問:Fast和quick有什麼分別?
答:Fast、quick和swift都是「快」、「迅速」的意思。論速度,fast和swift相當,都應比quick快一點,所以麥美倫出版社英語指南The
Good English Guide說:In order of speed, "fast"
and "swift" are about equal, and "quick" perhaps a little
way behind。不過,quick as a flash(快如閃光)、quick
as lightning(快如閃電)這樣的成語之中,quick當然不會慢於fast和swift。
此外,quick多用來說「迅速發生的事」,例如a
quick reply / response(迅速的回答/反應);fast則多指「迅速移動的人或物」,例如a
fast runner / train(跑得很快的人/特快火車)。
至於swift,口頭上較少用,多見於文字,例如a
swift reply / runner。
問:You should send your homework to your
teacher no / not later than 21 August(請在八月二十一日之前把家庭作業寄給老師)這一句,應用no
later than還是not later than?
答:Not和no都可以用在「比較級詞語(comparative)+than」之前,不過,no的語氣較強,所以往往用來帶出令人意外的事,例如:(1)He finished writing the 2000-word article in not more than
three hours(他三小時之內,寫完那篇二千字文)。(2)Believe
it or not, he finished writing the 2000-word article in no more than thirty
minutes!(信不信由你,他三十分鐘之內,寫完那篇二千字文!)