hither and thither七零八落

一句就把人物的傲氣和階級感全抖出來，比任何描寫都生動。

I've no opinion of ...

對某類人或做法明確看不上時用；對上司或初次見面的人說會顯得刻薄。

I've no time for companions. ／ I don't think much of that sort.

口語

housekeeper 重讀，feckless bodies 兩詞帶輕蔑語氣。

I've no opinion of people who quit halfway. 半途就撂挑子的人，我可看不上。

倒裝的老式說法把「無數次」說得有分量，自帶年代感。

Many's the time (that) ...

回憶並強調自己反覆做過某事時用，書面或講故事都行；口語聊天裡顯得文縐縐。

There were many times I stopped her. ／ Time and again I kept her from foolish things.

literary

Many's the time 連成一串，prevented 重讀。

Many's the time I talked him out of quitting. 有多少回，都是我勸他別辭職。

一句遺囑交代把動機擺上檯面，溫柔的說法裡藏著殺機。

He was to have ... as she had no ...

轉述別人的交代或安排時用，常見於新聞和法律陳述；日常閒聊這麼說會太正式。

She told him everything would go to him. ／ The money was to be his, she said.

中性

was to have 輕快，meant to her 稍作停頓。

The house was to go to her nephew, she told us, as she had no children. 她跟我們說，房子留給她侄子，因為她沒有孩子。

一句話把案發現場釘在眼前，短句加“翻得七零八落”的舊說法，畫面感極強。

And there she was, ... . And everything ...

敘述親眼看到的場景時用，尤其想製造停頓和衝擊；寫正式報告或安慰家屬時不要用這種冷峻說法。

And there he was, gone. ／ And everything was thrown about.

literary

there she was 輕快，dead 後停頓，tossed hither and thither 一詞一頓。

And there it was, wrecked. And everything scattered across the road. 車就那樣，撞毀了。東西散了一地。