In the way, on the way

  • Can I move these shoe boxes? They’re in my way. (我可以把這些鞋盒移開嗎?它們擋到我的路了) (正)
  • Can I move these shoe boxes? They’re on my way. (誤)

解說:In the/someone’s way 意為「擋路;妨礙某人」;On the/someone’s way 意為「在路上;在途中」。例如:

  • Can you move, please? You’re in the way. (你移動一下好嗎?你擋到路了)
  • On the/my way to work I saw a terrible car accident. (在上班的路上,我目睹一場可怕的車禍)

感嘆詞須用逗點或驚嘆號與句子其餘部分隔開

  • Well, thank goodness that’s over! (好啦,謝天謝地,這事總算過去了!) (正)
  • Well thank goodness that’s over! (誤)

解說:Well 在此為感嘆詞 (exclamation, interjection),既然是感嘆詞,其後須有逗點或驚嘆號。句中的 goodness 也常用作感嘆詞,如 My goodness! (我的天啊!);Goodness knows! (天曉得!)。

請參閱這篇「感嘆詞」的文法教學

Miss 後接動名詞

  • I miss living in the country. (我懷念鄉村生活) (正)
  • I miss to live in the country. (誤)

解說:Miss 可當動詞和名詞用,當動詞時有「未擊中;未達到;未出現;未出席;未趕上;未聽見;未領會;錯過;避開;想念;懷念」等常用的意思,但不管是那個意思,其後須接名詞或動名詞,不可接不定詞。再舉數例供大家參考:

  • John doesn’t want to miss seeing that movie on TV tonight. (約翰不想錯過今晚電視播放的那部電影) (正)
    John doesn’t want to miss to see that movie on TV tonight. (誤)
  • They narrowly missed being killed in the terror attack. (他們差一點在恐怖攻擊中喪命) (正)
    They narrowly missed to be killed in the terror attack. (誤)
  • Guy missed coming to my birthday party on Sunday. (星期天蓋伊沒來參加我的生日派對) (正)
    Guy missed to come to my birthday party on Sunday. (誤)

Be about to 不可跟時間詞連用

  • I was about to call you. (我正要打電話給你) (正)
  • I was about to call you in ten minutes. (我正要在十分鐘內打電話給你) (誤)

解說:Be about to (do something) 意為「正要;剛要;即將;將要 (做某事)」,經常與 just 連用來加強語氣。Be (just) about to 係用來指即將或很快就會發生的事情,但它不能與時間詞連用。再舉一例:

  • I was just about to leave when the phone rang. (我正要走時電話響了) (正)
  • I was just about to leave in ten minutes when the phone rang. (我正要在十分鐘內走時電話響了) (誤)

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Weather 為不可數名詞

  • What cold weather it is! (天氣好冷啊!) (正)
  • What a cold weather it is! (誤)

解說:Weather 意為「天氣」,是個不可數名詞,其前不可使用不定冠詞 a 且沒有複數型。唯一的例外是 “in all weathers”,這個片語意為「無論什麼天氣;無論天氣好壞;風雨無阻」,如 I have/take a cold bath in all weathers. (無論什麼天氣,我都洗冷水澡)。不過,有些人堅持 weather 為不可數名詞的用法不能有任何例外,所以將 in all weathers 寫成 in all weather。

若要表達某段時間的天氣,我們可以使用 spell (一段時間) 這個字。例如:

  • Taipei had a long spell of rainy weather this summer. (台北今年夏天有好長一段時間都是多雨的天氣)
  • We had a sunny/windy spell of weather for about a week, and then it rained for three weeks nonstop! (我們有大約一個禮拜的時間是晴朗/颳風的天氣,然後連續下了三個禮拜的雨!)

Progress 為不可數名詞

  • My daughter has made a lot of progress in English this semester. I’m very pleased. (這學期我女兒的英文進步很多。我很高興) (正)
  • My daughter has made a lot of progresses in English this semester. I’m very pleased. (誤)

解說:Progress 意為「進步,進展」,是個不可數名詞,其前不可使用不定冠詞 a 且沒有複數型。Progress 經常與動詞 make 連用來構成 to make progress (in/on + 名詞) 這個相當常用的片語,意為「(在…) 取得進展/有進步」。由於是不可數名詞,泛指時,progress 前面不可有定冠詞 the。例如:

  • Medical progress has been so rapid over the past few years. (過去幾年間,醫學發展突飛猛進) (正)
  • The medical progress has been so rapid over the past few years. (誤)

Had better not

  • You had better not tell Linda about her husband’s cheating on her – she’ll go crazy! (你最好別把她先生出軌的事情告訴琳達 - 她會抓狂的!) (正)
  • You‘d better not tell Linda about her husband’s cheating on her – she’ll go crazy! (正)
  • You had not better tell Linda about her husband’s cheating on her – she’ll go crazy! (誤)

解說:Had better 意為「最好」、「應該」,後接原形動詞,係針對特定情況所提出的強烈勸告或建議,帶有警告或威脅會有不良後果的意味。在口語和非正式寫作中,我們亦可使用 had best 來使語氣不會顯得那麼強烈和直接。Had better 和 had best 中的 had 經常縮略為 ‘d。
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One of + 複數名詞 + 關代 + 複數動詞

  • John is one of the few persons who know Spanish in our company. (約翰是我們公司裡少數懂西班牙文者之一) (正)
  • John is one of the few persons who knows Spanish in our company. (誤)

解說:先行詞是人,關係子句中的關係代名詞要用 who。先行詞是 one of + 複數名詞時,關係子句中的述語動詞要跟複數名詞一致,而不是跟 one 一致,所以要用複數動詞。

單一事物只能用一個冠詞

  • I have an English and Chinese dictionary. (我有一本英漢字典) (正)
  • I have an English and a Chinese dictionary. (誤)

解說:英漢字典是一個整體,是單一事物,不是兩樣東西,所以冠詞只用一個 an 即可。事實上,I have an English and a Chinese dictionary. 本身並沒有錯,不過這句的意思是「我有一本英文和一本中文字典 (總共兩本字典)」。同樣地,a yellow and a white car 是指兩輛不同顏色的車,而 a yellow and white car 則是指同一輛車有兩種顏色。