錯: Now is six o'clock. 對: It is six o'clock (now). [解釋] “Now” 用作名詞,主要位於介詞後面,如 “from now on, up to now”。除 “Now is the time”、“Now's the opportunity” 等句外,一般不可以用作主語。時間、天氣、距離等,應用 “it”。“Now” 用作副詞時,除特別加?語氣外,應放在句尾,才合乎英語習慣。
2. 她身體很高。
錯: Her body is very tall. 錯: She is a high girl. 對: She is very tall. 對: She is a tall girl. [解釋] 說人「高」,應用 “tall”,不可用 “high”。“His body is very tall” 不合語法習慣,但可以說 “He is five feet tall”,房子、山等的「高」則可用 “high”。
3. 讓我想想。
錯: Let me think think. 對: Let me think it over. 對: Let me see. [解釋] “Let me think think” 不是英語。
4. 這電動車價錢多少?
錯: How much is the price of the electric car? 對: What price is the electric car? 對: What is the price of the electric car? 對: How much is the electric car? [解釋] 錯句是受到中文影響造成的。
5. 你認為那女孩子怎樣?
錯: How you think of the girl? 錯: What you think of the girl? 對: What do you think of the girl? 對: How do you like the girl? [解釋] “What do you think of” = “What is your opinion of”,但 “think” 的賓語是 “what”,而不是 “how”,所以應該用 “what”。
6. 她不知道該怎麼辦。
錯: She did not know how she should do. 對: She did not know what she should do. [解釋] 中文裏的「怎麼辦」,其實際意義是「做些甚麼」,因此應該用代名詞 “what”,而不用副詞 “how”。只有在「我不知道怎樣做這件事」等句子中才說 “I do not know how to do it”。 注意:“Do” 後面的賓語 “it”,與對句的 “what” 起同樣的作用。
7. 她要再學一種外語。
錯: She wanted to learn a foreign language again. 對: She wanted to learn another foreign language. [解釋] 中文中的「再」並不完全等同於英語中的 “again”。這裏「再要學一種外語」實際上是指在他已學的外語之外的另一種外語,在英語裏應為 “another foreign language”。
比較下列中英句子: 我再要買本筆記簿。 錯:I want to buy a notebook again. 對:I want to buy another notebook.
我在報告裏又發現了一個錯誤。 錯: I found a mistake again in the report. 對: I found another mistake in the report.