Grammar : Baggage
【明報專訊】Bill has a school trip tomorrow, but all he's been doing is sit on the floor and groan.
Pat: It seems that Bill doesn't want to go on this trip at all.
Momo: Look at all his clothes scattered on the floor. I can't stand the sight of them! I am going to start helping him pack.
Dr Panda: MoMo's right, this is unacceptable. The bus leaves tomorrow morning at 6 am.
Momo: I don't think he can fit all that stuff into the bag. The baggage will be so heavy it'll crush tiny Bill.
Pat: Why is he so scared of going on this trip?
Dr Panda: I think this might be related to the trip last year. Bill told me that a few kids trapped him in the toilet. He cried for help for an hour until somebody finally got him out.
Pat: Such bullies! Bill was probably too scared to confront them later.
Dr Panda: That's right. He's been carrying the emotional baggage of that since.
Momo: If I were Bill, I would definitely report them to the teacher.
Bill: Guys...Are you going to keep pretending that I'm not sitting right here? Leave my baggage alone!
■English highway
"Baggage"
The adjective preceding a noun can modify what the latter means. "Baggage" means the bags, cases, etc. that contain somebody's things when they are travelling.
e.g. I had to pay extra for my excess baggage.
"Baggage" can be modified by adjectives like "emotional" to convey a metaphorical meaning of "baggage", i.e., the beliefs and attitudes that somebody has as a result of past experiences.
e.g. We all carry a lot of emotional baggage.
■Gear up
Choose the correct answers.
1. She went through customs and collected her (emotional baggage/baggage) from security.
2. How much (emotional baggage/baggage) is she bringing with her into the marriage?
(Answer on next text)
■Glossary
groan (v) (表示痛苦的)呻吟聲
confront (v) 跟……對質
precede (v) 處在……之前
metaphorical (adj) 隱喻的
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[Smarties' Power English 第352期]
