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文法b
句子︱文法a︱文
| 我太太做的飯很香，可是我做的飯不香，不知道為甚麼。 |
My wife's cooking smells good, but my cooking does not, and
I don't know why.
Note 1: The base patterns are Ａ很香，可是Ｂ不香 and Ｃ不知道為甚麼.
Note 2: Ａand Ｂdiffer only in the relative clauses that precede
飯 -- namely, 我太太做的 and 我做的. What if the relative clause construction
had not been used and one had written 我太太做飯很香 and 我做飯不香? Would
the meaning of these two phrases not change to "My wife
cooks and smells good" and "I cook and smell bad"?
Note 3: The subject appears to be understood in the final
clause 不知道為甚麼 and is of the base pattern Ａ不知道Ｂ where Ａ is the
subject and Ｂ is the direct object of the verb 知道.
Note 4: The difference between 怎麼 and 為甚麼 should be clear.
In a previous example 怎麼 meant "how?". In this example
為甚麼 clearly means "why?".
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| 站在學校前頭的那個人是你的朋友嗎﹖ |
Is the person standing in front of the station your friend?
Note 1: The base pattern of this sentence is Ａ是Ｂ嗎﹖where Ａ
is 站在學校前頭的那個人 and Ｂ is 你的朋友. The statement made into a question
by adding the question indicator 嗎 at the end of the sentence.
Here, the question word 嗎 is used as a means to obtain confirmation
of disconfirmation of the speaker's belief.
Note 2: The subject of the sentence Ａ consists of two parts:
the noun phrase 那個人 and the relative clause 站在學校前頭的. The demonstrative
pronoun and counter 那個 are placed before the noun 人, but after
the relative clause.
Note 3: The construction 站在Ａof the relative clause is very
similar to that of another construction we have seen before --
namely, 住在Ａ. As the phrase 在Ａ is placed after the verb 站, rather
than before, it is likely that 在Ａdoes not function as a prepositional
phrase indicating where the person is standing. Rather, Ａappears
to be the direct object of a compound verb 站在 indicating the
whereabouts of something standing.
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| 他昨日從早到晚都在學校裡看書。 |
He was studying in school yesterday from morning until evening.
Note 1: The symantic order is noteworthy: subject 他 + day
昨日 + time spent 從早到晚 + 都 + location 在學校裡 + verb 看書. Since 都 occurs
before the prepositional phrase 在學校裡, must one not assume that
it should be applied to the subject's place of study. In other
words it is not exceptional to have studied all day; rather,
it is exceptional to have spent the entire day studying at the
school. Or is it that the construction 在Ａ裡那Ｂ is simply improper?
Note 2: Once again, we see the construction 在Ａ裡, rather than
simply 在Ａ. Is this to emphasize that he was inside the school
and not outside it.
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| 前日晚上他買了一個很好看的表。 |
Two nights ago he bought a very good looking watch.
Note 1: The verb suffix 了 in the verb construction 買了 appears
unnecessary, as the past tense of purchase is implied by the
temporal adverb 前日晚上. Perhaps it is a more elegant form of written
Cantonese.
Note 2: The counter 一個 appears before the adjectival phrase
很好看的 in the noun phrase for the direct object 裡.
Note 3: Why is the temporal adverb placed before the subject
他? Is it for emphasis?
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| 香港有英國人也有美國人，他們在這裡做甚麼﹖ |
There are English, as well as USAmericans in Hong Kong. (What
do they do here? / What kind of business do they do here?)
Note 1: The base pattern of the first clause is Ａ有Ｂ也有Ｃ. Once
again we see the repeated verb construction with 也 as the conjunction.
Note 2: The base pattern of the second clause is Ａ在Ｂ做Ｃ where
Ａ is the subject, 在Ｂ indicates the place where the activity occurs,
and 做Ｃ is the activity. From this statement a question is made
by replacing Ｃ with the question word for what 甚麼.
Note 3: 他們 is the third person plural pronoun and refers back
to the direct objects of the first clause 英國人 and 美國人.
Note 4: It is apparently not sufficient to write 這裡, one must
write 在這裡 in order to indicate that the place of activity is
"here". In this case 裡 expresses the meaning found
in the expressions 這裡 (here) and 那裡 (there)
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| 等一會兒，我們一塊兒去吃飯好嗎﹖ |
If you can wait for just a moment, we can go and eat together,
OK?
Note 1: The base pattern appears to be Ｂ，Ａ去Ｃ好嗎﹖where Ｂ is
a condition for Ａ去Ｃ to occur with the listener's approval.
Note 2: The two phrases 一會兒 and 一塊兒 are neatly contrasted
here. The first meaning "a little while" and the second
"together".
Note 3: The question marker 好嗎﹖ appears to mean the same as
好不好﹖It is a way of asking for the listener's approval with regard
to the speaker's idea.
Note 4: The sentence pattern 去Ｃ, where Ｃ is an activity for
which one must go somewhere in order to perform, is not new.
In this case the activity is 吃飯.
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| 他沒有等我，因為他不知道我今日來。 |
He did not wait for me, because he did not know that I was
coming today.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ，因為Ｂfor which Ａ is presented
as an unaccomplished past action and Ｂ is given as a reason in
the present. One can explain this incongruity in tense, in so
far as the reason provided refers to a condition that persists
into the present.
Note 2: The base pattern of the first clause is Ａ沒有Ｂ, where
Ｂis an action that does not occur. The phrase 沒有 indicates that
等我 does not occur.
Note 3: The base pattern of the second clause is Ａ不知道Ｂ, where
Ｂ is the direct object of 知道. In this case Ｂis the self-contained
sentence 我今日來.
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| 我從來沒有在香港買過表，所以不知道香港的表貴不貴。 |
I have never purchased a watch in Hong Kong, so I do not know
whether Hong Kong watches are expensive or not.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ，所以Ｂ。The subject of the second
clause 我 is the same as that of the first, but is not repeated.
Note 2: The pattern Ａ不知道Ｂis observed once again. This time
Ｂis in the form of a question, rather than a statement -- namely,
香港的表貴不貴﹖Only the question mark is omitted, because the expression
Ａ不知道Ｂ is a statement that contains a question -- not a question
itself.
Note 3: The base pattern of the first clause is Ａ從來沒有Ｂ過, which
appears to mean that Ｂ is an activity that Ａ either has never
experienced, or is not it the habit of experiencing. More simply,
Ａ沒有Ｂ過 appears to mean "A has not experienced B", where
沒有 indicates the past and Ｂ過 indicates that Ａ knows Ｂ through
direct experience. Ｂ is a verb. In this particular instance Ｂhas
a direct object which is placed after the verb and the verb suffix
-- namely, 買過表.
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| 你的日本朋友會寫中文嗎﹖他會，他一年前學過。 |
Can your Japanese friendwrite Chinese? He can. He learned
it a year ago.
Note 1: The base pattern to the above question is Ａ會Ｂ嗎﹖where
Ａ is the subject phrase 你的日本朋友 and Ｂ is the verb phrase 寫日文.
Note 2: As is usual practice there is no separation between
nationality and friend. One writes 日本朋友, rather than 日本的朋友.
Note 3: The answer repeats the verb that is crucial to the
meaning of the question -- namely, 會.
Note 4: The phrase 一年前 appear to mean "one year ago"?
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| 因為這是你們的車，所以你們怎樣做都可以。 |
Since it is your business, how you do it is up to you.
Note 1: The base pattern is of course 因為Ａ，所以Ｂand probably
requires know explanation by this time.
Note 2: The base pattern of the first clause is 這是Ａwhere 這
appears as an indefinite pronoun referring to something known
(an idea, event, etc.) by both the speaker and the listener.
Ａ is a predicate nominative phrase describing 這. Thus, in this
context 這是 appears to mean "it is".
Note 3: The 事 of the phrase 你們的事 can probably be translated
in a variety of ways depending on context.
Note 4: The base pattern of the second clause appears to be
ＡＢ都可以 where Ｂ has been replaced with the question 怎樣Ｂ. This is
our first example by which a question is raised without forming
a question.
ＡＢ都可以 could be translated as "A can do any and all of
B". In short, the word order of the [modal + verb] construction
可以Ｂ has been inverted, so as to accommodate more than one alternative
of Ｂfor possible action. That more than one possible action is
possible is indicated by 都.
It is probably considered awkward or even wrong to write Ａ可以都Ｂ.
Morever, if one were to write Ａ都可以Ｂ, the application of 都 would
shift from Ｂ to Ａ.
By adding the question marker 怎樣 how activity B is achieved
becomes the primary focus of interest. Thus, Ａ怎樣Ｂ都可以 means the
way of achieving Ｂ is not known, but however Ａ achieves Ｂ, it
will be permitted by the speaker.
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