【课堂详说】

 

第八、我们可以说tell sb off。In English, it means "to speak angrily to sb for doing sth wrong". 中文意思是责备，斥责，数落，责骂。我们通过下面的例句来熟悉这个习语的意思。

 

例句1：I told boys off for making so much noise. 孩子太吵了，我把他们训斥了一顿。

 

注解：Tell sb off for doing sth( sth) 意思是因......而斥责......再如：My boss told me off for my careless work so I were in a bd mood. 我工作粗心，上司把我责骂了一顿，所以我心情不好。

 

例句2： I heard that Jane has told on you to o the teacher for your cheating in the exam. And did your teacher tell you off? 我听说简向老师打了你的小报告，说你在考试中作弊，你给老师骂了吗？

 

注解：tell on是告发某人，打某人的小报告，告某人的状的意思。例如：I'm late for work- don't tell on me! 我上班迟到了，不要打我的小报告啊！Don't you tell on each other? 你们彼此不告密?

 

此外，tell on还有“影响到”的意思。例如：In the last stage of the race, her tiredness began to tell on her. 在赛跑的冲刺阶段，她开始显得筋疲力尽了。Sleeplessness is sure to tell on your health. 失眠肯定会影响你的健康。Smoking will tell on you when you're getting old. 你上年纪时就会感受到吸烟的影响了。

 

下面我们来看tell off这个短语作为责备这个意思的变异形式的短语。

 

1. Give sb a telling-off

 

这里就是把tell off中的tell加上ing变为动名词再用连字符将副词off连接起来成为名词，即：telling-off。It means " the act of speaking angrily to sb, especially a child, because they have done sth bad". 要强调一点的是这个词只用于单数形式，不用复数形式。因此，不能说telling-offs，give sb telling-offs。我们来看2个例句：I don't give people a telling off unless I'm really angry. 除非我很生气，我平常不会骂人。Don't give your boss a telling-off, even if you think he deserves it. 即使你认为你的上司该骂，也不要责骂你的上司。

 

2. Get （be）told off 挨骂，遭骂

 

这个短语的变异其实就是在语态上进行变化而来，这个就是被动语态。我们来看2个例句：You'll get told off if you're caught doing that. 要是发现你做那种事，你就得挨骂。You will be told off for being a cheater. 你骗人要遭骂的。

 

Tell sb off除了有“责备”的意思，还有“分派”“指派”的意思。例如：A small party of men were told off for burial duty. 一小组人被分派去执行掩埋的任务。Ten soldiers were told off to dig ditches. 十名战士被分派去挖沟。

 

转自可可英语