身体部位的词汇有双重用处:既要用来描述一个人,又会在身体不舒服的那一刻立刻用上。
身体部位
头部: hair, face, eye, ear, nose, mouth, tooth (teeth), neck 上半身: shoulder, arm, elbow, hand, finger, chest, back, stomach 下半身: leg, knee, foot (feet), toe
有两个不规则复数:tooth → teeth,foot → feet。
用 Have 还是 Be?
这条规则决定了你说出来的话是否地道。
have + 你拥有的特征:
She has long hair. · He has blue eyes. · They have a beard.
be + 你本身具有的性质:
She is tall. · He is slim. · They are in their thirties.
❌ She is long hair. → ✅ She has long hair. ❌ He has tall. → ✅ He is tall.
身高和体型
tall · of medium height · short · slim · well-built · heavy
用词的褒贬要小心:slim 是夸人的,thin 是中性的,skinny 则带贬义。说体重时,large 比较委婉,fat 则很直接。
头发
词序是这样的:长度 — 类型 — 颜色
long straight black hair · short curly grey hair
颜色:blonde, brown, black, red, grey, white。类型:straight, curly, wavy, bald。
其他特征
glasses · a beard · a moustache · freckles · a tattoo · dimples · a scar
这些都搭配 have 使用,而 glasses 永远是复数形式:She has glasses. · He has a short beard.
三个看似相同、其实不同的问题
这三个问题几乎会让所有人犯糊涂,因为其中两个问题里的 like 含义完全不同。
| 问题 | 问的是什么 | 回答 |
|---|---|---|
| What does she look like? | 外貌 | Tall, dark hair. |
| What is she like? | 性格 | Really friendly. |
| What does she like? | 喜好 | Cycling and old films. |
而 look 单独使用时,描述的是此刻给人的印象,而不是长期不变的外貌:You look tired. · He looks happy today.
另外还有 look like + 名词,用来表示相像:She looks like her mother.
年龄
- She's in her twenties.
- He's about forty.
- a young man · a middle-aged woman · an elderly man
Elderly 是礼貌的说法;用 old 形容一个人可能会显得生硬。
身体不舒服的时候
这些词汇在这里派上了第二个用场,英语里有三种表达方式:
- My + 身体部位 + hurts: My back hurts. · My feet hurt.
- I've got a sore…: I've got a sore throat.
- 以 -ache 结尾的词:a headache, toothache, stomach ache, backache
日常说法是 I've got a headache。说 I have pain in my head 别人也能听懂,但听起来像是直译过来的。
只描述,不评判。 英语把中性描述(tall, slim, in her forties)和带评判色彩的说法(skinny, fat, old)划分得很清楚。坚持用中性词,不只是为了礼貌而礼貌,而是不让一句普通的描述听起来带有冒犯的意味。
综合运用
He's tall and well-built, with short dark hair and a beard. He's probably in his forties.
一个 be,一个 have,加上头发描述的固定词序。这就是一段完整的外貌描述。
如何找到一个你从没见过的人
A: How will I know him?
B: He's quite tall, with grey hair and glasses. He'll be wearing a blue coat.
A: And what's he like?
B: Very easy-going. Don't worry — he looks friendlier than he sounds on the phone.
身高用 be,头发和眼镜用 have,what's he like 问的是性格,looks 说的是给人的印象。对话里的那件蓝色外套,已经属于服装词汇的范畴了,是另外一套内容。
自测
下面的测验主要考查 have 和 be 的区分。