高樓低廈,人潮起伏,
名爭利逐,千萬家悲歡離合。

閑雲偶過,新月初現,
燈耀海城,天地間留我孤獨。

舊史再提,故書重讀,
冷眼閑眺,關山未變寂寞!

念人老江湖,心碎家國,
百年瞬息,得失滄海一粟!

徐訏《新年偶感》

2012年9月21日星期五

古德明: 發覺、坦克車司機

問:He found that little TV extremely portable(他發覺那小電視機十分方便攜帶)這一句,TV之後為什麼不用was?


答:Find解作「發覺」,其後可用「受詞(object)+形容詞/分詞(participle,即ing或ed動詞)」,也可用that子句 (clause),例如:I found him asleep / missing / wounded或I found that he was asleep / missing / wounded(我見他睡着了/失蹤了/受了傷)。讀者示下那一句,就是用「受詞+形容詞」句式,改用that子句當然也可以:He found that that little TV was extremely portable。


問:I participated in this operation as driver of the commander's tank(我參與這次行動,負責駕駛指揮官的坦克車)這一句,driver之前可不可以加a或the?


答:這一句的driver of the commander's tank,文法上稱為補語(complement)。補語多是名詞或形容詞,用在動詞之後,形容該動詞的主詞(subject),例如以下句子的 teacher和beautiful:(1)She is a teacher(她是教師)。(2)The horse is beautiful(那匹馬很美麗)。


補語假如是說某人出任某職位,而那職位是獨一無二的,職位通常不會冠以the,例如:(1)I participated as driver of the commander's tank。(2)I participated as a tank driver(我參與行動,擔任坦克車司機)。司令官坦克車司機只有一個,所以例句一不用the,但用也可以;一般坦克車司機不止一個,所以例句二用a。 同樣道理,He was elected President of the United States(他獲選為美國總統)這一句,通常不用the。