PETS－2语法讲解(256)

　　I couldn't get over how pale and drawn she looked.
　　对话
　　Kirsty: Have you seen Vicky's mother lately?
　　Babs: No, why do you ask?
　　Kirsty: Well, I saw her yesterday and I couldn't get over how pale and drawn she looked; completely different from when I last saw her.
　　Babs: Oh, dear, what do you think is the matter?
　　Kirsty: She must be suffering from some kind of illness.
　　Babs: Well I hope it's nothing serious, like cancer or something like that.
　　Kirsty: Me too. That would be awful.
　　Babs: Whatever it is, Vicky must be very worried about her.
　　基施蒂:最近有没有见过维基的妈妈？
　　巴布丝:没有，为什么会这样问？
　　基施蒂:我昨天见到她，她脸色苍白，面容憔悴，跟我上次看到她的样子完全不同，我至今仍感不安。
　　巴布丝:啊，依你看，她怎么了？
　　基施蒂:她一定是患了什么病。
　　巴布丝:希望不是癌症之类恶疾吧。
　　基施蒂:希望如此，否则就麻烦了。
　　巴布丝:无论是什么病，维基一定很担心。
　　I couldn't get over how pale and drawn she looked一语中的get over，是指‘把（不愉快或可惊事情、曾经相恋的人等）忘怀’，例如：(1) I just can't get over the way he criticized me yesterday（昨天他那样批评我，我至今还耿耿于怀）。(2) I still can't get over her, although she has left me for another man（虽然她另有新欢舍我而去，我对她仍未能忘情）。
　　Drawn是draw的过去分词(past participle)，作形容词用，指‘（因疾病、疲倦等）憔悴’，例如：She looked drawn after working round the clock（她工作了二十四小时，看来十分憔悴）。 She appeared completely different from when I last saw her是说‘她看来和我上次见到她时完全不同’。Different经常和三个字连用：from、to、than，意思没有分别，但引起的争论可不少。有人认为different from是正确说法，也有人认为different than是卑俗的美国说法。其实different than一词，英国十七世纪名作家迪福（Daniel Defoe，《鲁宾逊漂流记》作者）、十八世纪名诗人柯立芝(Samuel T Coleridge)等都有使用。不过，假如你担心被人讥为 ‘不正确’，那么，说different from最为保险，例如：His ideas are different from（或to/than）mine（他的意见和我不同）。今天，different from在美、英都是标准说法，different to多用于英国而少用于美国，different than则多用于美国，英国人一般不用。