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snbzk (Offline)
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10-23-2009, 07:29 AM

Quote:
Originally Posted by YuriTokoro View Post
Does “the far corners of the world” can mean a magical world which powerless normal people can’t see or know?
"The far corners of the world" refers to hidden or unknown places away from civilization. So, if the necromancers and normal people are in different parts of the same world, that expression works. If by "a magical world" you mean a completely different world that is separated from the one normal people inhabit (like another planet or dimension), it doesn't work. Instead, you could describe it the way you just did. It's hard for me to come up with an alternative without having read the story.

If you don't know how to express something concisely, it's better to elaborate than to risk leaving out important information.

Quote:
Originally Posted by YuriTokoro View Post
The author didn’t mean it’s humorous.
Is “No way” or something suitable? How about “stone the crows!”?
This is also something that's hard to correct without knowing the story. I don't know Skarr's personality or the nature of his reaction. Did he already know the information? Was he surprised, concerned, or brooding?

"No kidding!" is something you'd say when someone tells you something you already know. It can sound either cheerful or annoyed. On the other hand, saying "Really? No kidding..." in a thoughtful way means that you didn't know and were somewhat surprised. Both are fairly informal and not something a prince would say.

"No way!" is used when someone tells you something that surprises you or something that's hard to believe. It's also informal and mostly used by guys like this:

http://www.canadianshakespeares.ca/e...s/BillTed3.jpg
http://www.videodetective.com/photos/116/004896_3.jpg

I've never heard "stone the crows!" in my life.

In this case it would be okay to just leave it out, since it's a somewhat meaningless reactionary phrase that isn't vital to your message. The only way to master these little expressions is to listen to a lot of spoken English because the real meaning is conveyed by the tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language rather than the words themselves.
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