わからない個所を教えてください。
"It's Alex," I say.
"Alex. How's Italy?" His voice sounds very far away; a bad connection, perhaps.
"It's fine."
"And the house and so on? Everything sorted out all right?"
"Well---" I say. "Not yet. I mean, there's---"
"Is it legal stuff?" he breaks in.
"You don't need to worry about that kind of thing. You've seen the attorney there?"
"Yes," I say. "I got the key from him yesterday. I was going to call in again on my way back. But it's not that. It's--- the place is really run down, Max."
I grope for a way to explain it to him. "I mean, it's a terrible mess. I don't think anyone would touch it the way it is at the moment."
"Oh," he says. "Yes. I see. Are there structural problems?"
"I don't know. I don't think so. I mean, the verandah--the one my mother had---well, that's all rotted at one end. And the chimney's broken loose. From the stove. I think a storm did that. I've hardly had a proper look---I'm going to do that today. There are bound to be other things as well. I mean, there's a window broken in the room where I slept, and the garden's---the garden's awful. It needs work doing on it, that's all. It's mostly small things."
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「The Dandelion clock」からの英文です。
:主人公のAlexと知人と思われるMaxが電話で話している場面です。
"I got the key from him yesterday. I was going to call in again on my way back. But it's not that. It's--- the place is really run down, Max."
のBut it's not that. は、Alexが帰りの途中で代理人に電話をしなかった(いまだにしていない)、ということですか?itとthatの代名詞が使われていてよくわからなかったのですが。
"I mean, it's a terrible mess. I don't think anyone would touch it the way it is at the moment."
のat the momentは、「今の所は」という意味だと思うのですが、
I don't think anyone would touch it at the moment.とすると
全体の意味が変わってしまうのでしょうか?
the way it is at the moment.の個所について、なぜthe way it isが入っているのかがわかりません。
最後の方にあるIt needs work doing on it, that's all.のon itは庭で、ということですか?workは単に作業の意味でしょうか?修理ですか?that's allとありますがthatはAlexが話した家の壊れた個所のことですか?それですべてだよ、みたいな。
たくさんになってしまいましたが、教えてください。お願いします。
お礼
とてもわかりやすい解説で、しかも例文のchiceが素晴らしくて感動です。英語をご指導されている方でしょうか?? だとしたら、弟子入りしたいくらいです。 本当にありがとうございました。 またどうぞご指導下さい。