"Preface

Hi, there. Welcome to the fascinating world of slang / idioms. Come on in, sit down and make yourself comfortable. Let’s chat a bit before you start expanding your vocabulary. After all, there are hundreds of slang and idioms in this book, so you’ll be here for a while.

Allow me to introduce myself a little. I’m Brian (I guess you already knew that from the front cover, huh?). I’ve been an ESL teacher in Taiwan for more than a decade and a professional writer for much longer than that.

If I may, I’d like to make a few assumptions about you:

 You’re not a complete beginner

You’re right; it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. Wait, there’s more.

 You’ve got a keen curiosity about the English language

Otherwise, you’d be at home watching TV, playing video games or doing some other fun activity that doesn’t require so much mental energy.

 You realize that slang / idioms are a key part of a language

You know that by taking the time to learn this colorful and somewhat mysterious vocabulary, you’ll be opening up a new universe of understanding and communication for yourself.

There’s no doubt about it – learning how to use slang / idioms is a challenge, especially if one is no longer a teenager. Our ability to pick up another language diminishes as we age, making each new word and phrase more and more difficult to remember as the years go by. As with any difficult feat, it’s important to equip yourself with the right tools. That’s where this book comes in. This book is like your hiking boots, your map, flashlight and guidebook, and I’m your personal tour guide through the world of slang / idioms.

I want to briefly tell you about the format of the book, and how I believe it will help you learn and remember the expressions.

First, there is a clear explanation of the precise meanings of the slang / idioms in Chinese. That means you’ll be absolutely certain of the definitions of the phrases (the problem with slang / idioms is you usually can’t figure them out just by analyzing each individual word, so someone has to specifically tell you the exact definitions).

Second, the origins of the slang / idioms are presented. Not only is this information quite interesting and, often, fun to know, it helps you remember the slang / idioms.

Third, the slang / idioms are used in sample sentences and conversational formats, providing contexts and examples of how to use them.

Finally, synonyms for the expressions are provided, which further helps to enlarge your vocabulary.

OK, I think that’s enough for now. You’re ready to embark with me along an enjoyable journey of language learning. Don’t forget to review the phrases that you learn from time to time (new vocabulary has a nasty habit of slipping out of your brain unless you practice it several times).

Trust me: if you stick with it and continue traveling along this road, you’ll find the trip most enlightening and rewarding!



作者序

嗨，大家好。歡迎來到俚語/常用語的美妙世界。快點進來吧，坐著、讓自己感到舒服。在你開始擴充自己的字彙時，我們先來聊一下。畢竟，這本書裡有幾百個俚語和常用語，你要花好一陣子來學習呢。

讓我先簡單地介紹我自己。我叫柏萊恩（我想看封面你又知道這點了吧？）。我在台灣擔任 ESL 教師已經超過 10 年了，從事職業寫作的時間更是遠遠超過教學。

關於你（讀者），如果可以的話，我想做一些假設：

●你並非全然的初學者

你想得沒錯：不用多聰明就可以做出這個假設。等等，還有還有。

●你對英語有非常強烈的好奇心

否則，你就會坐在家裡看電視、打電動，或做些不用太多腦力的有趣活動。

●你知道俚語/常用語是英語的重要部分

你知道花時間學這些活潑、有點奇妙的字彙，你將可以為自己開起一個理解與溝通的世界。

無庸置疑地，學習如何使用俚語/常用語是個挑戰，特別當你已不是青少年的時候。我們學習其他語言的能力隨著年紀增長而消退，讓每個新單字、片語越來越難記住。就像完成任何困難事蹟一樣，讓自己配備正確的工具是很重要的。這就是為什麼會有這本書的誕生。這本書就像是你的登山靴、地圖、手電筒和指南，而我就是你在俚語/常用語世界裡的個人導遊。

我想簡短地告訴你這本書的形式，和我相信本書能夠如何幫助你學習記住這些用語。

首先，這些俚語/常用語都有詳盡清楚的中文解釋。也就是說你能完全了解這些俚語/常用語的定義（俚語/常用語的問題就是，你通常無法僅靠每個單獨的字的意思而了解整句的意義，所以就要靠別人來明確說明正確的定義）。

第二，提供俚語/常用語的起源。這些資訊不只是很有趣，而且，常常可以幫助你記住這些常用語。

第三，這些俚語/常用語實際運用在例句、會話形式，用前後文與範例呈現"

"Preface

Hi, there. Welcome to the fascinating world of slang / idioms. Come on in, sit down and make yourself comfortable. Let’s chat a bit before you start expanding your vocabulary. After all, there are hundreds of slang and idioms in this book, so you’ll be here for a while.

Allow me to introduce myself a little. I’m Brian (I guess you already knew that from the front cover, huh?). I’ve been an ESL teacher in Taiwan for more than a decade and a professional writer for much longer than...