比較句式系列8: much less

=not to mention

She cannot buy daily necessities, much less luxuries.
她連生活必需品都不能買，更不用說奢侈品。

The baby can't even walk, much less run.
这婴儿连走都不会, 更不用说跑了。

I know no English, much less French.
我不懂英语, 法语就更不懂了。

比較句式系列7: as +adj+ a/an+ noun+ as possible

e.g The aim of the film is to give the spectator as perfect an illusion of reality as possible.  

比較句式系列6:... not so much + (a/an) +noun + as + (a/an)+noun

1. ... not so much + (a/an) +noun/adj.  + as+ (a/an)+noun

e.g. A range of postmodern thinkers has criticized the impulses of modern rationality. They argue that it brings us not so much progress (進步) as domination and oppression (壓迫).

句式:not so much+一個名詞+as+第二個名詞.重點在第二個名詞.句子意思即係它帶來壓迫多於進步.　

 It’s not that he’s contemplating suicide as much as reflecting on life, and we find that theme all through the text.

2. not so much +adj+ as + adj

e.g. He is not so much gay as bisexual.

e.g. God is not so much temporally prior as prior to    temporality.

比較句式系列5:... is less + a/an +noun + than + a/an+noun

By its use of such a structure 'Frost at Midnight' also illustrates Abrams's observation that Romantic poetry should be less an 'imitation of nature' than a 'representation of the poet's internal emotions'.

句式: ...is less + a/an +noun + than + a/an+noun 

比較句式系列4: and even more so

在IMBD上睇到麥迪文如此說過:

(2012) When I turned 40 I had my whole family and some friends together. I realized I had to make a toast and hadn't thought of anything to say. I stood up, and what came to me seemed incredibly true in the moment and even more so as time has gone by. I said, "I think I might actually be the luckiest guy on earth. I really might be him." And nobody in the room reflexively said, "Bullshit," because I am so lucky to have Lucy, my kids, my friends and this job. It's been an unbelievable life. So I'm just looking for health and to stay in this groove as long as I can.

Even more so即「越來越是如此」.他說even more so as time has gone by即「時間過去,...越來越顯得真實」.

比較句式系列３: S+V+ as much+ noun+ as+noun

The sounds of people laughing or jeering, people walking out or arguing or even demanding their money back, would be as much an expression of music as the sound of bits of wood and wire. 

比較句式系列２：any less than

I do not believe fathers love their children any less than mothers do, but men do seem more likely to choose their job at a cost to their family, while women seem more likely to choose their family at a cost to their job.

其他例子：

 

比較句式系列１：just as much

We think of this passage as a call to prayer. And it is. But just as much it’s a remarkable statement of how resolutely the Son of Man stayed on mission.

這個字有點似at the same time:

no more than vs not more than的分別

1. no more than即僅僅:

I got no more than 10000 dollars.

即我只得到一萬元

2. not more than是不多於:

I got not more than 10000 dollars

我得到不多於一萬元.

第一句的no more than是強調「言其少」. 第二句表達客觀事實,沒特別語氣.

「as much as / as many as+數量詞」解多達.

以上提過as much as 作idiom的用法, 說過as much + N+ as + SVO的用法.今次談談「as much/many as +數詞」的用法.

I spent as much as 100000 dollars on stocks.

意思是:我花了多達100000元在股票上.

問題來了:為何dollars 是可數名詞,但卻用as much as不用as many as?

原來as much as 是指10000 dollars 這數詞所指的名詞,即money. money當然不可數了.

The rain is plentiful here, often as much as 70 inches yearly.

as much xxx as

與…一樣多(The same quantity as):

He earns as much money as I do.

此句中的as much是形容詞, 即「與..一樣多的..」 , 然後的as 是relative pronoun: money as Ｉdo 即money which I earn (我賺的錢).

You can try as many times as you like. 

He picked up as much information as he could. 

as far as/so far as 的一些用法

1. 意思是「在…範圍內」:

As far as I know, she is bad.

2. 意思是「去到…那麼遠」

He travelled as far as South America.

3. go as far as to 解「竟到…之程度」, 可跟gerund或to –infinitive:

We have gone as far as to complain to the School.

He went as far as buying an aeroplane.

five times as many as

其實中英文講倍數的說法是不同的.

例如, 英文說: He has five times as many as books as you. 是指他擁有的書是你的五倍. 即多你四倍. 並不是多你五倍.

句型是: 倍數+as + 形容詞／副詞原級 + as:

five times as many as

twice as strong as

million times as beautiful as

three times as much as 

miscellaneous

increased by ...times 型

increase to n times（④） 

increase n times／n-fold（⑤） 

increase by n times（⑥） 

increase by a factor of n（⑦） 

以上四式均應譯為：增加到n倍（或：增加n-1倍）。 

Eg. The production of integrated circuits has been increased to three times 

as compared with last year. 

積體電路的產量比去年增加了兩倍。 

Eg. The output of chemical fertilizer has been raised five times as against 

l986． 

化肥產量比1986年增加了4倍。 

Eg. That can increase metabolic rates by two or three times. 

那可使代謝率提高到原來的2倍或3倍（即提高1倍或2倍）。 

Eg. The drain voltage has been increased by a factor of four. 

漏電壓增加了3借（即增加到原來的4倍）。 

2014年2月9日星期日

..no more ...than...句式

no　more...than...和……一樣都不

There　is　no　reason　they　should　limit　how　much　vitamin　you　take any　more　than　they　can　limit　how　much　water　you　drink.　

他們沒有理由限制你服用多少維生素，就像他們不能限制你喝多少水一樣。

比起Tom

第四種必用句型為包含介詞詞組的句子。

事實上這種句型我在這個blog已有兩篇介紹過，不過是用with作介詞，這一篇我會給大家其他介詞例子。

所謂介詞短語，即是介詞＋名詞。事實上中學生英文怎樣差都應該懂得少少介詞短語，如at 7pm, on the bookshelf, in the toilet等等，這些表時間地點的介詞短語小學都教過。而我會現在所講的這種介詞短語，原理上與這些表時間地點的介詞短語沒分別，分別只在今次的介詞短語是表目的或其他補充，如：

In comparison with Tom, David is not rich whatsoever. （比起Tom，David根本不富有。）

這種句型比其他必用句型不同之處，在於這些如in comparison with的介詞短語，是已經約定俗成的，所以同學要背這些介詞短語，並多加練習，在考試時才能順利用到。

由於介詞短語太多了，我只列出一些作文經常可以用的介詞短語：

As regards/ In regard to/ In reference to/As to都可解作「有關…」，如：As regards his situation, you need not bother. （有關他的情況，你不必理。）

At the expense of是「以…作代價」，如：He finished the job at the expense of his health. （他完成了那件工作，但却损害了健康。）

In accord with/ In accordance with/ In agreement with/ In compliance with/ In conformity with/ In correspondence with/ In line with/ In keeping with都是「與…相符」的意思，如：In accordance with her wishes, she was buried in the sea. （按照遺願，她被葬於大海。）

少了十倍

decrease n times/n--fold （14） 

decrease by n times（15） 

decrease by a factor of n（16） 

以上三式均譯為：減少到1/n[或：減少(n-1)/n]。 
decrease常被reduce， shorten， go／slow down等詞替代。 

Eg. Switching time of the new-type transistor is shortened 3 times. 
新型電晶體的開關時間縮短了1/3（即縮短到2/3）。 

Eg. When the voltage is stepped up by ten times， the strength of the current 
is stepped down by ten times. 
電壓升高9倍，電流強度便降低9/10（即90％）。 

Eg. The equipment reduced the error probability by a factor of 5. 
該設備誤差概率降低了4/5。

減少了5/6

There is a n-fold decrease/reduction… 
應譯為：減至1/n [或：減少（n一1）/n]。（17） 
這個句型還有其他一些形式， 

Eg. A rapid decrease by a factor of 7 was observed． 
發現迅速減少到1/7。 

Eg. The principal advantage of the products is a two-fold reduction in 
weight. 
這些產品的主要優點是重量減輕了1/2。 

也是同樣( 如果不是更加) 重要

The growth of internet technology means that the smallest companies can research, market, and advertise a presence, sell a product, or recruit across borders as easily as, if not more so than, the big players.

see: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1819780

But in fact, it is just as important, if not more so, because there is no way to replace the impact of one person talking directly to another person.