So we may return to my begining. 由此我们可以回到我先前的话题上了。

Even with the most educated and the most literate, the king's English slips and slides in conversation. 即便是那些学问再高、文学修养再好的人，他们所讲的标准英语在交谈中也常常会离谱走调。 Even the most educated and literate people use non-standard, informal English rather than standard, formal English in their conversation.

literate: n. People who are educated literate: n. People who are educated. able to read and write, having or showing extensive knowledge, culture or experience. 学者，有学问的人。

slip and slide 摔跤滑倒 押头韵

(1).slide 在一个光滑的表面上持续的滑动。用于比喻时，表示不自主地陷入某种习惯等 The boys amused themselves by sliding down the banister. 男孩们从楼梯扶手滑下以取乐。

(2) slip 意外而不自主的滑动，如滑倒。用于比喻时，可以表示“口误”(a slip of the tongue)，“笔误”(a slip of the pen)；“悄悄地溜进……”(slip into…)“轻巧而迅速地穿过”(slip through)等等。 He slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg. 他在一块冰上滑倒，跌断了左腿。

(3) glide 不与其它物体接触的滑，鸟在天空中翱翔，小船在水面荡漾，都可以用glide表示。此外，诸如自行车顺着下坡路面自行滑动，和即将到站的火车靠其惯性作自行滑动，也可以用glide表示。 The albatross is the king of gliders. 信天翁是滑翔鸟类之王。

(4) skid 表示“打滑”。如汽车在结冰的道路上行驶出现打滑的现象。

There is no worse conversationalist than the one who punctuates his words as he speaks as if he were writing, or even who tries to use words as if he were composing a piece of prose for print. 要是有谁闲聊时也像做文章一样句逗分明，或者像写一篇要发表的散文一样咬文嚼字的话，那他讲起话来就一定会极为倒人胃口。

punctuate[英][ˈpʌŋktʃueɪt][美][ˈpʌŋktʃuˌet] vt. 加标点符号; 不时打断; 加强，强调;  使用标点符号; 不时打断某事物;  The silence of the night was punctuated by the distant rumble of traffic. 夜晚的宁静不时被远处车辆的隆隆声打断。

punctuates his words as he speaks: He speaks as if he were inserting punctuation marks in his speech to emphasize and accentuate what he is saying. 他说话时就好像在讲话中插入标点符号来强调他所说的内容一样。

When E.M. Foster writes of "the sinister corridor of our age", we sit up at the vividness of the phrase, the fore and even terror in the image. 看到福斯特笔下写出“当今这个时代的阴森可怖的长廊”时，其用语之生动及由其所产生的生动有力、甚至可怖的形象令我们拍案叫绝。

the sinister corridor of our age: In our age people are traveling along a dark road doing all kinds of evil things. 在我们这个时代，人们正沿着一条黑暗的道路去做各种各样的坏事。

Sit up: to become suddenly alert; be surprised or startled 吃惊，警觉 eg：I called her a damned hypocrite and that made her sit up. 我叫她惺惺作态，她很吃惊。

we sit up at the vividness of the phrase, the fore and even terror in the image. We became suddenly alert and interested because the phrase is so vivid and the image created by the metaphor' s mind is powerful and even frightening.

But if E.M.Foster sat in our living room and said,"We are all following each other down the sinister corridor of our age," we would be justified in asking him to leave. 但假若福斯特坐在我们的会客室里说“我们大家正一个接一个地步入这个时代的阴森可怖的长廊”时，那我们完全有理由请他走开。