392. An Untrustworthy Co-worker - Review

First Review

Translation Difficulties

• “I had gone pretty far” Context: “he thought I had gone pretty far in the company for someone who had dropped out of college.” To “go far” in a professional context means to achieve a lot of success or reach a high position. In Chinese, it corresponds well to “走得很远” or “混得很不错”.

• “who’s to say” Context: “but who’s to say what he told her behind my back?” It’s a rhetorical way to say “nobody knows” or “it is impossible to know”. It maps perfectly to “谁知道呢” or “谁说得准呢”.

• “With friends like him, who needs enemies” Context: “With friends like him, who needs enemies!” A common sarcastic idiom (proverb). It means that a person supposedly acting as a friend has done something so harmful that an actual enemy couldn’t do any worse. Maps to “有这种朋友，还要敌人干嘛”.

Error Analysis

• V: Was it my imagine → Did I imagine it “Imagine” is a verb. To use the “is it/was it” structure, you need the noun “imagination” (“Was it my imagination”). However, using the verb “Did I imagine it” is more idiomatic and natural here.

• did you really just give Gavin a → the cold shoulder? “The cold shoulder” is a fixed idiom. You must use the definite article “the”, never “a”. Also, “really” is unnecessary here because the structure “Did I… or did you just…” already conveys the emphasis.

• G: You didn’t imagine it. In English, while you can sometimes omit the object, replying to “Did I imagine it?” usually takes “You didn’t imagine it.” Note: This isn’t strictly an error in your version (“You didn’t” is grammatically fine as a short answer), but adding “imagine it” matches the tone of the original better.

• G: He’s a → He is two-faced “Two-faced” is an adjective, not a noun. So you say “He is two-faced” without the article “a”.

• he would → was going to put in some words → a good word for me to → with the manager

  1. “Would” implies a conditional or a past habit, while “was going to” shows his past stated intention/plan.
  2. The idiom is “put in a good word for [someone]“. You can’t say “put in some words”.
  3. You put in a good word with someone (the person listening), not to them.

• That sounds like a good → nice thing “Sound” followed by a noun requires “like”. It “sounds like a good thing”. (Or “It sounds good” if using an adjective). The original used “nice thing”, which is very natural, though “good thing” is also perfectly acceptable.

• But in fact → as it turns out … “In fact” is used to emphasize a truth that contradicts what was just said. “As it turns out” specifically introduces a new piece of information that was discovered after the fact, which fits perfectly here (“But as it turns out, I heard…”).

• I heard from Elanda that he was talking bad words → bad-mouthing me We don’t say “talking bad words”. “Bad-mouth [someone]” is a highly idiomatic verb that exactly means to say bad things about someone behind their back.

• G: Yes, I do → I’m sure. The question was “Are you sure?”, which uses the verb ‘to be’ (are). You must reply with “I am” or “I’m sure”, not “I do” (which replies to “Do you…?”).

• a backhanded compliment, if I’ve ever heard one ”…, if I’ve ever heard one” is a fixed phrase used to emphasize that something is a perfect example of what you just called it. Ex: “That’s a lie, if I’ve ever heard one.”

• Luckly → At least the manager wasn’t around there. Spelling mistake: “Luckily”. However, in this conversational context where someone relates a bad situation but finds one small positive detail, “At least” is much more idiomatic than “Luckily”. Also, “around” stands alone well without “there” (“around there” sounds like a specific geographical location instead of just “in the vicinity”).

• but who knows → who’s to say “Who knows” is perfectly valid here! “Who’s to say” is just an alternative idiom. Either is acceptable.

• I’m sure that → she will put … “That” is grammatically correct to use here, but in spoken English, it is often dropped for better flow (“I’m sure she will…”).

Vocabulary and Collocations

• two-faced (两面派的，当面一套背后一套的) Logic/Origin: Having “two faces” to show different sides to different people. Example: I can’t stand two-faced people who smile at you but insult you later.

• bad-mouth (说坏话，诽谤) Logic/Origin: Using your mouth to say bad things. Example: Stop bad-mouthing your boss when you’re still working for him.

• a backhanded compliment (明褒暗贬，虚情假意的赞扬) Logic/Origin: A “backhand” in tennis is a hit from the opposite side, so a backhanded compliment enters like praise but acts like an insult. Example: Telling me I look “good for my age” is a backhanded compliment.

• nasty (恶毒的，极差的，令人不快的) Example: That was a really nasty thing to say.

• sharp (敏锐的，精明的) Logic/Origin: Used for someone whose mind is quick and cuts through confusion like a sharp knife. Example: You have to be quick; the interviewer is extremely sharp.

Important Idioms

• give someone the cold shoulder (冷落某人) Logic/Origin: Believed to come from serving an unwanted guest a cold shoulder of mutton instead of a hot meal, showing they are unwelcome. Example: I tried to be friendly, but she just gave me the cold shoulder.

• put in a good word for someone (替某人美言几句) Example: If you get a chance, could you put in a good word for me with the hiring manager?

• get by someone (瞒过某人，逃过某人的眼睛) Example: She checks everything twice; mistakes don’t easily get by her.

• put two and two together (根据事实推断) Logic/Origin: Adding 2 + 2 = 4 to reach the obvious logical conclusion. Example: When he didn’t show up for work and his car was gone, I put two and two together and realized he had quit.

English Corner

• Rule: Sound + Adjective vs. Sound + like + Noun Phrase
• When to Use: “Sound” acts as a linking verb. If you follow it with an adjective, no preposition is needed. If you follow it with a noun or noun phrase, you must use the preposition “like”.
• Examples:
  • Correct: That sounds great. (Adjective)
  • Correct: That sounds like a good plan. (Noun Phrase)
• Common Mistakes: “That sounds a good thing.”
• Why?: Without “like”, a noun cannot attach to the linking verb “sound” in this manner.

Second Review

English Corner

• Rule: tell + person + thing vs. say + thing + to + person
• When to Use: Use tell when the listener comes directly after the verb. Use say when you focus on the words first, and add to before the listener if needed.
• Examples:
  • He told her the truth.
  • He said something rude to her.
• Common Mistakes: what he said to the manager when the sentence really needs tell + person + thing
• Why?: Tell takes the listener directly as an object, but say usually does not.

Important Idioms

• who’s to say (谁能断定呢) Example: Who’s to say he didn’t already warn the boss?

• behind someone’s back (在某人背后) Example: If you disagree with me, say it to my face, not behind my back.

Error Analysis

• G: You didn’t imagine it. I’m not too happy with him. be happy with is the natural pattern for how you feel about a person or situation. I don't have a good feeling at him is understandable, but English normally uses with, not at, in this meaning.

• Last week, he told me he was going to put in a good word for me with the manager for a promotion. This is a fixed workplace chunk. Keep the whole pattern together: put in a good word for + person + with + decision-maker.

• But as it turned out, I heard from Elanda that he was bad-mouthing me behind my back. bad-mouth someone is the right verb, and behind my back is the natural follow-up. Your simple past bad-mouthed me is not ungrammatical, but the progressive version matches the original scene better because it presents the gossip as ongoing behavior.

• He told Elanda that he thought I had gone pretty far in the company for someone who had dropped out of college. After he thought, English often shifts back to past perfect to show an earlier situation from that past viewpoint. for someone who had ... is also a very useful pattern for expressing surprise about someone’s level of success relative to their background.

• That sounds pretty nasty. Pretty here means quite or rather and works well for natural spoken emphasis. Too nasty changes the meaning to “more nasty than acceptable,” so it is not the best choice in this line.

• She wasn’t, but who’s to say what he told her behind my back? Use tell + person + thing, but say + thing + to + person. So he told her something is natural, while he said something to her would need a different structure.

Vocabulary and Collocations

• as it turns out (结果却 / 事实证明) Logic/Origin: Use this when later information changes your earlier assumption. Example: I thought the meeting was canceled, but as it turns out, they only changed the room.

• not too happy with (对…不太满意 / 对…不太高兴) Example: The client wasn’t too happy with the delay.

• go far in a company (在公司里发展得很好 / 做到较高位置) Example: She has gone far in the company because people trust her judgment.