buy time争取时间

把「预言会自我实现」说得干脆，是整段的题眼。

If you believe X and put weight in it, it will become reality.

劝人别把别人的判断当真时用；正式报告里这么说会显得太随性。

If you buy into it, it becomes true. ／ Feed a fear and it grows into fact.

中性

them 和 and 连读，重音落在 weight，句尾放平。

If you believe the rumor and repeat it, it will become the story. 你要是信了那传言还到处说，它就会变成大家认定的故事。

一句大白话把安慰变成行动命令，是她本人的口气。

have got to roll one's sleeves up

鼓励别人动手做事时用；对长辈或正式场合少用这种命令口气。

Time to roll up your sleeves. ／ We just have to get our hands dirty.

口语

have got to 连成 gotta，sleeves up 尾音上扬。

We have got to roll our sleeves up if we want this done. 想把这活干完，我们就得撸起袖子动手。

用最小的词卸下最重的诊断，亲密又倔强。

They're only + noun.

想给坏消息降调、安慰身边人时用；别在当事人刚得知噩耗时抢着说。

It's just talk. ／ Words are only words.

口语

only words 连读，honey 轻轻落下，句尾下沉。

Don't panic, they are only words on a form. 别慌，那不过是表格上的几句话。

用 picture 把病情说成一张图，再用 not at all 收死希望，医生的克制反而更让人心沉。

It's not a good picture at all.

转述坏消息、形容局面糟糕时用，语气要平；安慰人时别用，会把人按下去。

The picture is not good. ／ This does not look good at all.

中性

It's not a good 连读轻带，picture 重读，at all 压低收住。

For the third quarter, it's not a good picture at all. 第三季度的情况一点也不乐观。

用 the one thing 把恐惧收成一个点，再轻轻说出「不想要」，克制的失望最扎人。

That was the one thing I didn't want.

面对最怕的结果时用，语气要低；用来责怪别人会变成指责，别用。

That was exactly what I feared most. ／ It was the outcome I dreaded.

中性

I mean 轻带，the one thing 重读，I didn't want 放慢收住。

A delay was the one thing I didn't want this week. 这周我最不想要的就是延期。