乔治 W 布什当上总统以后,虽然他一直都在努力使自己说出的句子尽可能符合英语的语法规范,但总是无法避免一些基本的语法或逻辑错误。据说,布什在公开场合说出的蠢话,足以编成一本小册子。以下是美国媒体选出的布什经典蠢话前10名(所有这些均有录音或视频剪辑为证,由于网速慢,这里略去其链接,有兴趣可以自己google):
第十) "Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream." —LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000
——“给翅膀插上梦想”(正确的应该是:where dreams take wings)。另外,句首复数形式的families用了单数的is,这在不太正规场合的口语中或许可以接受,但出现在总统竞选人的演讲中就不太适宜了。
第九) "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family." —Greater Nashua, N.H., Jan. 27, 2000
——给家里人穿食(把食物披在家人身上?)
第八) "I hear there"s rumors on the Internets that we"re going to have a draft." —second presidential debate, St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 8, 2004
第七) "I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." —Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000
——我知道人类和鱼类可以和平共处
第六) "You work three jobs? … Uniquely American, isn"t it? I mean, that is fantastic that you"re doing that." —to a divorced mother of three, Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005