10本推介的英文學習讀物2：古德明之《好壞英語》

1. Abbreviation用不用the, 睇佢全寫,例如: KMB全寫Kowloon Motor Bus無The,但BBC全寫The British Broadcasting Company卻有.而頭字詞(acronym),習慣不用the, 如NATO (即使本身是The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation). 

2. 我在<延長句子方法>系列有講過participle phrase,可參考呢篇:<延長句子方法系列(2)b：postnoun modifier之participial phrase>. 而participle phrase一個常見錯誤是dangling modifier.但古德明呢本書p.146提到一種, 個participle的subje雖然不是main clause的subject,但卻無錯.例如:

Judging from ... 
Generally/Strictly speaking,...
Taking xxx into consideration,...
Regarding xxx,

3. Be+ to有「將會」,「打算」的意思,如I am to send the letter=我將會寄信. 古德明在p.152指出, Noun+ to+...尤其多出現在報紙標題,因為標題著重精簡, to+infinitive可作Noun的postnoun modifier, 避免了用將來式動詞,減少字數,正如過去的事會用現在式來表達,以求簡潔.

4. doubt與suspect都是懷疑.但doubt是否定的懷疑, suspect是肯定的懷疑,例如I doubt she loves me, 即「我懷疑她不愛我」, 但若I suspect she loves me, 卻是「我懷疑她愛我」.

5. most 和most of的分別,類似我講過的more與more of的分別.most後係加noun, 但most of則加proper noun, pronoun, relative pronoun, 和determiners+noun之前.
例如: I dislike most of China.但卻是I dislike most TV programmes.  

6. Shall 作問句開頭,是徵求別人同意, 如Shall we have dinner first? 意思跟Should we have dinner first不同, 後者是應不應該, 前者是好不好.

7. 古德明認為a total of 是贅詞, 例如: There are on the shelf a total of 30 books. 這句的a total of根本可以delete,變為There are on the shelf 30 books. 那麼a total of有咩用?
佢講得啱,假如將句子改成30 books are on the shelf就不是咁好,因為英文忌用阿拉伯數字起句,因為要改為:A total of 30 books are on the shelf. 

8.not so much ...as 這詞語結構我在<比較句式系列6:... not so much + (a/an) +noun + as + (a/an)+noun>過,但古德明譯作「與其說是...不如說是...」譯得很好. 例如: He is not so much not rich as poor. (與其說他不富有,不如說他窮.)

9. 有條問題係問: There is a man, a woman, and some children in the garden.對不對. 古生說嚴格是不對,但口頭/通俗英語可接受.我唔肯定,但聽下無妨.

10. As well as 不同and. 第一,as well as 係講啲對方應已知的事,例如: I love my mum, as well as my wife. 我愛妻子, 大家都知, 但原來我也我阿媽. 句子重點在我愛阿媽上. 第二, and 是conjunction, as well as 是preposition. [註:但我又睇過有啲人當as well as係conjunction, 好似係政府文件]. 第三: as well as 若出現在subject, 不會當subject一部分(因為不是conjunction),因此: My wife, as well as my son, is my love. 句子subject只有My wife, 因此動詞用單數. (這個問題有趣,要深入啲才能完美解答.