國立教育廣播電臺

(Joey storms into the café, clearly annoyed.)

Hope:

Hey, how’s your day, Joey?

Joey:

What do you think?! Ugh! You won’t believe what just happened at the office!

Hope:

What happened?

Joey:

Remember I once told you about that part-time worker?

Hope:

Jack, right?

Joey:

Yep, that’s him.

Hope:

So, what happened?

Joey:

Well, I asked him to help me sort the letters and deliver them to each department.

And you know what he said? “That’s not part of my job, is it?

Hope:

Wait, what? He really said that? But isn’t he a part-time worker in your office?

Joey:

Exactly!  I was just standing there, totally frozen! 聽他這麼說，我真的有夠無言的. 我整個人都驚呆了!

Hope:

Wow, I would feel the same. Totally shocked and speechless!

Joey:

Exactly. I was shocked and speechless. Like … I didn’t even know how to respond.

Hope:

What’s going on with that young guy?!

Joey:

That’s what I thought. Does he think he is getting paid just to sit around all day?

Hope:

I get how you feel. That is one of those moments where you just don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Joey:

Now, I feel much better after telling you all this.

Hope:

Anyway, he is just a kid. He’ll learn his lesson sooner or later.

Joey:

I hope so. 對了，Hope, 除了說 I am speechless. 英文中還有哪些說法也能表達 “我很無言” 呀?

Hope:

Well, there are quite a few of such expressions you can use in that situation. For example, I was at a loss for words.

Joey:

I was at a loss for words. 意思是找不到適當的字眼嗎?

Hope:

That’s right. For example, “I was at a loss for words when he suddenly talked back.”

Joey:

“I was at a loss for words when he suddenly talked back.” Got it.

Hope:

Another common one is “I couldn’t say a word.” It is used to show shock, whether emotional, unexpected, or even awkward.

Joey:

I couldn’t say a word. 說不出話來。

Hope:

Yes. For example, “When I found out he tried to cheat on me, I couldn’t say a word—I was so shocked.”

Joey:

Oh, I have an example. Yesterday, when the clock struck 4:00 p.m. on the dot,

Jack stood up and left the office immediately. I was so shocked—I couldn’t say a word.

Hope:

Haha… Jack is such a character, isn’t he!

Joey:

他是真的讓我見識到Gen Z 的人類。

Hope:

By the way, there is another stronger expression: “I was stunned into silence.”

Joey:

“I was stunned into silence.” 我驚訝地說不出話來。

Hope:

Exactly. For example, “When I saw my son’s math score, I was stunned into silence.”

Joey:

Haha… 到底是考多糟糕啦?!

Hope:

You wouldn’t want to know. But I can tell you when I saw his score, I was in shock and I froze!

Joey:

No kidding! I think he is smarter than most kids.

Hope:

He is, but what he does often leaves me speechless.

Joey:

No—Jack is the one who left me completely speechless! Jack才是真的讓我無言啊!