問:Everyone who wants to can take part in the game(這個遊戲,有意者都可以參加)這一句,英文老師或說正確,或說不正確,哪個說法才對?
答:To不可以帶出can字,這也許就是有英文教師認為句子文法不正確的原因。但這一句其實等於Everyone
who wants to take part in the game can take part in the game,to字並非和can連用,所以讀者示下那一句並沒有錯,只是用了省略法。
Want和ask二字之後,常見略去「to+原形動詞」,例如:(1)Everyone who wants can take part in the game。(2)They are not going to do it
unless you ask(them to do it)/
They are not going to do it unless you ask them to(你不叫他們,他們不會做)。
問:敝校英文老師說,both sides(雙方面)和two sides(兩方面)用法不同,例如Two sides agreed that the project should be
implemented immediately(兩方面都認為計劃宜馬上實施)一語,不可改為both sides。究竟兩者有什麼分別?
答:讀者示下那一句,應改正為Both sides / The two sides agreed that...。我不知道那位教師為什麼認為both sides不可以用。請看第二版《朗文當代英漢辭典》both字條下例句:Both sides are keen to reach an agreement(雙方都很想定立協議)。
香港有些英文教師的水準似乎很有問題,看讀者來信可見一斑。