2013年5月6日星期一

古德明: 幾片蛋糕、of 和 the




問:「幾片蛋糕」是several pieces of cake,但可不可以several pieces of cakes,表示從幾個蛋糕切下的幾片?

答:Cake作可數名詞(countable noun),指「一個蛋糕」;作不可數名詞(uncountable noun),則指「蛋糕這種食物」。「幾片蛋糕」,一般會把cake當做不可數名詞,即several pieces of cake。文法上,several pieces of cakes不是不可以,但不自然。

要表示「從幾個不同的蛋糕切下的幾片」,可 several pieces from different kinds of cakes / from a variety of cakes

問:I know of no one who can afford the time to do the job(我不知道誰會有時間做這工作)這一句,know of ofthe time the 可不可都刪去?

答:Know of know不同:to know of someone 即「知道有這樣一個人」,to know someone 則是「認識這個人」。麥美倫出版社的English Prepositional Idioms有以下例句,可明兩者的分別:(1"Do you know Mr Morrison ?" " No, but I know of him."(「你認識莫里森先生嗎?」「不認識,但對他有所聽聞。」)(2Do you know of anyone who has a second-hand bicycle for sale ?(你知不知道誰人有二手踏車出售?)

至於 afford 之後,the time the 字文法上可以略去,但用 the 比不用常見得多,所以最好還是 cannot afford the time to do something(沒有時間做某事),不 cannot afford time to do something

(訂正:昨日拙欄Let every man marched on foot一語,應作Let every man march on foot,謹此致歉。)