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》

2013年1月25日星期五

古德明: 英文系試題




問:中文大學英文系二零一零年英文詞彙試卷有以下一題:Divide the following 12 words into four groups with each of which composed of three words(試把以下十二字分為四組,每組三字)。這一句的which可不可改為them

答:Whichwhowhom等是關係代名詞(relative pronoun),帶出的是關係子句(relative clause),而子句須有完整動詞,例如:He had three children, who were all well educated(他有三個孩子,都有良好教育)。

With則可帶出片語(phrase),而那片語可用分詞(participle),例如:The dictator felt helpless, with everyone rising against him(那獨裁者眾叛親離,感到孤立無援)。

讀者示下那一句,既用with帶出片語,就不應用which。那which文法上沒有「連接上文,帶出下文」的作用,所以必須改為them。而composed只是個分詞,不是完整動詞。

以下兩句,都用with each of這寫法,但第一句用with帶出片語,第二句則是用關係代名詞whom帶出子句,那with只是和動詞cohabit連用。其中分別,不可不察:(1He distributed the books to the children, with each of them getting at least two books(他把書本分給孩子,每個孩子至少有兩本)。(2She fell in love successively with a lawyer, a politician, and an artist, with each of whom she cohabited for several years(她先後和一個律師、一個政客、一個藝術家戀愛,和各人都同住過幾年)。