生活英语对话 Episode 83: The rent

本单元是关房租的对话

Helen: Dad, Khalid likes the room, and he wants to move in, but he wants to know if you can knock a bit off the rent.
Helen's dad: Helen, you know I can't allow it. Everybody has to pay the same.
Helen: I know dad, but we put the advert 1 in the Gazette for 2 weeks, and he's the only person who's anywhere near suitable. It's going to cost a fortune if you have to keep advertising 2.
Helen's dad: But why couldn't you find anybody through the ad?
Helen: I don't know dad, I can't make people call. All I know is, Khalid's just right for the room, but if you want him to move in, you'll have to let him have a discount.
Helen's dad: Well, I suppose I could let him have a small reduction. But what are you going to say to Alice and Tim?


Vocabulary 词汇

knock a bit off 稍微减少
reduce slightly

to cost a fortune 花一大笔钱
to be very expensive

keep on 继续 (v)
continue

本单元的语言点是关于 Make, Let, Allow 的用法，请看下面的解释和例句

Make, Let, Allow

Make - active form 主动形式
The verb 'make' has several meanings in English. When Helen says 'I can't make people call', she means that she cannot force people to call; she does not have the power to control or change the situation.

When 'make' means 'force' or 'control', in the active form, it is followed by an object and the bare infinitive 3 (原形不定式/不带'to'的不定式，infinitive without 'to').

Be careful: in the active form, 'make' is NOT followed by 'to', and it is NOT followed by an -ing form:
The teacher made us to do our homework -WRONG
The teacher made us doing our homework -WRONG
The teacher made us do our homework –RIGHT


Make - passive form 被动形式
When 'make' means 'force', in the passive from, it is followed by the infinitive with 'to'.

Let 容许,让
If you 'let' somebody do something, you give permission or you allow them to do something. Helen says 'if you want him to move in, you'll have to let him have a discount.'

When 'let' means 'allow' or 'give permission', it is followed by an object and the bare infinitive (infinitive without 'to').

Be careful: 'let' is NOT followed by 'to', and it is NOT followed by an
-ing form:
The teacher let us to leave early - WRONG
The teacher let us leaving early - WRONG
The teacher let us leave early – RIGHT


Allow 准许,许可;允许
Allow has a similar meaning to 'let'. When Helen's dad says 'Helen, you know I can't allow it.' He means that he can't give permission.

Allow can be used in 2 ways:

1. It is followed by an object. The object can be a noun, or it can be an -ing form.

2. It is followed by an object (noun or pronoun) and the infinitive with 'to'.

Be careful: in this pattern, the object is NOT followed by an -ing form:

The teacher allowed us leaving early - WRONG
The teacher allowed us to leaving early - WRONG
The teacher allowed us to leave early - RIGHT

Passive forms are also possible.

Smoking is not allowed in this building
You are not allowed to smoke in this building