20100426 In William's Words (1)

In William's Words

William Shakespeare plays continue to educate and entertain

What's in a name?
Genius - if your name happens to be William Shakespeare. The name "William Shakespeare" is among the most recognized and revered in history. Widely known as a literary genius, the famed playwright and poet has earned such nicknames as the Bard and England's national poet. His plays have been translated into every major language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Even today his creative achievements have yet to be surpassed. Still, in spite of his fame, very little is known about the man himself.

It is believed that William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, in Stratford-on-Avon. As a boy, he likely attended grammar school and studied subjects like Greek and Latin literature. However, for reasons unknown, Shakespeare left school when he was 15 and never again pursued formal education. Just three years later, in 1581, he married Anne Hathaway, a woman eight years his senior. Soon after, they started a family. No one really knows how or when Shakespeare first began writing and acting, but by the 1590s his interest in these areas had gained momentum. As a result, he left Stratford-on-Avon and moved to London to pursue his dreams.



playwright n. 劇作家
=> a person who writes play

bard n. 吟遊詩人
the Bard n.
=> a person who write poem
=> 稱莎士比亞為the one and the only poet



In William's Words
=> in words that William Shakespeare has used

What's in a name?
=> The sentence is from Romeo and Juliet


Soon after, they started a family
=> Soon after, they began to have children.


revere v. 尊敬/尊從
=> greatly admire
revere for something
eg: People revere the great artist not just for his talent but also for his character.
人們尊從這位偉大的藝術家不僅因為他的才華，還因為他的品德崇高。
eg: The professor was revered for his achievements in his field.
=> 這位教授因為在他的專業領域的成就而被人尊敬。

sur- 在...之上
surpass v. 超越/優於
=> exceed/go beyond
eg: The movie's success surpassed everyone's expectations.
=> 這部電影的成功超過了每個人的期望。
eg: It's not easy to surpass the well-trained baseball team.
=> 要勝過這隊訓練有素的棒球隊並不容易。

momentum n. 氣勢/衝勁
=> the force that keep something moving forward
eg: The movie lost its momentum half-way through when the hero went missing.
=> 這部電影到了一半主角失蹤時，情結就沒有那麼緊湊了。
eg: The tennis player maintained his momentum throughout the game.
=> 這位網球選手整場球賽都氣勢不減。



//== Chat room ==//


senior adj. 資格老的/資深的/前輩的/高級的

senior citizen
=> 美國人用來稱呼老年人的微婉說法
=> 因為old聽起來很直接，有些老年人不喜歡聽到old這個字
=> 在美國被稱做senior citizen的老人，通常可以得到種種的優待
=> 去商店購物/去電影院看電影都能打折
=> 搭乘大眾工具可以享受半價


senior adj. 年紀比較大的
句型時間 + 所有格 + senior 比某人大多少
eg: Steven is five years my senior.
=> Steven 比我大5歲。

junior adj. 年紀比較小的
eg: I am five years Steven's junior.
=> 我比Steven小5歲。


//== Gramar on the go ==//

He married Anne Hathaway, a woman eight years his senior.
=> He married Anne Hathaway, a woman is older than him by eight years.

his senior
=> older than him

his senior / her senior
eg: The actress is dating a man fifteen years her senior.
eg: Timothy's sister is twelve years his senior.