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文法c
句子︱文法a ︱文法b
︱文
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我有很多女朋友。
我有很多朋友。
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I have many girl friends.
I have many friends.
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| 有一個朋友 |
There is/was a friend.
Note: The tense of the verb 有 can easily be changed with an
appropriate temporal adverb. For example, 琴日 meaning yesterday,
as opposed to 今日 meaning today.
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| 人人都會Ａ，可是不是人人都會Ｂ。 |
Everyone knows how to do A, not
everyone (also) knows how to do B. |
| 人人都會看英文，可是不是人人都會寫英文。 |
Eg. - Everyone knows how to read
English, but not everyone can write it. |
| 人人都會吃飯，可是不是人人都會做飯。 |
Eg. - Everyone knows how to eat, but not everyone knows how
to cook.
Note 1: 人人 appear to mean people. When used in conjunction
with 都 and a verb, such as 都會, it means everyone.
Note 2: One must be careful to separate the construction 可是不是
as follows: 可是 meaning "but", "however",
"notwithstanding"; and 不是 meaning "is not".
Note 3: The base structure of the sentence is either Ａ，可是Ｂ
meaning "A, but B" or Ａ，可是不是Ｂmeaning "A, but not
B". If the sentence part 不是人人都會做飯 can stand alone meaning
"It is not true that everyone can cook", then either
interpretation could be correct.
Note 4: Would the sentence 人人都會吃飯，可是人人不都會做飯。be permissible?
Would it convey a different meaning? I do not know.
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| 這些賣書的人，都是會做買賣的人。 |
The people selling books, are also very good at business.
/ These book sellers really know how to do business.
Note 1: This sentence is of the base form Ａ，都是Ｂ。, which is
exactly opposed in meaning to the structure Ａ，可是Ｂ。
Note 2: The construction 這些Ａ的人 where Ａ的 is a relative clause
describing 這些人 is worthy of attention, as it differs markedly
from the Japanese constructions "Ｂ suru kono Ａ" and
"Ｂ suru sono Ａ" .
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有些ＡＣ，有些Ｂ不Ｃ
有些中國人很會看英文，有些美國人不會寫英文。
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Some A are C, some B are not C.
Eg. - Some Chinese are able to read English well, some English
people cannot wrtie well.
Note 1: This construction is clearly of the form 有些Ａ，有些Ｂ。It
would appear that 有些in this context is adjectival and refers
only to the nouns 中國人 and 美國人 -- not the entire sentence parts
Ａ and Ｂ.
Note 2: Once again, there are no counters between 有些 and the
nouns that it modifies.
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Ａ人有Ｂ，可是Ｂ人一個也沒有。
高先生有很多書，可是錢少姐一本也沒有。
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Person A has B, but person B has not even one (of B).
Eg. - Mr. Goh has many books, but Miss Chin does not even
have one.
Note 1: The key construction here is 一個也沒有. Any counter corresponding
to Ｂwould likely be appropriate. The base sentence structure
then becomes Ｂ，Ａ一個也沒有。, where Ｂis the direct object of 有, Ａ is
the subject of the entire sentence, and 個 varies with Ｂ.
Note 2: An alternative base structure is probably Ａ一個Ｂ也沒有。,
such that 個 (the counter for Ｂ) varies with the noun substituted
for Ｂ. Once again, Ａ is the subject of the sentence.
Note 3: It also seems likely that 都 could be substituted for
也 in this context, both in the written and spoken contexts.
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有些中國人寫的字很不好看。
Also
很不好看
not
不很好看
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Some characters written by Chinese are (not very good / very
bad). / Chinese characters written by some Chinese are (not very
good / very bad).
Note 1: It is difficult to know whether the 有些 describes 中國人
or 字. This is because the subject of the sentence is of the form
有些Ｂ的Ａ, where Ｂ的 is a relative clause describing Ａ.
Note 2: Since once often sees the expression 很好看, one might
expect its negative to be 不很好看. This is not case, however. What
we learn from, then, is that 不好看 is the opposite of 好看 and 很
must be placed before either.
Note 3: It is assumed that 字 refers to 中文字.
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| 昨日有一個朋友給我一本教人學英文的書。 |
Yesterday a friend gave me a textbook for studying English.
Note: The base structure is Ａ給Ｂ一本Ｃ的書。Thus Ｃ的 is a relative
clause that describes 書. As such 教人學Ａ的書 appears to mean a book
for teaching how to learn Ａ -- namely, a textbook.
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教人學Ａ的書
教人學中文的書
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a textbook for learning/studying A
Eg. - textbook for learning Chinese
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這些Ａ是我的。
這些書是我的。
這些表是我的。
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These A are mine. / These belong to me.
Eg. - These are my books.
Eg. - These are my watches.
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| 這些字是我寫的，你看好不好﹖ |
These characters were written by me, would you have a look
at them? / These are characters that I wrote, how about a look?
Note: There is no comma before the phrase 好不好. It would appear
unnecessary in this context.
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我有兩個朋友，一個Ａ，一個Ｂ。
我有兩個女朋友，一個很好看，一個很不好看。
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I have two friends, one is A, and one is B.
Eg. I have two girl friends: one is very beautiful, and one
is very ugly.
Note: The base structure is 有兩個Ａ，一個Ｂ，一個Ｃ。, where Ｂ and Ｃ are
attributes of Ａ that make the two Ａ different. As always the
個 counter varies with the noun Ａ.
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今年Ａ很少，所以Ｂ也不多。
今年有錢的人很少，所以買書的人也不多。
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This year A are few, and therefore B are not many either.
Eg. - This year few people have money, therefore not many
people are buying books.
Note: The base structure is Ａ很少，所以Ｂ也不多。The number of Ｂis the
result of Ａ being few. 不多 is another way of saying 很少. Thus,
both conditions Ａ and Ｂ are similar and the adverb 也 is appropriate.
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他是我第一百個學生。
not
他是我第一百學生。 |
He is my 100th student.
Note 1: One writes 一百 and not simply 百.
Note 2: Once again, even when ordering a counter is required.
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我要多教他寫一些中國字。
我要多教他寫。
and
他寫一些中國字 |
I (want/must) teach him more Chinese characters.
Note 1: The base structure is Ａ人教Ｂ人Ｃ meaning that person Ａ
teaches person Ｂ how to do Ｃ. Ｃ is a verb expressing the activity
that Ｂlearns.
Note 2: A secondary, but important pattern appears to be Ａ人要多Ｂ,
where Ｂis a verb expressing an activity or action that Ａwants
or needs to do more of.
Note 3: The relationship between the adverb 多 which modifies
the verb 教 and the adjective phrase 一些 which modifies the noun
中國字 appears contradictory -- wanting to do more of little. The
speaker appears resigned to, or even frustrated by an implicit
constraint.
Note 4: 一些 requires no counter in this context.
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| 囚為他有錢，所以沒有朋友。 |
Because he is rich, he has no friends.
Note 1: This sentence is grammatically somewhat misleading,
because 有錢 appears as a verb phrase in counterposition to the
second verb phrase 沒有朋友. On the other hand, 有錢 is often employed
as an adjective as in the phrase 有錢的一個人 meaning a rich person,
or a wealthy individual.
Note 2: The base structure is 囚為Ａ，所以Ｂ.
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Ａ是不是Ｂ﹖不是，是Ｃ。
今日是不是你的生日﹖不是，今日是錢少姐的生日。
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Is Ａ not Ｂ? No, it is Ｃ.
Eg. - Isn't today your birthday? No, today is Miss Chin's
birthday.
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學日文一個月要給多少錢﹖
好的先生要給五百塊錢。
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How much does it cost per month to study Japanese?
Note 1: The question indicator 多少 is placed at the end of
the sentence, rather than at the beginning.
Note 2: The base pattern is ＡＢ要給多少Ｃ﹖where A is an item of
expenditure, Ｂ is a measure of duration, and Ｃ is the unit of
measure of expenditure. Who spends and who receives the expense
is not known. The base pattern of the answer, although similar
yields something different again. Ｄ in the pattern Ｄ要給Ｅ。is the
recipient and Ｅ is the amount expended. In both cases 要給 appears
to mean "requires payment of".
Note 3: Now compare the above base patterns with the sentences
我要買一本書。and 我要給一百塊錢. Could the latter be interpreted to mean that
"I must pay HK$100" rather than "I require payment
of HK$100"?
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Ａ好
Ａ好沒有﹖
你寫好沒有﹖
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finish doing A / have completed A (A is a verb.)
Has A been (finished / completed)?
Eg. - Have you finished writing?
Note: When placed after the verb phrase Ａ好 the phrase 沒有﹖appears
to be the past tense equivalent of 是不是﹖
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| 你的學校有沒有學生會﹖ |
Does your school not have student associations? ? Does your
school not have a student association?
Note: The base pattern is Ａ有沒有Ｂ﹖It is simply the question
form of 有 and means as much as Ａ是不是有Ｂ﹖
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| 我要你寫的字，你寫好沒有﹖ |
Have you finished writing the characters that I require?
Note 1: The base pattern appears to be Ｃ，ＡＢ好沒有﹖meaning "Has
Ａ completed ＢＣ? " where Ｃ is the direct object of the verb
Ｂ.
Note 2: If the above interpretation is correct then 我要你寫的
is a relative clause describing 字. Accordingly, the base pattern
for the relative clause would be Ａ人要Ｂ人Ｃ meaning that person Ａ
requires that person Ｂ do Ｃ
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Ａ可以Ｂ，也可以Ｃ，可是不可以Ｄ
高先生可以教中文，也可以教日文，可是不可以教英文。
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A can do B and even C, but not D.
Eg. - Mr. Goh can teach Chinese, and even Japanese, but he
cannot teach English.
Note: Whether Mr. Goh has the ability to teach English is
not clear. Certainly circumstances do not permit it.
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| 錢可以買表，也可以買書，可是不可以買朋友。 |
Eg. - Money can buy watches, and even books, but it cannot
buy friends.
Note: Money is a personified means by which people are able
to purchase, and not purchase certain things.
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Ａ人是Ｂ的先生，也是Ｂ的朋友。
高少姐是錢先生的先生，也是錢先生的朋友。
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A is B's teacher, as well as his friend.
Eg. Miss Goh is Mr. Chin's teacher, as well as his friend.
Note: The base pattern appears to be Ａ是Ｂ，也是Ｃ. Please note
that the word 是 must be repeated.
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| 他今日有要事，所以不可以教你做飯。 |
Today he has an important matter and will therefore not be
able to teach you how to cook.
Note 1: The temporal adverb 今日 is placed between the subject
他 and the verb 有.
Note 2: 要事 is a noun constructed from the verb 要 and the noun
事.
Note 3: Notice that 會 cannot werve as a substitute for 可以.
會 means to have the ability to do something, whereas 可以 in this
context means to have the opportunity. Both 會 and 可以 can be translated
to mean can.
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| 這個中國學生不會寫那個美國學生寫的日文字。 |
This Chinese student cannot write the Japanese character (s)
written by that USAmerican student.
Note: Hopefully by now this sentence can be easily understood!
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