Lin
The word sorted is one of the most frequently used words by native speakers of English. For example in the following short dialogue between William and Yang Li the word sorted cropped up four times.
Li: Hi Will!
William: (distracted) Oh hi Li... er... sorry, I'm a bit busy right now.
Li: What's the matter? Is there something I can help you with?
William said he is going to give his desk a good sort out.
William: Um... not really. I'm... just trying to sort out the team outing for next week and it's proving quite tricky.
Li: Oh, that surprises me, William. That is exactly the sort of little job you normally enjoy!
William: Yes, well, I've lost the menu the restaurant sent me. I had it here somewhere (rummaging through papers). I just don't know where it's got to...
Li: Wow, William, your desk is quite untidy...
William: Yeah yeah, I know. When I've finally finished this I'll have a good old sort out. Ah! Here it is! Now, I just need to stick this on the wall... and send a quick email. Right, sorted!...
This is only half of their conversation but can you figure out the meaning of the word sort/sorted in each case? No? Don’t worry, Kate and Yang Li will sort you out!
杨莉和 Kate Colin 将通过一段生活对话中的大量例句来讲解 sort/sorted 的不同意思和用法。
If you have a question you would like to ask our team, email us at questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk.
We might produce a programme about your question.
听力原文
Sorted: Sorted 的多种用法
Yang Li: 大家好我是杨莉，欢迎收听<你问我答>节目。I’ve got a question here from Lin.
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In the BBC's Sherlock series I heard a sentence like this: We are all sorted here. I can't figure out its meaning. So what does sorted mean here? Thank you.
Yang Li: William is my co-presenter today, but where is he? Where is he? 请大家稍等我去找他。
(Yang Li goes back to the office to look for William)
Yang Li: Hi Will!
William: (distracted) Hi Li... er... sorry, I'm a bit busy right now.
Yang Li: What's the matter? Is there something I can help you with?
William: Um... not really. I'm... just trying to sort out the team outing for next week and it's proving quite tricky.
Yang Li: That surprises me actually, William. That is exactly the sort of little job you normally enjoy!
William: Yes, well. I've lost the menu that the restaurant sent me. I had it here somewhere (rummaging through papers). I just don't know where it's got to...
Yang Li: Wow, William, your desk is quite untidy I must say...
William: Yeah, I know, I know Li. Well, when I've finished this I am going to have a good old sort out. Ah! Here it is! Now, I just need to stick this on the wall... and send an email... and there we go! Sorted!
Yang Li: Well, good!
William: Li, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?
Page 2 of 4
Yang Li: Have you forgotten? You are supposed to record a programme with me. I booked a studio and I was waiting for you.
William: Crumbs! I completely forgot. Listen, I'm sorry I can't do it now, Li. I'm going to the ballet.
Yang Li: The ballet! What am I supposed to do now? Who is going to record the programme with me?
William: I know, I know! What with one thing and another I totally forgot! I really do need to sort my life out. Listen I can't do it now but why don't you ask Kate to co-present with you? She'll sort you out. Bye!
Yang Li: All right then. Kate do you mind co-presenting my programme because Will could not make it?
Kate: Of course, I heard your conversation with Will. Don’t worry Li, I’m sure I can sort you out with your programme.
Yang Li: Shall we go to the studio now?
Kate: Yeah, sure! Let’s go now.
(In studio:)
Kate: It sounds like Lin is having a bit of a problem with the word sorted. It’s a good word to learn as we use it in a lot of daily conversations.
Yang Li: That’s true.
Kate: So in his example of Sherlock Holmes's "we are sorted here" sorted means taken care of.
Yang Li: 我们的事情解决了。
Kate: Actually I noticed that Will used the word sorted quite a few times in your earlier conversation. Let’s have a closer look at each of them one by one.
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Yang Li: What's the matter? Is there something I can help you with?
William: Um... not really. I'm... just trying to sort out the team outing for next week and it's proving quite tricky.
Kate: The phrase to sort out means to arrange, to organise.
Yang Li: 动词短语to sort out something 意思是组织，安排。这是第一个意思。
Page 3 of 4
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Yang Li: That surprises me actually, William. That is exactly the sort of little job you normally enjoy!
Kate: So you said "the sort of little job", and here sort means the kind of.
Yang Li: The sort of 就是那种，那样 the kind of，这是第二个意思。再举个例子，他就是那样的一个人。He's just that sort of person.
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Yang Li: Wow, William, your desk is quite untidy I must say...
William: Yeah, I know, I know Li. Well, when I've finished this I am going to have a good old sort out. Ah! Here it is! Now, I just need to stick this on the wall... and send an email... and there we go! Sorted!
Yang Li: Well, good!
Kate: We have just heard two more meanings here: to have a good sort out means to tidy up, to keep the things you need and chuck out those you don’t need.
Li: 这是第三个意思to have a good sort out 彻底整理一下该留的留，该仍的扔。
Kate: Then he finished something and he was happy with it, he said "sorted", meaning finished, it's been dealt with.
Yang Li: 这是第四个用法是在你完成了一件事你就可以说 sorted，意思是完了，解决了。下面还有两个常用的意思。
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William: I know, I know! What with one thing and another I totally forgot! I really do need to sort my life out.
Page 4 of 4
Kate: To sort one’s life out is a slang expression meaning to get more organised.
Yang Li: 这是个俚语意思是把日常生活好好理一理，安排妥当。这是第五个意思，对话的最后William 说他没有时间和我一起录音，让我找 Kate.
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William: Listen I can't do it now but why don't you ask Kate to co-present with you? She'll sort you out. Bye!
Yang Li: Thank you Kate for sorting me out. And I think between us we have managed to answer Lin’s question, haven’t we?
Kate: I hope so. Now I need to go and have my bike sorted. It got a flat tyre this morning.
Yang Li: Oh perhaps I can sort you out as I used to work in a bicycle shop.
Kate: Really?! I didn’t know that! That’s very kind of you…
Yang Li: No worries. Bye for now everyone.
Kate: Bye.