a chronic and habitual liar撒谎成性的人

一个 then 一个 now，把证人锁死在两难里，越挣扎越像骗子。

were you ... then, are you ... now?

对方前后说法不一时用；对朋友这样质问等于摊牌，语气非常重。

Were you lying to me then, or are you lying to me now? ／ Which is it: the old story or the new one?

正式

then 与 now 各停一拍，形成对称重音。

Were you unaware of it then, or are you unaware of it now? 是你当时不知道，还是你现在也不知道？

两个近义形容词叠加，一句反问把侮辱和法律指控同时砸下。

Or are you not, in fact, a ...?

当面否定对方人格时用，杀伤力极大；任何正式关系里都别轻易说。

Or are you simply a practised liar? ／ Or is lying just a habit with you?

正式

chronic 与 habitual 并重，liar 收在重音上。

Or are you not, in fact, a repeat offender? 还是说，你根本就是个惯犯？

不直接骂人，用一句体面的国情评论就把对方钉在轻浮的位置上。

take a rather more serious view of ...

委婉批评某人态度不认真时用；跨文化场合说会显得傲慢。

We tend to treat marriage more seriously here. ／ People here take these matters rather seriously.

正式

inclined to 连读，serious 放重音。

We take a rather more serious view of deadlines here. 在这里，我们对截止日期看得要严肃得多。

不当面骂人，而是请法官叫停，用“my learned friend”体面地开火，是法庭英语的典范。

Is my learned friend to be allowed to ...?

在正式场合对第三方抱怨对方越界时用，借规则压人；私下或对朋友别用这种迂回官腔。

Is counsel to be allowed to treat the witness this way? ／ May I ask the court to stop this line of questioning?

正式

My lord 轻提，learned friend 连读，bully and insult 两词加重。

Is my colleague to be allowed to interrupt every time I speak? 难道要任由我同事在我每次发言时都打断吗？