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文法b
| 有些人天天都要喝茶，早晚要喝，飯前飯後也要喝。 |
Some people have to drink tea all the time, in the morning
and evening, both before and after their meals.
Note 1: The base pattern is 有些人要Ａ where Ａis something needed
by people of which there are at least some. The phrase 有些人 can
be translated as "some people" or "there are people
who", or "there are some people who".
Note 2: One meaning of the word 天天 is "frequently".
In combination with the adverbial modifier 都 , as in the phrase
天天都要Ａ, "all the time" appears to be a more correct
translation.
Note 3: The modal verb 要 is repeated three times -- each time
that the principal verb 喝 appears. Certainly this much repetition
does not translate well into English.
Note 4: The phrase 飯前飯後 is new and is easy to decipher as
before and after one's meals
Note 5: 早晚 probably does not mean early in the evening; rather,
"morning and evening" or "all day long".
Note 6: Although 都 and 也 appear to be interchangeable in most
contexts, it is difficult to explain why they should be both
used in the same sentence. Normally 也 is the written form of
the spoken form 都.
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| 今天有酒，也有這麼多好的菜，飯要多吃些了。 |
Today there is wine, and so many good dishes. So enjoy
yourself
Note 1: The base pattern is 有Ａ，也有Ｂ，飯要多吃些了 where 飯要多吃些了 is
an idiomatic phrase inviting people to eat as much as they like.
Note 2: 酒 is a general term for alcoholic beverages and in
this case can probably be translated to mean wine.
Note 3: 這麼多Ａ tranlates as "so many Ａ".
Note 4: In this case 菜 means dishes, as opposed to simply
vegetables. 好的菜 are good dishes.
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| 我在香港住了十六年，是因為香港的天氣好。 |
1) I have lived in Hong Kong for 16 years, because the
weather is good here.
2) The reason I have lived in Hong Kong for 16 years is
that the weather is good.
Note 1: The base pattern appears to be Ａ，是因為Ｂ. Compare this
construction with that of Ａ，囚為Ｂwhere Ｂis the explanation for
Ａ. There appears to be little or no difference in meaning. In
both cases Ｂ is provided as an explanation for Ａ. Perhaps the
nuance can be captured in the two renderings above, where the
second is the more correct for the phrasing 是因為.
Note 2: The base pattern for the first clause is Ａ在Ｂ住了Ｃ年 where
Ｃ is the number of years that Ａ has lived at location Ｂ. The
verb suffix 了indicates that the action has been completed up
to the moment of speech.
Note 3: The base pattern for the second clause is very simple:
ＡＢ where Ａis the noun-subject phrase 香港的天氣 and Ｂis the simple
predicate adjective 好.
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| 張先生是教英文的，可是他的女兒一個英文字都不會。 |
Mr. Cheung is an English teacher, but his daughter does
not know a word of English.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ是Ｂ的（人），可是Ｃ, where Ｂ is the kind
of person that Ａ is, and Ｃ is a surprizing fact that contradicts
that which Ａ is -- namely, 他的女兒一個英文字都不會.
Note 2: The base pattern for the second sentence part is Ａ一個Ｂ都不會
where Ｂ is something which Ａ does not know (or cannot do) even
once. In this case Ｂ refers to Ａ's ability to write Chinese characters.
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| 那個孩子家裡沒有錢，放學後還要去賣報。 |
The family of that child is very poor, after school is
over he must sell newspapers.
That childhood comes from a poor family and must sell newspapers
after school.
Note 1: One possible base pattern for the first sentence part
is Ａ家裡沒有Ｂ where Ｂis what Ａ does not have at home. In this case
那個孩子has no money. The troublesome aspect of this interpretation
is the treatment of 家裡. Is it an adverb of place? Why is it not
written as 在家裡? Is it because Ａis not engaged in an activity
at his home?
Note 2: An alternative interpretation might be that 沒有錢 is
a predicate adjective modifying the noun 孩子（的）家裡 where 的 is
understood. In other words the child's household is poor. This
construction appears reasonable because 有錢 is often employed
as an adjective meaning poor.
Note 3: Does 家裡 not mean "inside one's family" or
"in one's home"?
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| 美國的中國菜沒有香港的好吃，可是貴很多。 |
Hong Kong Chinese cooking is delicious, but very expensive.
USAmerican style Chinese food is not available.
Note 1: There appears to be a comma missing in the first phrase.
Would the sentence not make more sense, if it were written 美國的中國菜沒有，香港的好吃，可是貴很多。
Note 2: The base pattern appears to be Ａ的Ｃ沒有，Ｂ的（Ｃ）Ｄ，可是Ｅ where
Ｃ is Chinese food 中國菜 with two styles: USAmerican 美國的 and 香港的.
The USAmerican style is not available 沒有 and the Hong Kong style
is good to eat 好吃, but very expensive 貴很多.
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| 你喝茶也好，喝酒也好，可是都不要喝的太多。 |
It is good that you drink tea and alcoholic beverages,
but you should not drink too much of either.
Note 1: The base pattern is ＡＢ也好，Ｃ也好，可是都不要Ｄ太多 where Ｂ, Ｃ,
and Ｄ are related -- namely, drinking tea 喝茶, drinking alcohol
喝酒, and drinking either （都）喝的.
Note 2: The sentence part 都不要喝的太多 could probably be written
as 都不要喝太多with no loss of meaning. The word 的 appears to serve
as a placeholder for the missing direct object of 喝.
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| 她說長的衣服好看，他說短的衣服好看，我說不長不短的好。 |
She says long clothing looks good. He says short clothing
looks good. I say neither long nor short are good.
Note 1: The base pattern is 她說Ａ，他說Ｂ，我說不Ａ不Ｂ, where Ａ and Ｂare
more complex than just described. Ａ is 長的衣服好看, Ｂis 短的衣服好看, and
Ｃ is 不長不短的好.
Note 2: The sentence part 不長不短的 appears to be an abbreviation
for 不長的衣服，不短的衣服. Still one must wonder ,whether the speaker prefers
moderation or no clothes at all.
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| 我的兒子天天跟那些英國孩子玩，也跟他們學英文。 |
My son often plays with those English children and learns
English from them.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ天天跟Ｂ玩，也跟Ｂ學Ｃ. This pattern is
somewhat misleading, as one receives the impression that the
playing and the learning are mutually shared activities. Is it
not more likely that Ａ is learning English from Ｃ, rather than
with Ｃ?
Note 2: Here 天天 has been translated as often.
Note 3: The word 些 in the demonstrate phrase 那些 takes the
place of the counter and indicates the plural.
Note 4: 玩 is probably pronounced "wan" as in the
phrase 好玩. I do not know its inflection code.
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| 這麼晚了，誰還在外頭說話唱歌呢﹖ |
It is very late, and someone is still talking and singing
outside. Who is it?
Note 1: The base pattern is 這麼Ａ了，誰還在ＢＣＤ呢﹖
Note 2: As is typical of Chinese, the question word is simply
placed where the noun in question should appear. This construction
does not match the English manner of formulating a question.
Note 3: There is no conjunction between the two activities
說話 and 唱歌; neither is the sequence of action probably important.
Note 4: 呢 indicates suspense in the question about who is
still talking and singing.
Note 5: 還 indicates that the action has continued into the
present.
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