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文法b
句子︱文法a︱文
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很多Ａ
很多Ｂ
很多書
很多錢
很多個
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very many A
very much B
very many books
very much money
very many (of something counted with 個)
Note: There is important inconsistency with the application
of counters in combination with the expression 很多. Sometimes
they are used, sometimes they are not. When they should be used
and when not is unclear.
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Ａ的Ｃ有太多，Ｂ的Ｃ有太少。
買英文書的中國人有太多，買中文書的英國人有太少。
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There are too many C that are A, and too few that are B.
Eg. There are too many Chinese who buy English books, and
too few English persons who buy Chinese books.
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Ａ給Ｂ兩百塊錢，Ｂ給Ａ買兩本英文書。
錢小姐給高先生兩百塊錢，高先生給錢小姐買兩本英文書。
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A gives B 200 HK dollars, B buys A two English books.
Eg. - Miss Chin gives Mr. Goh 200 HK dollars, Mr. Goh buys
Miss Chin two English books.
Note: One again, the contrastive structures Ａ給ＢＣ and Ａ給Ｂ買Ｃ
are highlighted. In the first C is something that A gives to
B; in the second instance A performs a service for B -- namely,
A buys C.
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Ａ塊錢一個Ｂ，你買不買﹖
一百塊錢一本書，你買不買﹖
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One B costs A HK dollars, are you going to buy one?
Eg. - One book costs 100 HK dollars. Are you going to buy
one?
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Ａ，是不是沒有一個是Ｂ﹖
美的表，是不是沒有一個是大表﹖
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AmongA is there not one that is C? (C is not an attribute
of A, rather it is a kind of A.)
Eg. - Are there no beautiful watches that are large? / Is
there no beautiful watch that is large? / Is there not one beautiful
watch that is large?
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Ａ先Ｂ，Ｃ。
高先生先賣中國表，買英文書。
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First A does B, then A does C. / Before doing C, A does B.
Eg. - First Mr. Goh sells Chinese watches, then he buys English
books. / Before buying English books, Mr. Goh sells Chinese watches.
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高小姐的Ａ很好看，是不是Ｂ給她的﹖
高小姐的書很好看，是不是錢先生給她的﹖
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Miss Goh's A is very good looking. Isn't it the one B gave
her? / Miss Goh's A is very interesting. Is it not the one B
gave her?
Eg. - Miss Goh's book is very interesting. Is it not the one
given to her by Mr. Chin?
Note: The pronoun referring back to the noun 書 in the second
clause is understood.
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這本書 ／ 那本書
這個人／那個人
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this book / that book
this person / that person
Note: When applying the demonstrative pronouns 這 and 那, the
counters associated with each noun are employed.
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Ａ看那個Ｂ，不這個Ｃ。
錢先生看那本書，不這本。
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A sees (is looking at / is reading) that B, not this C.
Eg. - Mr. Chin is reading that book, not this one.
Note: In the second clause the pronoun is understood, if not
simply replaced by the 本 counter.
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Ａ看那個是Ｂ，不是Ｃ。
錢先生看那個是中國表，不是美國表。
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A sees the one that is B, not C.
Eg. - Mr. Chin sees the Chinese watch, not the USAmerican
watch. / Mr. Chin sees the watch that is Chinese, not the USAmerican
one. (Literally, Mr. Chin sees the watch that is Chinese, not
that is USAmerican.)
Note: One should ask whether the same sentence could be written
with 這.
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那個Ａ是Ｂ的﹖Ｃ的﹖
那本書是高先生的﹖高少姐的﹖
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Does that A belong to B or C?
Eg. - Does that book belong to Mr. Goh or Miss Goh
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這兩個Ａ，Ｂ買那一個給Ｂ的太太﹖
這兩個表，錢先生買那一個給他的太太﹖
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Of the two A which one will B buy for his wife?
Eg. - Of the two watches which one will Mr. Chin purchase
for his wife.
Note 1: The construction "這兩個表，Ａ。" is very similar
to the "B wa, A" construction in Japanese, where "B
wa" introduces what appears later in the sentence -- namely,
A.
Note 2: 那一個 in this context probably indicates the question
"Which one?" There are two watches and the speaker
is interested in only one of them. Perhaps it could mean "Is
it that one which ..."
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| 人人都有生日，你的生日是那一日﹖ |
Everyone has a birthday, when is yours? / Everyone has a birthday,
which day is yours?
Note: This construction is very similar to the one above.
The phrase 人人都有生日，introduces the question that follows, and the
phrase 那一日 asks the question "Which one?"
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那個Ａ的人，是不是Ａ﹖
那個買英文書的人，是不是錢先生﹖
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Is not A the person buying that English book? / Is A not the
one buying the English book over there?
Eg. - Is that not Mr. Chin buying the English book? (Here
那 indicates a question and refers to the person.)
Note 1: Although the phrase 是不是 clearly indicates that a question
is asked, the grammatical role of the word order in the phrase
那個Ａ的人 is not clear. For example, why could the phrase not have
been written Ａ的那個人, as we have seen elsewhere? Does placing the
那個 at the front of the phrase indicate a question?
Note 2: Once again, this construction appears to reflect the
construction "A wa, B." in Japanese.
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Ａ給Ｂ的那個Ｃ不Ｄ。
錢少姐給高少姐的那個表不美。
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The C that A gave to B is not D. (D is an attribute of B,
but not B itself.)
Eg. The watch that Miss Chin gave to Miss Goh is not beautiful.
(Here 那 indicates a statement and identifies the watch.)
Note: Is the placement of the phrase 那個 arbitrary? For example,
could one not write: 那個錢少姐給高少姐的表不美。What is the difference between
那個Ａ的Ｂand Ａ的那個Ｂ?
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Ａ年年都買Ｂ。
高先生年年都買一個表。
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A buys B every year.
Eg. - Mr. Goh buys a watch every year. (都 reinforces the temporal
adverb 年年.)
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| 很多美國人，英國人都有中國姓，你有沒有﹖ |
Many USAmericans and English have Chinese names. Do you have
one?
Note 1: The expression 那有 appears to mean "have both
or all of which " that was mentioned before.
Note 2: In this sentence the word 姓 functions as a noun meaining
family name, rather than as a verb.
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ＢＡ，ＣＡ，Ｄ都有很多Ａ。
美國人，中國人，美國都有很多的。
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D has many A that are B and many that are C. (B and C are
attributes of A.)
Eg. - USAmerica has many people who are Chinese and USAmericans
Note 1: The expression 那有 appears to mean "have both".
Note 2: Once again, the "A wa, ..." construction
of Japanese.
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Ａ很多都是Ｂ。
大人看的書，很多都是英文書。
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Many of A are also B.
A lot of the books read by adults are English books. / Much
of adult literatue is written in English.
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Ａ人是不是都是Ｂ的﹖
中國人是不是都是有錢的﹖
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Aren't all A also B? / Aren't people who are A also B?
Eg. - Aren't all Chinese wealthy?
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那個Ｂ的Ａ都是Ｃ。
那個大的表都是錢先生的。
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That B of A is also C. / All of A that are B are also C.
Eg. - The large watch belongs to Mr. Chin
Note: Once again, which construction is correct: 那個Ａ的Ｂ or
Ａ的那個Ｂ? Is there a difference in meaning?
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| 那本好看的中文書是錢小姐賣給我的。 |
The very interesting Chinese book
is the one Miss Chin sold me. |
| 賣書的人是不是看很多書的﹖ |
Isn't the person selling books, the one who reads so many?
/ Don't people who sell books read alot?
Note: The meaning of 很多, although similar appears to differ
in the following two constructions: one, Ａ很多Ｂ; and two, 很多ＡＢ.
In the first 很多 serves as an adjective that describes the direct
object B; in the second it appears as an adverb describing the
degree to which verb A influences the direct object B.
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Ａ學英文。
高少姐學英文。
錢少姐學中文。
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A learns / studies English.
Eg. - Miss Goh studies English.
Eg. - Miss Chin studies Chinese.
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學英文的人是Ａ。
學英文的中國人有錢的。
學英文的中國人不有錢的。
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People who study English are A.
Eg. - Chinese who study English are wealthy.
Eg. - Chinese who study English are not wealthy.
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Ａ給Ｂ買Ｃ。
錢先生給高先生買一本書。
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A buys C for B. / A buys B C.
Eg. - Mr. Chin buys a book for Mr. Goh.
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好的Ａ有好的Ｂ，好的Ｂ有好的Ｃ。
好的學校有好的先生，好的先生有好的學生。
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Good A have good B, and good B have good C.
Eg. - Good schools have good teachers, and good teachers have
good students.
Note: The adjective 好 is separated from the nouns A, B, and
C by the possessive pronoun 好. Obviously this will not always
be the case. Consider for example the difference between 好人 and
好的人. The former appears to mean a good-natured person. The second
probably means a person who has the quality of being good for
a specific reason, such as in the example given.
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| 那個人沒有錢，你給他三塊錢，好不好﹖ |
That person has no money, what
if you were to give him three HK dollars? |
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八月十五日是Ａ小姐的生日，Ｂ給她一個Ｃ。
八月十五日是高少姐的生日，高先生給她一個表。
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August 8 is Miss A's birthday. B gave her a C.
Eg. - August 15 is Miss Goh's birthday. Mr. Goh gave her a watch.
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| 學校的女先生是高小姐。 |
Miss A is the school's woman teacher. / The school's woman
teacher is Miss Goh.
Note: The definite article appears to be understood. In other
words the school at which Miss Goh is the only woman teacher
is the one just mentioned.
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| 這個學生沒有中文書，高先生給她一本。 |
This student has no Chinese books. Mr Goh gives her one.
Note 1: No counter is required when none of that which is
counted is present.
Note 2: The pronoun for 書 in the second clause appears to
be understood.
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