文法淺釋 (1)

文法淺釋 (1)

 

《文法是學習英文三大要素之一，懂文法才能瞭解英語民族的表達與思維方式，進而

寫出正確、令人看懂的句子》。

第一章 文法(grammar)與句型(Stence patterns)

一、名詞 (Noun) 下列各題有劃線部分粗體字為主題部分：

本節1至8題討論冠詞(Article)與名詞之關係；一般而言冠詞分不定冠詞(a, an) ，與定冠詞(the)。名詞分可數(Countable)與不可數(Uncountable) 其前均可加冠詞，惟意義可能不同：

1) He has been an honest man from the cradle to the grave. (他一生誠實)。

說明：

通常the+名詞表示限定用法，但the cradle原意為搖籃，前面加了the , = “birth”出生；the grave 墳墓 = “death”死亡，因為：

 

1. the +普通名詞，具有抽象 (比喻) 意義，因此有人說from the cradle to the grave = the whole life = all one’s life.畢生。

比較：

What is learned in the cradle is carried to the grave. 孩提所學畢生難忘或受用不盡。

The pen is mightier than the sword. 「筆比劍有力」-文勝於武。(注：the pen =文字-無形的力量；the sword = force 武力-有形的武器

比較：

*If your grandfather could see what you’re doing now, he would turn (roll) over in his grave.

=Your grandfather would be so angry with what you’re doing that he wouldn’t be able to lie still in his grave.

如果你過世的祖父看到你現在的作為，他會生氣得無法入土為安。

*turn over in one’s grave (因十分生氣)死而不安。另外graveyard n. 墳場 = cemetery n.

 當然，指生、死用birth與death均可。

*Jones has given the world breathtaking insights into the birth of the universe, the death of black holes, and the future of the human race.

Jones 給了世人驚心動魄的洞察力，看透了宇宙的誕生、黑洞的消逝與人類的未來。

*Nixon had risen from the political grave. 尼克森從政治墳墓中復活了。(在政治生涯中另

有生機) 「the political grave指在政界被人遺忘，如同被埋在墳墓」

 With the death of a love came the birth of an idea, a fierce preoccupation.

  隨著一段愛情的結束，一個想法，一種强烈的憂慮出現。
句中the death與the birth均為抽象意義，引伸為消失(前者) 與出現(後者)之義
比較：

2. the + adj. = 抽象名詞：the good = goodness; the beautiful = beauty；the true= truth真實

*《The good and the beautiful do not always go together.》善良與美貌很難兼得。

3. the + adj. =複數名詞：the living (people) and the dead(people)生存者與亡故者。

*Put down the ordinary(things or affairs); pick up the extra-ordinary. (things or affairs) 捨普通，

就非凡。

*The wise (people) save for the future, but the foolish (people) spend whatever he gets. 智者為

未來而儲蓄；愚者花盡一切所有。(待續)

 

Justin Lai, 0602/2013

stupid-u2@hotmail.com