文法b

句子︱文法a︱文法c

你貴姓﹖你是不是坐船來的﹖

What is your name please? Are you not the one who (is coming / came / has come) by boat? Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ是不是Ｂ的。The speaker asks A whether he is not the same as Ｂ的Ａ, where Ｂ的 is a relative clause that describes Ａ. Ａ is understood in the second clause.

他們明日來，你也會來嗎﹖

They are coming tomorrow. Can you come as well? Note 1: The base pattern is a question of the form Ａ，Ｂ嗎﹖The speaker is asking for information. Simply by adding the end-particle 嗎 to the statement Ａ，Ｂa question is formed. Note 2: As is often the case the temporal adverb 明日 is placed before the verb and after the subject. Note 3: 也 has the same meaning as 都 in this context. The corresponding base pattern is ＡＣ，Ｂ也會Ｃ, where Ｃ is something that both Ａand Ｂcan do. Note 4: One can only wonder why 會is preferred over 可以. Obviously 會 does not refer to some talent or acquired skill that Ｂhas. Perhaps 會 emphasizes that Ｂis free to decide whether Ｃ will be performed or not -- not someone else.

昨日很多人在那個鋪子裡買書。

Many people were buying books in that store yesterday. Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ在Ｂ裡Ｃ, where Ｃis an activity performed by Ａinside Ｂ. Ｂ裡 is the location where Ｃ is performed. Note 2: The temporal adverb 昨日 is placed at the beginning of the sentence, rather than before the verb phrase 在Ｂ裡Ｃ。Would it have been wrong to write 很多人昨日在那個鋪子裡買書? Note 3: The second verb 買書 appears to be a compound verb in which the verb and its object are combined to form a single verb. No indication of the number of books is given. Note 4: Although the sentence is obvious in the past, the verb is in the present tense. This suggests that the sentence describes a condition of the past during which some other, in this case unmentioned, act occurs. Hence the translation "were buying" as opposed to "bought".

你這本書很好看，是在那個鋪子買的﹖

You (read / use) this book alot. Is it the one you bought at that store? Note 1: One can only wonder, why the above sentence was not written 這本書很好看，是不是你在那個鋪子買的﹖ The absence of either the question indicator 是不是 or an end-particle such as 嗎 or 呢 emphasizes how easy it is to turn a statement into a question. Of course, the absence of an end-particle may be due to the presence of 的. Even in the sentence had been written 這本書很好看，你在那個鋪子買的 could it not have been made clearer? What is the base pattern of 你這本書好看, anyway? This sentence is very discouraging for the beginner, and I should think even somewhat troubling for a native speaker. Note 2: Though there is no mention of the past, the purchase of the books must have already taken place. Still, there is no past tense indicator. Is it because the verb forms part of the relative clause 在那個鋪子買?

樓下，二樓，三樓都有很多人。

1) There are many people downstairs and on the second and third floors. 2) There are many people downstairs on the second and third floors. Note 1: What is the relationship between the second and third floors and the downstairs. Surely the comma between 二樓 and 三樓 is used as a substitute for the conjunction "and", but what does the comma mean between 樓下 and the second and third floors. Does 樓下 mean downstairs (a general location) or does it mean the first or ground floor (a far more specific location, when there are more than two floors). Note 2: There is apparently no need for the location marker 在 in this context. Is it because of the presence of 有 meaning "there are"? Note 3: The base pattern must be either 樓下Ａ，Ｂ都有Ｃ where Ａand Ｂ are the second floors, or Ａ，Ｂ，Ｃ都有Ｄ were Ａ, Ｂ, andＣ are the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors, respectively.

學校外頭有十九個人，裡頭有多少人﹖

Outside the school are 19 people. How many are inside? Note 1: The speaker knows how many are outside 外頭 and would like to know how many are inside 裡頭. The base pattern is Ｂ外頭有Ａ，（Ｂ）裡頭有Ａ, where Ｂ is the place outside and inside of which Ａ are present. The statement is made into a question by placing the question word 外少 before the second occurrence of Ａ. Note 2: Once again the location indicator 在 is not needed. This would suggest, as was previously thought, that 在 is properly used with a place where some activity takes place, as in the construction Ａ在ＢＣ, where Ｂ is the place where Ａ performs Ｃ. Note 3: The above pattern is consistent with the base pattern Ｂ有Ａ, where Ｂis the place that Ａ is present.

坐船不貴，坐車貴不貴﹖

Going by boat is expensive. (Is it expensive by car? / What about by car? Is it expensive? ) Note 1: Literally 坐船 means to ride (sit) on a boat and 坐車 means to ride (sit) in a car. In this context, they mean "by boat" and "by car", respectively. Note 2: The base pattern is Ａ不Ｃ，ＢＣ不Ｃ﹖, where Ｃ is an attribute of Ａ, and the speaker wants to know if Ｃ is also an attribute of Ｂ. What is compared can be just about anything -- in this case modes of travel.

我的兒子今日不教書，因為學生都沒有來。

My son is not teaching today, because no students came. Note 1: It is difficult to know how to translate this sentence in the absence of context. The base pattern appears to be Ａ不Ｂ，因為Ｃ沒有Ｄwhere Ｂis what Ａ does not do, because Ｃ did not do Ｄ. Surely, 沒有來 is the negative simple past of 來. Note 2: 我的兒子appears rather than 我兒子. This contrasts with the expression 我太太, as we have seen many times before. Note 3: The temporal adverb 今日 occurs at its usual place before the verb phrase, in this case 不教書. Note 4: The all inclusive marker 都 appears before the verb phrase 沒有夾 to indicate that "all students" did not come, or in other words that "no student" came.

這些字我都不會寫，你明日教我寫，好不好﹖

I cannot write any of the characters, what if you were to teach them to me tomorrow? / I do not know how to write any of these characters, could you teach them to me tomorrow? Note 1: Obviously there are a large number of ways to translate this sentence. Probably the best way to get at the root meaning, is to simply drop the question marker 好不好. Then, the sentence becomes "I cannot write any of these characters; tomorrow you will teach them to me." The question marker 好不好 indicate that the speaker is looking for approval of his idea -- in this case, that the listener teach him how to write the characters that the speaker cannot. Note 2: The placement of the "all inclusive" marker 都 before the verb phrase 不會寫 refers back to the direct object that is placed at the beginning of the sentence. It means that "all" of the characters to which the speaker has just referred are treated the same by the verb that follows. The negative indicator is placed before the term 會, not before 寫. Note 3: Another possible reason for the placement of the direct object at the beginning of the sentence is the word's use as the object of two verb phrases -- namely, 都不會寫 and 教我寫. This is similar to the Japanese construction "A wa, B, C", where B and C are both about A. The direct object of the verb phrase 教我寫 is understood. Note 4: The temporal adverb 明日 appears in its usual place before the verb.

他今日不來，明日來不來呢﹖

He is not coming today. Will he not come tomorrow? / He did not come today. Surely he will come tomorrow, won't he? Note 1: This sentence could be translated in even more ways, but no matter which way is elected the end-particle 呢 plays an important role. It indicates continued expectation about his coming. Note 2: Had the speaker said 他今日不來，明日來呢﹖how would the meaning of the question have changed? Note 3: The temporal adverb assumes its usual place before the verb phrases, but after the subject. Note 4: The subject is not repeated, even though the sentence switches from a statement to a question in the second clause. The base pattern is Ａ今日不Ｂ，明日Ｂ不Ｂ﹖

那個在學校前頭看書的人，是不是你的朋友﹖

Is the person reading in front of the school your friend? /Are the people reading in front of the school your friends? Note 1: As the base pattern is the simple construction Ａ是不是Ｂ﹖one can only wonder why a comma is needed. Note 2: The base pattern of the subject is given by the following: 那個Ｂ的Ａ, where both the relative clauseＢ的 and the demonstrative pronoun and its counter describe Ａ. Note 3: Why is the 個 counter employed, but not the 些 pronoun with 那, if more than one person is meant? Is there only one person? If so, why does the subject phrase not read: 那在學校前頭看書的一個人? Is it that 那 cannot stand alone before a noun, and that the phrase 那個Ｂ的一個人would be a redundant use of the word 個? Note 4: The adverbial location modifier 在學校前頭 appears before the verb phrase 看書. It indicates the place of action. The pattern 在ＡＢ, where Ｂis a descriptor of the location is not new. We have seen it before in the forms 在Ａ外頭 and 在Ａ裡頭. Note 5: Does 看書 mean "read books" or does it simply mean "reading"? Could it not mean "read a book" in this case? If the intended meaning were singular,would it not be more correct to write 看一本書?

他們後日來這裡吃飯，今日不來。

They are coming to eat the day after tomorrow, not today. Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ後日Ｂ，今日不Ｂ。Ｂ is repeated in both phrases. Could one not have written Ａ後日Ｂ，不今日 and meant the same thing? Verb repetition appears to be fairly common. Note 2: Another base pattern that we have already seen many times is the following: Ａ來ＢＣ, where Ｂis the place 這裡 to which Ａ comes, and Ｃ is the activity 吃飯 in which he engages after having arrived. Note 3: In this instance 這裡 is the place, and it means here. The opposite of 這裡 is 那裡 which means there. This use of 裡 differs substantially from that in the adverbial expression 裡頭 meaning "inside".

我明日坐船去，他後日坐船來。

I go by boat tomorrow; he comes by boat the day after. / I am going by boat tomorrow; he is coming by boat the day after. / I will go by boat tomorrow; and he will come by boat the day after. Note 1: The place one goes, or that from which one comes is not necessary in conjunction with the verbs 去 and 來. Note 2: How one distinguishes among the three English translations in Chinese is unclear.

上 ︱文法c