英國一句古老的諺語 “ It is an ill wind that blows nobody good.” 從字面猜好像是歪風吹得人人都不好, 其實指的是 “不管情況多麼壞, 仍有人會得到好處。” (No matter what a bad happening is, someone can usually gain something from it.” 比如 When Fred got hurt in the game John got a chance to play. It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good.(It was a bad thing that Fred got hurt, but for John it was lucky.) 又如通貨膨脹嚴重時, 大眾受苦, 但囤積居奇者卻大蒙其利。

             莎士比亞(William Shakespeare, 在其作品“威尼斯商人”(The Merchant of Venice", Act 2 scene 2) 中有句話“ It is a wise father that knows his own child.”  意思卻是“ 再聰明的父親也未必了解自己的孩子。”這種句型也引申出像 “It is a long lane that has no turning.”(再長的巷子也有轉彎的時候。）”It is a good horse that never stumbles.”(再好的良駒也有跌跤的時候。）等涵義與表面不同的句子。另外在文法中也會提到部份否定, 如 “ All that glitter are not gold.”(發亮的東西未必是黃金。）   

               英文中也有ㄧ種“矛盾修飾法”(oxymoron), 也就是包含相反意思文字的表達法(expression that contains words with opposite meanings), 如 bitter sweet, cruel kindness, laborious idleness, deafening silence等都是。所以 “bitter sweet experience”指的是 “an experience that is both unpleasant and pleasant”至於“黑色幽默”(black humor)則指“humor dealing with the unpleasant side of human life.)