Explaining what you mean 解释意思

• ◆Some poems are mnemonics, i.e. they are designed to help you remember something. 有些诗歌是记忆代码，即是说，其目的是帮助人们记起某事。
• ◆Some poems are mnemonics, that is to say, they are designed to help you remember something. 有些诗歌是记忆代码，就是说，其目的是帮助人们记起某事。
• ◆Mnemonic poems, that is poems designed to help you remember something, are an excellent way to learn lists. 记事诗，即帮助人记起事情的诗歌，是记住一系列事物的极佳方式。
• ◆A limerick's rhyme scheme is A–A–B–B–A. In other words, the first, second, and fifth lines all rhyme with one another, while the third and fourth lines have their own rhyme. 五行打油诗的韵律是 A-A-B-B-A。就是说，第一行、第二行和第五行押一个韵，而第三行和第四行押另一个韵。
• ◆In this exercise the reader is encouraged to work out the meaning, or rather the range of meanings, of the poem. 这个练习鼓励读者弄清这首诗的意思，更确切地说是弄清其几种含意。
• ◆This is a poem about death, or, more precisely, dying. 这是一首关于死亡的诗，更确切地说是关于临终的诗。
• ◆He says his poems deal with 'the big issues', by which he means love, loss, grief and death. 他说他的诗涉及一些 “重大问题”，这些问题是指爱、失去、痛苦和死亡。

When you say something that was not quite what you intended, you can correct yourself in various ways. 说话词不达意时可以用多种方式加以修正：

• ◆I'll be there at five fifteen, I mean five fifty—ten to six. 我会在 5 点 15 分到那儿，不，应该是 5 点 50 分，差 10 分钟 6 点。
• ◆It'll be Tuesday— sorry, I meant to say Thursday. 那就是星期二。不对，我想说的是星期四。
• ◆ Sorry, what I mean is, we need two handouts per person. 抱歉，我的意思是我们每个人需要两份讲义。
• ◆We can meet in the conference centre— or rather in front of the centre. 我们可以在会议中心，确切地讲是在会议中心前面会合。
• ◆The painter— or should I say, the sculptor—was born in Padua. 这名画家，应该说是雕塑家，生于帕多瓦。
• ◆It's one t and double s— no, sorry, one s and double t. 是一个 t 和两个 s。不，搞错了，应该是一个 s 和两个 t。
• ◆It's on the fifth floor— no, actually, it's the fourth. 是在六楼，不，实际上是在五楼。
• ◆Can I get two lattes and an espresso— no, scratch that, three lattes. (NAmE, informal) 请给我来两杯拿铁和一杯浓缩咖啡。不，不要那个，要三杯拿铁。