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文法b
| 香港的山路很容易走，所以天氣好的
時候，我喜歡去山頂玩。 |
Hong Kong's mountain paths are easy to walk. So,
when the weather is good, I enjoy going to the summit.
Note 1: The base pattern for the above sentence
is Ａ，所以Ｂ. Because of the complexity of Ｂit is probably better to render
it as two sentences.
Note 2: The base pattern for the first clause is
Ａ很容易Ｂ, where Ｂ is something that can easily be done to Ａ. In this
instance Ａ are mountain paths -- namely, 香港的山路. The activity which is
performed is walking.
Note 3: The base pattern for the second clause is
Ｂ的時候，Ａ喜歡去ＣＤ, where Ｂis a time, when Ａgoes to Ｃ and performs Ｄ. In this
case Ａ is the speaker who likes to go to a mountain top when the
weather is fine. What he does after arriving is not entirely clear,
however. 玩 is a vague term that applies to people of all
ages and is interpreted differently for each. When applied to children
it means play. When applied to adults it means enjoy, With regard to
youth it can mean mess around.
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| 他知道廣東話不易學，可是在香港說廣東話的人那麼多，所以他還是要學。 |
He knows that Cantonese is not an
easy language to learn, but still he wants to learn it, because there
are so many in Hong Kong who speak it.
Note 1: The base pattern is Ａ，可是Ｂ，所以Ｃ。It is not a pattern that
translates well into English without substantial modification. This
construction is not uncommon in Japanese, however.
Note 2: The base pattern for the first clause is Ａ知道Ｂ, where Ｂ is
something about which Ａ is knowledgeable -- namely, 廣東話不易學. The
structure of this latter phrase takes the form Ｃ不易Ｄ. It resembles
the phrase 香港的山路很容易走, in so far as Cantonese is the accusative object
of the verb study, but placed before the verb as a passively acted upon
subject. Just as 很容易 is an adverb that describes 走, so too is 不易 an
adverb that describes 學.
Note 3: The base pattern of the second phrase is Ａ的人那麼Ｂ where Ａ的人 are
people in Hong Kong who speak Cantonese, and who are so numerous.
Note 4: The base pattern of the final clause is Ａ還是Ｂ, where Ｂ is an
activity in which Ａ continues to engage -- namely, wanting to study
Cantonese.
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| 別跑得那麼快，火車還有半小時才開呢！ |
Do not walk so fast. The train will
not depart for another half an hour!
Note 1: The base pattern for this sentence is 別Ａ，Ｂ呢！where Ａ is
something that the listener should not do, because of conditionＢ. The
sentence ending 呢 indicates a request or command on the part of the
speaker.
Note 2: The base pattern of the first phrase is 別Ａ得Ｂ, where Ａis the
verb跑 modified by the adjective 那麼快. For further information with
regard to the construction Ａ得Ｂ, please see 得.
Note 3: The base pattern for the second phrase is Ａ還有Ｂ才Ｃ, where Ｂis the
time remaining before Ａ does Ｃ. In this case there a half an hour 半小時
before the train 火車 departs 開.
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| 我打算在日本玩夠了才去別的國家玩。 |
I plan to (enjoy/travel around/mess
around) in Japan as much as I can before going to the next country
where I will do the same.
Note 1: The base pattern for this sentence appears to be Ａ打算Ｂ, where Ｂ
is something that Ａ plans to do 打算.
Note 2: The base pattern forＡ's plan is given as Ｂ玩夠了才C, where Ｂis
something that Ａ intends to have his fill of before engaging in Ｃ-- in
this case, messing around in Japan 在日本玩 before moving on to another
country 去別國家 and doing the same 玩.
Note 3: Once again, how one translates the word 玩 will largely depend
on the age of the speaker.
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| 錢太太的女兒今年才十歲，可是她能夠做大人做的事。 |
Mrs Chin's daughter will be only ten
this year, but she knows many adult things to do.
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| 每個禮拜六都有很多人到香港跑馬地去看跑馬。 |
Every Saturday a lot of people go to
Happy Valley to watch the race horses.
Note 1: The base pattern for this sentence is
每ＢＣ都有ＡＤ, where Ｄ is something that Ａ does every Ｃ. Ａis not well
described. In this case it refers to a lot of people 很多人.
The counter 個 is required after 每 to describe 禮拜六 in the phrase 每ＢＣ.
The word 都 used in conjunction with the verb 有 emphasizing that each
Saturday is the same with regard to the activity in which Ａ engages on
a regular basis -- namely, 到香港跑馬地去看跑馬.
Note 2: The base pattern of the activity Ｄ is 到Ｅ去ＦＧ where Ｅ is the
place to where Ａ goes in order to engage in ＦＧ. In this case Ｅ is 香港跑馬地
and the activity ＦＧ is 看跑馬.
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| 她穿的禮服真美，是誰送給她的？ 是我去年送給她的生日禮物。 |
The dress she is wearing is really
beautiful. Who gave it to her?
It is my birthday present to her from last year.
Note 1: The question can be divided into two parts:
the question and the comment which evokes the question. The base
pattern for the question is ＡＢ, where Ａ is the dress which 她 is
wearing, and Ｂ is how the dress looks to the speaker. Ｂ is a predicate
adjective that describes Ａ.
The question is of the form （Ａ）是誰送給她的（Ａ）, where Ａis an understood
predicate noun described by the relative clause 誰送給她的 which refers back
to the subject of the comment. In other words "it is the dress that
someone (whom I would like to identify) gave her".
As the word 禮服 can refer to special for either men or women, and the
person wearing the dress is a woman, I have rendered it here to mean
dress. The word gown might also be appropriate.
真 is apparently used as an adverb in the sense of truly, really, very,
etc. Thus, I have rendered 真美 as really beautiful.
Note 2: The response to the question resembles the question, in so far
as it assumes the same base pattern（Ａ）是Ｂ. The absence of change in word
order between question and response appears to be quite common in
Chinese.
Once again, Ａ is the understood subject of the comment to the original
question, and Ｂis a predicate noun to Ａ that answers the speakers
question. The phrase 我去年送給她的 is a relative clause that describes the
predicate noun 生日禮物.
禮物 is a present. So, 生日禮物 must be a birthday present.
Note 3: The expression 送給 apparently expresses the idea of giving a
present to someone.
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| 那位教中文的先生，每個禮拜都很忙，不知道他忙甚麼。 |
1) That Chinese teacher is very busy
every week, but no one knows busy doing what.
2) That Chinese teacher is very busy every week,
but I do not know busy doing what.
Note 1: The base pattern of the sentence is Ａ很忙，（我）不知道Ａ忙甚麼 where
Ａ is a person who is very busy doing something that no one knows.
In this case 甚麼 is used as a question word in what can be described
as an indirect question. Alone the phrase 他忙甚麼？ means "What is he
busy doing?" or "What is he doing that keeps him so busy?"
Note 2: 那位教中文的先生 is of the form 那位Ａwhere Ａis someone to whom one refers
with respect -- in this a Chinese teacher. Simply the person counter 個
has been with the more formal person counter 位.
Note 3: In the second clause the 個 counter is used with 每 to describe
禮拜. It means each week. When used in combination with 都 in the
verb phrase 都很忙 it has the meaning of every.
Note 4: The phrase 不知道他忙甚麼 is a clause without an apparent subject.
Because the person who does not know 不知道 refers to the person 他 who is
very busy 很忙 in a non-reflexive manner, the person who does not know
must be someone other than the subject of the first clause. It could be
either the speaker of someone in general.
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| 這個小孩子很聽話，別人給他東西，他都說謝謝。 |
This child is well-behaved.
When someone gives it something, the child always says thank you.
Note 1: The base pattern of the first clause is 這個Ａ很聽話, where Ａ is
someone who is well-behaved. Although the word 聽話 is often used to mean
obedient, the word "well-behaved" appears to be a more appropriate
translation in this context. The idea appears to be that one listens
before one speaks.
Note 2: The base pattern for the second part of the sentence is given
by 別人給ＡＢ，Ａ都說Ｃ, where Ｃ is something that Ａ says when given Ｂ.
Note 3: 別人 can be any third party.
Note 4: 東西 can be any thing.
Note 5: 小孩子 apparently means a small child.
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| 不要因為中文字難寫，你就不學，你要多寫，就會寫得好多。 |
Don't ask why Chinese characters are
so difficult to write, or you will never learn. Just write more, and
soon you will be able to write very many.
Note 1: The base pattern of the first sentence part is 不要因為Ａ，你就不Ｂ,
where Ａ is something that the listener is told not to question, if he
wants to do Ｂ. In this case Ａ is the difficulty of writing
Chinese characters 中文難寫, and Ｂis learning to write them -- namely,
學（寫中文）. In summary, "Don't question A, or B will not occur".
Note 2: The base pattern of the second part of the sentence is 你要Ｃ，就會Ｄ,
where Ｃis something that the listener should, should want to, or must
do in order to achieve Ｄ. In this case Ｃ is writing more 多寫, and Ｄis
寫得好多。
Note 3: It has been suggested and confirmed that the phrasing 就會寫得好多 is
probably in error, as it deviates from other more accepted patterns.1
Consider for example the phrases: 就會寫得好很多 and 就會寫得好多（字）. The first
phrase is of the pattern 就會Ａ得Ｂ很多, and the second phrase is of the
pattern 就會Ａ好多Ｃ. These are grammatically correct and commonly acceptable
patterns. See special topics under 的•地•得.
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1 This
observation was contributed by HymnLau,
a most thoughtful participant on the ProZ.com, Chinese-English language pair, bulletin
board.
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