古德明呢本書好過第一本好多了, 比較多真係問題嘅問題.
1. Attention若寫係信封,除了跟colon外,也可跟of, 如:
Attention of Ms Julia Wan
2. And和So究竟可否作句子開頭？其實係可以，只係較informal.
3. Hong Kong's Education system和The Hong Kong education system也可以，只係前者的Hong Kong是名詞，後者的Hong Kong是形容詞。
4. 究竟vegetable係數到定唔數到呢?古德明話,菜本身可能都係count,但若煮咗嚟食,就變成uncount. 例如: I ate some tomato vs I bought some tomatoes.
5. 究竟any之後係用單數定眾數?其實兩種都得,例如Do you have any brothers or sisters係啱,但Do you have any hushands就唔得了, 因為husband唔expect有兩個.
6. 0.5英文除了叫zero point 5, 也可用nought point five.
7. I have a red, yellow, and blue bag句中最後一個comma究竟要唔要?原來,有或無都得. 如果有, 意思可能係我有三個袋, 三個袋顏色唔同,也可指我有一個有三種顏色的袋.但如果無,就有機會令人以為我只得2個袋,其中一個係兩隻色:黃加藍.
8. Comma splice我一直都覺得係錯,但古德明話其實以前呢種句子好普遍,無依家咁嚴格,以前未必當錯.
9. around the world與from around the world之間有咩唔同?around the world係「全世界」, from around the world係「來自世界各地」.
10. 呢點我知的,不過要再寫一次. 以下三句都係啱的:The elephant is a noble animal/ An elephant is a noble animal/ Elephants are noble animals.
11. a total of 是總共, 也可以用totally. 但totally有完全的意思,a total of則無.
12. 其實副詞作形容詞我在另外一篇blog也講過,例如the school here中的Here是形容詞(或叫定語), 因此forever friend中的forever也是定語.
13. somebody,anybody,everyone跟somone, anyone, everyone的分別在於, 用-one係formal少少.
14. So do I與So am I的分別,只是前者係表示同樣動詞,或者是同樣名詞/形容詞.
15. Careful和cautious的分別是,careful是小心做事,避免錯誤;cautious係小心考慮, 著意提防.
16. possibly和probably分別在於, 前者的語氣較弱, probably是較有事實根據的推測.
17. although和though有三點分別: 1. though可以是even though; 2. though可擺係句子最後,意思是however. 3. though解「雖然」時的語氣較隨便.
18. scant解「少量的/不足的/貧乏的」,與scanty一樣.
19. no後面也是可plural可singular,但與any一樣,如果個名詞通常係plural或singular,就必是singular/plural其中一種.例如: I have no sister.
20. exercise解運動個陣,可plural可singular, 視乎情況. 若指廣義解運動,的確是用uncount,即singular: e.g. You should do more exercise. 但其實用眾數也不是錯, 因為exercises可指多種運動,或某種運動重重覆覆咁做.
21. as well as後面可以跟gerund或to-infinitive,視乎之前的動詞.如:He spent all his money as well as wasting his time. vs He was unwilling to spend all his money as well as waste his time.
22.敍述故事情節一般用present tense,但若說情節中早前的事,則用past tense.
23. from outside跟outside不同. 前者係「來自外面」,後者是「在外面」.
24. take for有「視為」的意思,如He takes her for a slave是「他把她視為工人」.
25. there和in there不同.前者是「在那裡」,後者是「在那個地方的裡面」.
26. essential to解作「對...是必要的」,後面跟gerund, 如Water is essential to maintaining life.
27. Be it的意思是whether it is,例如: I like all kinds of films, be it action, adventure, love, or horror films.
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.
我其實不太看書局流行的那類英文學習書,但家裡竟然有,我都會睇吓,咁點都會有嘢學到的.
例如楊鐵樑的《品味英語-日常生活篇》,我覺得有好多內容咁咩特別, 只係講一啲字係點解. 搵嚟搵去,我都有學到啲野,主要都唔係英文上,反而係人情世故、文化、及口音上.
1. 香港好多家庭都有工人. 學生作文有時都會提到工人,佢地直譯英文係maid. 我以前覺得無問題,但楊法官話用maid有貶義,用domestic helper好些. 正如辦公室以前叫clerk的人,依家都叫office assistant.
2. 我地祝人成功, 英文有時會話wish you succeed with flying colors. 我以為colors真係解顏色,但原來colors解旗幟,flying colors即飄揚的旗幟.
3. 英文除了有倫敦口音之外,原來仲有皇室口音、牛津音、劍橋音等.
4. 查英式英文, 牛津字典係比較有權威,咁美式英文呢?原來係Webster字典。
5. 呢個世界有好多種歧視.其中一種好subtle的係口音歧視. 英國人好有階級觀念, 一聽口音已經能將一個人歸類.
6. 去餐廳食飯, 雖然waiter係服務你的, 但做顧客也要有禮貌, 有東西遞過來時, 說聲唔該或thank you, 令人地好受啲.
7. 去餐廳食飯, 肉類方面一般有豬牛雞, 牛肉一向最貴我們都知,但原來有些高級酒店的餐廳, 真係無豬扒賣的, 因為豬比較低下.
8. 係香港,公立學校,即官立或津貼中學,我地叫government schools 或government-aided schools. 但原來係外國, pubic schools卻唔係指公立學校,反係指私立學校, 學費貴啲個啲.
9. 除了口音會出賣一個人的出身外, 其實word choice也是. 英文父母親若用dad/mum,是中低下層, 用daddy/mummy才是上流人士.
10. 我地都知美國口音同英文口音唔同,例如英式英文的/ɑː/音, 美國會讀/æ/音, 例如pass, fast等字.原來呢個/æ/音,本來就係英國南方的音.
