cost a fortune花一大筆錢

把限制寫成創作提問：只有一個房間，戲從哪來。

How do you make a ... where ...?

面對預算或場景限制、要把難題重述成創作問題時用，專業；別用來推卸任務。

How do you tell a story with everyone in one room? ／ Where is the drama if nobody can leave?

中性

重音落在 how 和 one room,句尾降調。

How do you make a party fun when there is almost no budget? 預算不多時，怎麼把一場派對辦得好玩？

先承認前三遍完美，再怪老天爺為何來第四遍。

Lord knows why we had to ...

抱怨一件誰也說不通的倒霉事時用，口語、帶自嘲；別在正式彙報裡用。

Heaven knows why we bothered. ／ Nobody can explain why it happened again.

口語

Lord knows why 連讀,fourth time 放慢收。

Lord knows why we had to redo the whole report at midnight. 天知道我們為什麼非得半夜重做整份報告。

轉折壓到最後三個詞，笑點交給聽眾腦補。

It doesn't look like anything till ...

形容表面正常、其實很嚴重的情形時用，口語、留懸念；正式場合別用。

You can't tell until I move. ／ It looks fine until I try to walk.

口語

till I stand up 放慢加重收。

The crack doesn't look like anything till you turn the screen on. 那條裂痕在點亮螢幕之前看著啥事沒有。

正經提醒裡插進一句猶豫，人物一下變得真實。

I better not do any, I don't know, ...

半開玩笑地提醒自己別亂來時用，口語；正式場合別說。

I should probably not do anything too active. ／ Best not to attempt any lunges.

口語

I don't know 前後各停一下再收。

I better not try any, I don't know, handstands. 我最好別嘗試什麼，我也不知道，倒立之類的。

用 months 這個時間量，把一次小勝利放大成稀罕事。

That's the best ... I've had in months.

誇一件讓你久違地痛快的事時用，口語、帶感情；別用來諷刺別人。

That's the most fun I've had all year. ／ Best day I've had in ages.

口語

best moment 重讀,in months 乾脆收住。

That's the best news I've had in months. 這是我幾個月來聽到的最好的訊息。

先說三遍完美，為緊接著的意外埋好落差。

We did it ... times, and it went ...

講一段順利經過、用來鋪墊後面的意外時用，口語或書面皆可。

We rehearsed it twice and it was flawless. ／ It went right every single take.

中性

three times 稍停,went perfectly 放慢收。

We ran the presentation four times, and it went perfectly. 我們把演示排練了四遍，每次都完美。