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文法a
句子︱文法b︱文
| 我昨日買了一本書，那本書太貴，可是很好看。 |
Yesterday I bought a book that was too expensive, but very
interesting to read.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ買了Ｂ，那ＢＣ，可是Ｄ。
Note 2: The demonstrative pronoun 那 before 本書 in the second
clause refers back to the 一本書 in the first clause. Under what
circumstances, if any, would it be appropriate to use 這 in the
same context?
Note 3: Since Ｃ and Ｄ are both predicate adjectives that describe
Ｂ, there is no need for a verb to be present in either the second
or third clauses. The conjunction 可是 indicates an attribute Ｄ
that is contrary to attribute Ｃ.
Note 4: Although 我買了would normally be translated as "I
have bought", the presence of 昨日 makes this impossible.
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| 在火車站等火車的人太多了，我們坐船去，好不好﹖ |
There are too many people waiting for the train at the station
now. Let's take the boat, OK?
Note 1: As it is not clear where else one would wait for a
train but at the station, the redundancy is not well understood.
In any case, the pattern 在Ａ等Ｂis not exactly new; Ａrefers to the
location where activity Ｂ takes place. Nevertheless, one may
certainly ask what happened to the 裡, as in 在火車站裡﹖
Note 2: 在火車站等火車的 is a relative clause describing 人 , the subject
of the verb phrase 在Ａ等Ｂin the relative clause just mentioned.
Note 3: The patternＡ太多了 probably conveys a nuance in meaning
decidedly different from that of Ａ太多. It is not simply that there
are too many people, rather that the number of people has grown
in the speaker's mind. It is for this reason that the temporal
adverb "now" has been added.
Note 4: 我們Ａ，好不好﹖appears to translate well as "Let's do
A." The "OK" is probably unnecessary, but insures
that the suggestion is not a command in disguise.
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| 早上學校裡有很多人，晚上學校裡沒有人。 |
In the morning there are a lot of students in school; in the
evening there are none.
Note 1: The base pattern is 早上Ｂ裡有Ａ，晚上Ｂ裡沒有Ａ。The repetition
of the verb in both its positive and negative forms corresponds
with the change in time of day. In this sense the repetition
of the subject is noteworthy. Why is it necessary?
Note 2: Once again the phrase 在Ｂ does not appear. Is this
because the meaning of 在 is implicit in the verb 有 and its negative
form 沒有? Or is it because there is no activity -- simply an indication
of presence and absence.
Note 3: 早上 and 晚上. The word 上 is used in conjunction with
other temporal modifiers to express the time of day
Note 4: In this context 學校裡 can probably be translated as
either "at school" or "in school". Would
it be wrong to substitute 學校裡頭 for 學校裡? What about 在學校裡?
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| 高小姐住在那裡﹖她住在火車站後頭的鋪子裡。 |
Where does Miss Goh reside? She lives in the store behind
the train station.
Note 1: The base pattern of the question is Ａ住在那裡﹖In this
construction 那裡 does not carry the same meaning as that used
in counterposition to 這裡. In this example it means "where?"
-- not "there".
Note 2: The phrase 在那裡 appears after the verb 住. Is this because
住在 is a compound verb and 那裡 is its direct object?
Note 3: It would appear that "reside" and "live"
are both good translations of 住 in this case.
Note 4: The subject 高小姐 is not repeated in the answer. Unlike
the sentence above there does exist a pronoun 她 that can replace
高小姐. It may be that the only pronouns in written Chinese are
definite.
Note 5: The base pattern of the answer is Ａ住在Ｃ後頭的Ｂ裡。Although
the patterns 住在Ｃ and Ｃ後頭 are probably clear by now, the construction
Ｂ裡 may not be so clear. Certainly this latter pattern answers
the question 那裡﹖.Beyond that I am unwilling to speculate at this
time.
Note 6: Is not 火車站後頭的 a descriptive relative clause telling
which 鋪子?
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| 要做的事太多，他今日做不完。 |
There are too many things to do. He will not finish today.
/ He wants to do too many things today and will not finish.
Note 1: The base pattern is 要做的事Ｂ，Ａ做不完。Ｂis the condition 太多
in which 要做的事 are in; Ｂ is the reason that Ａ will not finish.
The subject-noun corresponding to the pronoun 他 of the second
clause must be understood by the listener.
Note 2: One can easily imagine the sentence 要做的飯太多，他做不完, but
what about the following: 要吃太多，他做不完? Would it not be more correct
to write: 要吃太多，他吃不完?
Note 3: As is frequently the case, the temporal adverb 今日
appears before the verb and after the subject.
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| 今日早上，我看見很多學生上學去。 |
This morning I see many students going to school.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ｂ，Ａ看見ＣＤ去 where Ｂ is a temporal
adverb that appears out of place. This probably explains the
use of the comma. Compare this construction with that of the
following sentence 今日早上，我看見很多學生去學校. Do they mean different things?
The second example is of the form Ａ看見Ｃ去Ｄ. The ambiguity arises
in how to apply the word 去 in the first example. Does it refer
to 我 or 學生?
Note 2: The subject Ａsees Ｃ who is headed towards Ｄ. In this
case Ｄ is a school described by the activity 上學. It seems reasonable
that Ｄ could be replaced by just about any activity that is carried
out at a location different from where one is before the activity
begins, or at least a known location where a particular activity
is usually performed.
Note 3: As an adjective 多 does not seem to appear alone. In
all of the previous adjectival phrases it was accompanied by
the adverbs 很 or 好 as in 很多and 好多. Thus, translating either of
these expression as simply "many", rather than "very
many" seems reasonable.
Note 4: The sequence 今日早上 moves in the direction of big to
little. 早上 is only a portion of 今日. Together, "today"
and "morning" mean "this morning". Though
it seems unlikely that one would say 今早上 to mean "this morning",
what about 今早 or 今朝? Are these more likely possibilities?
Note 5: 看見 is a compound verb constructed from the two verbs
看 and 見. This doubling up of verbs with similar, or even sometimes
identical meaning is also very common in Japanese.
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| 從美國來香港的船昨日晚上到了沒有﹖ |
Did the boat from the United States to Hong Kong arrive (last
night / yesterday evening)?
Note 1: The base pattern is 從Ｂ來Ｃ的Ａ到了沒有﹖or more simply Ａ到了沒有﹖The
speaker wants to know whether Ａ has arrived. The 了 of the verb
phrase 到了 indicates that the arrival has, or may have, already
taken place.
Note 2: The phrase 沒有 is somewhat redundant in so far as it
refers to an action in the past that does not occur, or alternatively
one that may or may not have occurred. Would it have been wrong
to write 是不是 in place of 沒有, since the past tense of 到 is already
conveyed by the expression 到了?
Note 3: The construction 昨日晚上 is similar to that of 今日早上,
thus reinforcing at least one notion about the way in which a
day and the time of that day can be expressed.
Note 4: The expression 從Ａ來Ｂis likely a pattern we will see
again. In this particular case if forms part of the relative
clause that describes 船.
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| 他的姐姐在那個學校教書﹖我不知道，他也不知道。 |
At which school does his older sister teach? I do not know,
and he does not know either.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ在那個ＢＣ﹖In this case Ａis a person
who performs Ｃ. The speaker believes that Ｃ takes place at some
Ｂ, but is uncertain as to which one. The important new lesson
is how to form the question "At which B ...?" Once
again, 那 is used as question marker.
Note 2: In this case Ｂis a school, and 個 is apparently the
counter for school. One would think that the counter for building
would be more appropriate, however.
Note 3: 他的姐姐 rather than 他姐姐.
Note 4: The base pattern of the answer is Ａ不Ｃ，Ｂ也不Ｃ。This combination
is the negative of ＡＣ，Ｂ也Ｃ. It could be translated as we observe
above or as "Neither I nor he knows." 也 and 都 are interchangeable
here with regard to meaning.
Note 5: When speaking one often hears the phrase 不知. Apparently
it is an abbreviation for 不知道.
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| 前日在那個鋪子裹買表那個人姓甚麼﹖ |
What is the name of the person who bought a watch in that
store yesterday?
Note 1: Unless 姓 can refer to things other than people, the
above translation appears to be the only possible. The base pattern
of the sentence then becomes Ａ姓甚麼﹖meaning "What is A's name?",
or "How is A called?"
Note 2: The subject of the sentence is obviously 那個人, the
person whose name it is that the speaker would like to learn.
One would have thought the phrase 前日在那個鋪子裡買表 is a relative clause
describing 那個人, but where is the relative clause indicator 的?
Does Cantonese offer the same flexibility with the use of 的 that
English offers with "that"? Does the expression 那個人
make the use of 的 unnecessary or even awkward?
Note 3: Apparently the humble-polite expression 貴姓 is not
required, when asking indirectly about a person's name. The full
extent to which this corresponds to the Japanese use of humble-polite
forms we have yet to observe.
Note 4: The pattern Ａ 在Ｂ裡Ｃ, where Ｂ裡 is the place where Ａ
performs Ｃ is already well known. What remains to be answered
is the role of 裡. Does it simply mean "inside", as
opposed to "outside". If so, why is it even needed?
Note 5: Both occurrences of 那 are those of demonstrative pronouns.
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| 他是怎麼到香港來的﹖他是坐船來的，不是坐火車來的。 |
How does he come to Hong Kong? He is the one who comes by
boat, not the one who comes by train.
Note 1: The base patterns are Ａ是Ｂ的。and Ａ怎麼到Ｃ來﹖Together they
form the pattern Ａ是怎麼到Ｃ來的﹖Literally translated it means: "He
is the one who comes to Hong Kong by what means?".
Note 2: The answers to the question reinforce the structure
of the question as they repeat the first base pattern of the
question -- namely, Ａ是Ｄ的 and Ａ不是Ｅ的 which simplifies to Ａ是Ｄ的，不是Ｅ的。
Note 3: The obvious question is why the more direct question
Ａ怎麼到Ｃ來was not used in the first place?
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