，

and it’s not really clear where it comes from.

真的不清楚它來自何處。

‘Whatsername’ is easier to understand: it’s made from the question ‘What is her

“Whatsername”是比較容易理解的： 它由問題“What is her

name?’

name?”構建。

You can change the words to talk about men or women: ‘whatsisface’ or ‘whatserface’

您可以改變單字來說男士或女士： “whatsisface”或“whatserface”，

‘Whatsisname’ or ‘whatsername’.

“Whatsisname”或“whatsername”。

Again, these words cannot be used in written English!

同樣，這些單字不能用於英文書寫！

They’re also informal, so you shouldn’t use them unless you know the person you’re

它們也是非正式的，所以，除非您很熟悉 那位正在與您談話的人，

talking to well.

否則您不能用它。

You should also never use these words directly to someone’s face.

您千萬不能對著某人的臉 直接說這些單字。

You can’t say: ‘Hey, whatsisface!

您不能說：“Hey, whatsisface!

Good to see you, but I’ve forgotten your name.’

Good to see you, but I’ve forgotten your name.“

This does not sound good!

這聽起來真的不是很好。

Could vague language be helpful for you when you’re speaking English?

在您說英文時，含糊說法是有用的嗎？

How do you think it could help?

您認為它怎麼可以幫到您？

Please share your ideas in the comments—can you think of anything we haven’t mentioned

請您在留言板裡分享您的想法 — 您能 想到任何在這個影片裡

in this video?

我們沒有提到的嗎？

Thanks for watching!

感謝觀看！

See you next time!

下次見！