Q:在 There is a vacancy for a computer programmer in most every company. 這句中,most 是否為 almost 之誤?

A:非也! 在 There is a vacancy for a computer programmer in most every company. (幾乎每家公司都有電腦程式設計師的缺額) 這句中,most 就是 almost。

大多數著名的英文字典都會提到 most (副詞) 也有 almost 的意思。根據 Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage 及 The New Fowler’s Modern English Usage,這一用法自 16 世紀以來就已存在 (最初是在蘇格蘭使用),係肇因於 almost 經常被寫成 ‘most,而後來就變成了 most。儘管現今在英國僅若干方言會有使用 most 來代替 almost 的情況,但在美式英語中,這卻是一種標準或正規的用法 (standard usage) — 雖然是屬於非正式用法。請看下面的例句:

  • She plays cards most every evening. (她幾乎每天晚上都玩牌)

Converse, inverse, obverse, reverse (adjs., nn.)

這四個字的 -verse 部分意為「轉動」(to turn),而字首則表示轉動的方向或本質。

Converse 當形容詞用時意為「(觀點、信仰或陳述等) 相反的」,如 I hold the converse opinion. (我持相反的意見)。converse 當名詞用時意為「相反的事物、相反的說法、相反的意思;反面的言詞或陳述」,其前必須加上定冠詞 the,而其後經常接 of + 受詞,如 “Buyer” is the converse of “seller.” (Buyer 是 seller 的相反詞);”It’s windy but not wet” is the converse of “It’s wet but not windy.” (It’s windy but not wet 是 It’s wet but not windy 的反面說法);You say that your mother dislikes you but in fact the converse is true – you dislike your mother. (你說你母親不喜歡你,但其實情形恰好相反 — 是你討厭你母親)。converse 的副詞 conversely 意為「另一方面;從另一方面來看」(on the other hand),如 This newspaper story could damage their reputation; conversely, it will give them a lot of free publicity. (報紙上的這篇報導可能損害他們的名譽,不過從另一方面來看,它將為他們做大量免費的宣傳)。事實上,converse 還可當動詞用,就是 conversation (會話,談話) 的動詞,意為「談話,交談」,它的重音在第二音節;當名詞用的 converse,重音在第一音節,而當形容詞用的 converse,重音可在第一或第二音節。

Inverse當形容詞用時意為「(次序、位置、數量或大小等) 相反的;顛倒的;逆向的」,經常用在 in reverse proportion/relation/relationship (to) –「(與…) 成反比」– 這類片語中,如 The human population was growing in inverse proportion/relation to that of the lions and elephants. (人口成長與獅子和大象的數量成長成反比);Subtraction is the inverse operation of addition. (減法是與加法相反的運算)。inverse 當名詞用時意為「相反的事物;顛倒的事物;(數學的) 倒數」,亦總是以 the inverse (of) 的型態出現,如 The inverse of 4 is 1/4. (4 的倒數是 1/4)。就使用頻率而言,當形容詞用的 inverse 比當名詞用的 inverse 要來得常用。inverse 無論是當形容詞或名詞用,重音都是在第二音節。

Obverse是個正式字,是這四個字當中最不常見的,當形容詞用時意為「正面的;對應的」,如 The obverse side of a coin or medal has the head or design on it. (硬幣或獎章的正面有人頭或圖案)。obverse 當名詞用時意為「(硬幣、獎章及其他扁平物體的) 正面;對立面;對應的事物,相對物 (counterpart)」,也都是以 the obverse (of) 的型態出現,如 The obverse of love is hate. (愛的反面是恨);Defeat is the obverse of victory. (失敗是勝利的反面);Nobody liked his proposition but the obverse was equally unattractive. (誰也不喜歡他的論點,但相對的論點也同樣不討喜)。當名詞用的 obverse,重音在第一音節,而當形容詞用的 obverse,重音在第二音節。

Reverse是這四個字當中最常用和最常見的,當形容詞用時意為「(位置、方向等) 相反的,反向的,顛倒的;反面的,背面的」,僅用於名詞之前,如 This time it came in the reverse direction. (這一次它是從相反的方向來的);She then looked at the reverse side of the coin. (接著她看了看錢幣的反面);in reverse order (次序顛倒);Now arrange the numbers in reverse order. (現在倒過來排列這些數字)。reverse 當名詞用時意為「相反;(硬幣、獎章及其他扁平物體的) 反面,背面;倒車檔」,除「倒車檔」之外,亦同樣皆以 the reverse (of) 的型態出現,如 They did the reverse of what the teacher told them to do. (他們做的與老師的要求相反);The truth is just the reverse. (真實的情況恰好相反);Quite the reverse is true. (真實的情況恰好相反);There’s a picture of an eagle on the reverse of the coin. (硬幣的背面是隻老鷹的圖案);Drive the car in reverse (= reverse gear) until you get out of the alley. (倒車直到你開出這條巷子)。就硬幣等的正反面而言,obverse 和 reverse 是相反詞;硬幣的正反面亦分別叫做 head 和 tail。

事實上,reverse 還可當動詞用,而且是個相當常用的字,意為「顛倒,翻轉,使倒轉;轉變,改變;倒車;推翻,撤銷 (法庭判決)」,如 Their positions are now reversed. (他們的地位現在顛倒過來了);His coat can be reversed when it begins to rain. (他的外衣在下雨時能翻過來穿);The stock market reversed course and closed with a modest gain. (股市止跌回升,以小幅上漲作收);The new government set about reversing previous policies. (新政府開始改變以前的政策);He reversed his car into the garage. (他倒車入庫);The court reversed its decision. (法庭撤銷了原來的判決)。reverse 無論是當形容詞、名詞或動詞用,重音都是在第二音節。

Extemporaneous, impromptu (adjs.), extempore (adj., adv.)

Extemporaneous 和 extempore 當形容詞用時是同義詞,意為「即席的;即興的;事先無準備的」(done without any previous preparation, on the spur of the moment),特別用來指演說,如 He made an extemporaneous/extempore speech. (他發表即席演說);然而,除上述意思外,這兩個字還意為「(事先經過準備但) 未背熟的,不用講稿的,不看稿的」。這兩種意思都是正規英語,但第二義比較傾向於專業的應用,有時侷限於與教導和學習演說或演講有關的上下文,如 The professor gave an extemporaneous/extempore discourse on art. (這位教授不看稿就發表了一場關於藝術的演講)。extempore 除當形容詞外亦可用作副詞,如 It’s very hard to speak extempore. (發表即席演說很難)。

Impromptu 通常與 extemporaneous 和 extempore 的第一義同義,亦即意為「即席的;即興的;事先無準備的;未計畫的」,如He delivered a splendid impromptu speech. (他發表了一場精彩的即席演說)。impromptu 除用來指演說外,亦經常被應用於表演、創作及其他場合,如 We had an impromptu dinner party yesterday. (我們昨天臨時舉行了一場晚宴);The President gave an impromptu press conference. (總統臨時舉行記者會);She played an impromptu tune. (她演奏了一支即席創作的曲子)。

Q:Such was his thirst that he drank up the whole bottle of water. 這句的意義為何?

A:這句意為「他很渴,把整瓶水都喝光了」,是 His thirst was such that he drank up the whole bottle of water. 的倒裝句,屬於用來表示前因後果的 “such… that”、”so… that” (如此…以致於) 的句型應用。注意:so 後面要接形容詞或副詞 (so 為副詞),而 such 後面要接名詞或名詞片語 (such 為限定詞) 或不接名詞 (such 為代名詞)。我們可用 so… that 來加以改寫為 He was so thirsty that he drank up the whole bottle of water.。

同樣地,我們也可將 so 移到句首來強調表示事件之原因的形容詞,此時句子亦同樣要倒裝:So thirsty was he that he drank up the whole bottle of water.。再舉一例來加深讀者對這種句型的印象:

  • He was so surprised that he remained speechless for a few minutes. (他驚訝得好幾分鐘說不出話來) (正常句)
    = So surprised was he that he remained speechless for a few minutes. (倒裝句)
    = His surprise was such that he remained speechless for a few minutes. (正常句)
    = Such was his surprise that he remained speechless for a few minutes. (倒裝句)

Q:在 I would rather you went now. 這句中,went 是假設語氣用法嗎?

A:一點都沒錯。在 I would rather you went now. (我寧願你現在去) 這句中,went 的確是假設語氣的用法。這種 would rather (寧願,寧可) 句型在英文中頗為常見,其中 would 是句子的動詞,被副詞 rather 所修飾,而其後的子句是省略 that 的名詞子句,當 would 的受詞。雖然它們是指現在或未來的事件,但名詞子句的動詞要用過去式,表示「與現在事實相反」或「未來不太可能發生的事件或不太可能實現的願望」。茲再舉數例以加深讀者對此種句型的瞭解:

  • A: Shall we go out for dinner tonight? (今晚我們外出吃晚餐好嗎?)
    B: No, I’d rather we ate at home, if you don’t mind. (不,如果你不介意,我寧可在家用餐) — 不太可能在家用餐。
  • A: Shall I write to dad and tell him that we’ve sold the car? (我寫信告訴爸爸我們已賣掉車子好嗎)
    B: I’d rather you didn’t. (我寧願你不要寫) — 不寫信的可能性微乎其微。
  • My mother would rather we caught the bus, rather than walk home after the party. (我媽媽寧願我們在宴會後搭公車而不是走路回家) — 事實上,我們是走路回家的。

附帶一提的是,would rather 亦可寫成 had rather (但前者比後者常用多了),所以 I’d rather 可能是 I would rather、也可能是 I had rather 的縮寫,但意思是一樣的。

Q:下面的句子對嗎? You probably can’t imagine that it has already taken me some quarters of an hour just to think of an appropriate subject to talk about. (你可能無法想像光是想一個適當的話題就已花了我近一小時的時間)

A:這個句子的語法完全正確,但語意不合邏輯,問題出在 some 這個字上。”some” 的限定詞用法有重讀 (stressed) 和弱讀 (unstressed) 之分,而這兩種讀法的意思有相當大的出入。

some 在時間副詞中必須重讀,而在其他場合則是弱讀;在重讀的情況中,當它與可數名詞連用時,它的意思是「相當多;不少」(quite a few),而不是「一些」(a few)。所以,some days ago 的意思不是「幾天前」(a few days ago),而是「好多天前」(quite a few days ago);for some time 的意思不是「一會兒」(for a while/a short time),而是「相當長的一段時間」(for quite a while/a fairly long time)。比較下列兩句:

  • I thought about your proposal for some weeks (i.e. for quite a few weeks). (你的提議我考慮了不少個禮拜)
  • I bought some books today (i.e. a few books). (今天我買了一些書)

問題中的句子想要表達的意思是弱讀的 some,但這樣的 some 通常不出現在時間副詞中:

  • I bought some books. (我買了一些書) (正)
  • I walked for some hours. (我走了好多個小時) (誤)

但弱讀的 some 可以出現在下句中:

  • Give me some time to think about it. (請給我一些時間來考慮這件事)

因為這裡的 some time 是名詞片語 (做動詞 give 的直接受詞),並不是時間副詞。相較之下,我們不可說:

  • I thought about it for some time. (這件事我考慮了相當長一段時間)

Q:在表示兩地的距離方向時,下列那一種寫法才正確? (1) X City is about 30 kilometers to the south of Y Town. (2) X City is about 30 kilometers south of Y Town.

A:這兩種寫法都正確,意思完全一樣。不過,第 (1) 句的 south 是名詞,而第 (2) 句的 south 是副詞。其他表示方向的字 (north, east, west, northeast, northwest 等等),用法亦同。在英文中,吾人經常使用不確定詞來表示兩地的距離,如 Taipei is a long way north of Taichung. (台北位在台中以北很遠的地方);Kaohsiung is a few kilometers to the south of Tainan. (高雄位在台南南方數公里處)。

Q:”You have spelt it wrong.” 這樣寫對嗎? 還是應該把句中的 wrong 改為 wrongly 呢?

A:wrongly 是副詞,而 wrong 也可當副詞用。一般通用的規則是:wrongly 放在它所修飾的動詞之前,而 wrong 放在它所修飾的動詞之後,如 He has been wrongly accused. (他被誣告);You guessed wrong. (你猜錯了)。所以,You have spelt it wrong. (你把它拼錯了) 是正確的句子,不可把句中的 wrong 改為 wrongly。

Wrong/wrongly 的反義詞 right/rightly 的用法亦同,如 I am rightly informed. (我得到正確的消息);Did I do it right? (我做得對嗎?)。但 if I remember right/rightly (如果我沒有記錯的話) 這個附屬子句則是此規則的一個明顯例外,因為這裡用 right 或 rightly 都可以:He was driving his mum’s car, if I remember right/rightly. (如果我沒記錯的話,他開的是他媽媽的車)。此外,rightly or wrongly (對或不對) 這個片語不可寫成 right or wrong,而且前後順序也不能對調,亦即不能寫成 wrongly or rightly:He believed, rightly or wrongly, that she was guilty. (他也許對也許不對,但不管怎樣,他認為她有罪)。再者,由 wrong (副詞) 所構成的幾個片語都相當常用,如 get someone wrong (誤會、誤解某人):Don’t get me wrong, there’s no offence meant. (別誤會,我沒有冒犯之意);go wrong (出錯,搞錯,弄錯;走錯方向;不對勁):I didn’t know where I went wrong. (我不知道我錯在那裡)。

順便一提的是,spell 的過去式和過去分詞都有兩種拼法,一是 “spelt, spelt”,另一是 “spelled, spelled”,前者是英式英語的拼法,而美國人大多使用後者。

Q:although 和 though 位在句首時,用法有何不同?

A:位在句首時,這兩個字用法相同,都是當附屬連接詞用,意為「雖然,儘管」,它們幾乎可以互換;隨個人的喜好和習慣,你可以使用其中任何一個字。

但 though 還可以當副詞用,意為「不過,然而,可是」,而 although 則沒有這種用法。though 在這種副詞用法中不能放在句首,只能放在句中 (它的前後通常各用一個逗點來與句子其他部分隔開) 和句末:He’s a bad manager. There’s no reason, though, to dismiss him. (他是個差勁的經理,但沒有理由因此將他免職);It’s hard work; I enjoy it though. (這是件苦差事,不過我倒很樂意做)。

此外,在 as though (= as if:好像,彷彿) 和 even though (= though:雖然,儘管) 等連接詞中,我們也只能用 though,不可使用 although。

Partially, partly (advs.)

這兩個副詞均意為「部分地」(in part),所以在一些上下文中,不少人認為 partially 和 partly 是可以互換的,如 The stream was partly polluted. (這條溪流遭到部分污染) 和 The stream was partially polluted. 這兩句對大多數英美人士來說意思是完全相同的。然而,事實上,它們的意思和用法並不完全相同。

Partially 意指「不完全地」(not completely; to a limited degree/extent),是 completely 的反義詞,而 partly 意指「僅涉及一部份,並非全部;有幾分」(not wholly; to some degree/extent),是 wholly 的反義詞。所以,partially deaf (弱聽) 是指整體的聽力減弱,而 partly deaf 則是指只有一耳聾了;a partially finished report 可能指一份已完全寫好但還需要做最後潤飾的報告,而 a partly finished report 可能指一份有些部分已完成,但其他部分可能都還沒開始撰寫的報告;a partially successful operation 意為「不完全成功的手術」,而 a partly successful operation 意為「有幾分成功的手術」。partially 和 partly 的語意差異在 His book, which was written partly in English and partly in French, was only partially completed when he died. (他的那本書,一部分用英文撰寫,一部分用法文撰寫,到他死時只完成了一部分) 這句中更顯而易見。

此外,partially 和 partly 的用法也不盡相同。partially 在使用上不若 partly 來得寬鬆。partially 須直接放在它所修飾的動詞、形容詞或其他副詞的前面,不可直接用於其他任何詞類之前,而 partly 則可修飾整個片語,如 He is partially responsible for the accident. (他對該事故負有部分責任);Her father is partially sighted. (她的父親弱視);The airline is partially owned by British Airways. (這家航空公司部分隸屬於英國航空公司)。所以,在下面三個句子中,我們不能用 partially 來代替 partly:

  1. Inflation has remained low, partly as a result of cheaper imports. (通貨膨脹率低,部分原因是進口產品價格較低所致)
  2. I’ll admit I was partly to blame. (我承認我也有錯)
  3. She was shaking all over, partly because she was so angry with John and partly because she was so afraid. (她全身發抖,一半是因為她對約翰氣憤不已,一半是因為非常害怕)