Продолжаем прокачивать естественность своего английского. Сегодня хит-парад/свалка простых конструкций, которые все понимают, но многие стесняются использовать – и совершенно зря. In no particular order: 1. I CAN’T BE BOTHERED. = МНЕ ЛЕНЬ. • It’s no use asking him. He can’t be bothered to help. • Her pants are getting more and more tight in the waist but she can’t be bothered to exercise. 2. WORK LONG HOURS = ПРОВОДИТЬ МНОГО ВРЕМЕНИ НА РАБОТЕ • I know you work long hours but what’s there to show for it? • She only works long hours to spend less time at home. 3. LIVE TO BE ___ = ДОЖИТЬ ДО ___ ЛЕТ • If I live to be a hundred I’m gonna invite all my school friends to the party. • After the reform, people won’t live to be old enough for a state pension. 4. OLD ENOUGH TO BE YOUR MOM/GRANDMOTHER = В МАТЕРИ/ БАБУШКИ И Т.П. ГОДИТЬСЯ • How can you go out with this pervert? He’s old enough to be your dad! • She’s young enough to be her granddaughter but they’re still good friends. 5. GET [how much] SLEEP/EXERCISE = МНОГО СПАТЬ/ДВИГАТЬСЯ И Т.П. • I bought a premium subscription and didn’t get much sleep last night. • We don’t get enough exercise working in an office. 6. HALF AS MANY/MUCH (AS) = ВДВОЕ МЕНЬШЕ, (ЧЕМ) • Parkinson’s law says that if need be, you’ll get the job done in half as much time. • She weighs half as much as her best friend but they’re both quite ugly. 7. HAVE THE NERVE = ИМЕТЬ СМЕЛОСТЬ/НАГЛОСТЬ 8. NEVER = ТАК И НЕ (в прошедшем времени) • You never paid me back last time and now you have the nerve to ask me for more. You kidding me? • I never had the nerve to ask for promotion. 9. PLAY [how much] TENNIS / WATCH [how much] TELEVISION etc = МНОГО ИГРАТЬ В ТЕННИС, МНОГО СМОТРЕТЬ ТЕЛЕВИЗОР и т.п. • I don’t see a lot of her these days. I wonder what happened. • I don’t play that much guitar these days. 10. DID NOT COME/FINISH/KNOW UNTIL… = ПРИШЕЛ/ЗАКОНЧИЛ/УЗНАЛ И Т.П. ТОЛЬКО КОГДА… Тот случай, когда «минус на минус дает плюс» (не + пока не): • I didn’t know Russia was the best country in the world until the TV guy said that. (только когда сказал) • It wasn’t until she saw him that Rory realized how little she missed him. (только когда увидела) ================= Пользуйтесь сами и делитесь с окружающими. Все как обычно.