問:二零零八年高級程度會考經濟科試卷參考答案有以下一句:
This rental value may be competed away, as in the case when the cost of use
increases when people compete to capture that rent(這租值或會在競爭中喪失,例如大家爭奪這租值,令使用成本上升)。這一句以一
when子句修飾另一 when子句,文法正確嗎?
答:一個 when子句修飾另一
when子句,雖然不常見,文法上卻是可以的,例如: Can I still treat you as a friend when you turned your
back on me when I was down and out?(我窮途潦倒的時候,你棄我而去,我還可以視你為朋友麼?)美國
Western Reserve Press出版的 The Real War on Inflation Has
Not Begun也有以下一句: Supply of a product is considered
elastic when it increases when the price goes up and decreases when the price
goes down(產品售價上升,供應隨之增加;售價下降,供應隨之減少,這叫做靈活供應)。
問:第四版《牛津高階英漢雙解詞典》有以下例句: There
have been no more notifications of cholera cases in the last week(上星期已沒有霍亂病報告)。說明過去時間的句子,不是不可用現在完成式的嗎?
答: In the last week不是說過去某個時間,而是說「過去七天」,即 for the last week或 for the last seven days。說到目前為止的一段時間,當然可用現在完成式。留意在否定句中,
in可取代 for,例如: I haven't slept a
wink in/ for 40 hours(我四十小時沒有睡過)。
