non-denial denial不否認的否認

用『嗜血』作比，把溫柔與狠勁的差別說得又自嘲又鋒利。

I guess I don't have the taste for X you have.

半自嘲地承認自己不如對方狠，說給同事或朋友聽；正式場合別說。

I suppose I lack your appetite for the fight. ／ I don't have your killer instinct.

口語

taste for the 連讀，重音落在 jugular。

I guess I don't have the taste for the jugular my rivals do. 我想我沒有對手那種咬住不放的狠勁。

一句輕描淡寫的『閒聊』，其實是在淡化酒桌上的失言。

We were shooting the breeze about X.

跟朋友聊天時說我倆在扯閒篇，輕鬆隨意；寫正式材料要換成 talk informally。

We were just chatting about the election. ／ We were killing time over the election.

口語

shooting the 連讀，breeze 重讀並稍拖長。

We were shooting the breeze about the new boss. 我們正閒聊新來的老闆。

兩句對打，把糾纏地點的爭論拽回事實本身，乾脆有力。

I don't care where X. What Y is what counts.

有人抓細節跑偏時，用來把話題拉回重點，對同事或搭檔說都行。

Where it happened doesn't matter; what happened does. ／ Never mind the place. Focus on what was said.

中性

don't care 連讀，what counts 重讀收尾。

I don't care who started it. What broke is what counts. 我不在乎誰先動手，壞掉的是什麼才要緊。

把最俗的家當一件件數出來，等於說：你別毀了我。

I have a wife and a family and ...

情急之下求對方別聲張、別毀掉自己時用；帶點示弱，正式談判裡不說。

I have a family depending on me. ／ Think of my wife and kids before you do this.

口語

逐項列舉要頓一下，重心落在 dog and a cat。

I have a family and a mortgage; please don't spread this. 我有家有房貸，求你別往外傳。