Q:在 She would have liked to go to Hong Kong for the weekend. 這句中,would have liked 的意義為何?

A:would have liked 是 would like 的過去式,兩者後面都是接現在式不定詞 (to + 原形動詞),但前者是表示過去想要做但卻沒有做的情況。這種情況也可以用 「would like + 完成式不定詞 (to + have + P.P.)」或 「wanted + 完成式不定詞」(注意:這裡 want 必須用過去式) 來表示。例如:

  • My sister would have liked to study abroad.  (我妹妹本來想出國留學 — 但事實上並沒有去)
    = My sister would like to have studied abroad.
    = My sister wanted to have studied abroad.

所以,問題中的句子是說她本來想去香港度週末,但事實上並沒有去。

Q:How many subsidiaries does your company have got? 這句對嗎?

A:在表示「有,具有」的意思時,英式英語可能使用 have/has 或 have/has got (美式英語通常使用 have/has),雖然這兩者是通用的,但 have/has got 用在口語的情況比較多。注意:have/has got 並非 get 的現在完成式。例如:She has got blue eyes. (她有一雙藍眼睛) (英);She has blue eyes. (英和美)。

若使用 have/has,我們通常使用助動詞 do/does 來構成否定和問句;若使用 have/has got,那麼我們通常使用助動詞 have/has 來構成否定和問句。是故,問題中的句子是不對的,因為它使用 has got,所以必須用 has 來作助動詞,不是用 does。這個句子應改為 How many subsidiaries has your company got? (貴公司有多少家子公司呢?) 或 How many subsidiaries does your company have?。

現在讓我們來看看 have/has 和 have/has got 的否定和問句:

  • I haven’t any money. (我一點錢也沒有)
    = I haven’t got any money.
    = I don’t have any money.
  • Have you got a car? Yes, I have. (你有車子嗎? 是的,我有) (英)
    = Do you have a car? Yes, I do. (英和美)
  • You’ve got a sore throat as well as a runny nose, haven’t you. (你喉嚨痛還有流鼻涕,對不對?)
  • You have enough money to buy a car, don’t you. (你有足夠的錢買車,對不對?)
    (注意:問句簡答及附加問句將因助動詞的不同而有所不同)

有一點必須注意的是,在否定句 I haven’t any money. 中,have 似乎兼具助動詞和一般動詞雙重角色,但這種用法只有在 have/has 及其後的名詞之間夾有其他語詞 (本句是 any) 時才行得通。所以,如果你說 I haven’t money.,那就錯了,但可以說 I have no money.。同樣地,He hasn’t (got) a very good temper. (他的脾氣不太好) 亦是同理可證。

另外,還有一點也要特別注意,那就是:過去式和未來式不可使用 got。因此,你只能說 Did you have a car when you were a student. (你當學生的時候有車嗎?) (英和美),不能說 Had you got a car when you were a student.。同樣地,你可以說 I am going to have some free time at the weekend so I can help you with your homework. (我週末有空,所以我能幫助你做家庭作業),但卻不可以說 I am going to have got some free time at the weekend so I can help you with your homework.。

至於 have/has to 與 have/has got to (必須) 的處理方式和文法觀念亦與上述相同。不過,要注意的是,雖然 have/has (got) to 在大多數情況下都可與 must 互換,但它們的含意卻有些不同。Have/has (got) to 是表示客觀上的需要,是別人加諸給我們的「必須」,而 must 是主觀上的必要,是自己認為的「必須」。試比較下列兩句:

  • Sorry, I can’t come out now. I’ve got to tidy up my room before I’m allowed out. (對不起,我現在不能出去。我必須收拾好自己的房間才可外出)
  • They said that they must work hard. (他們說他們必須努力工作)

最後值得一提的是,在一般口語中,have got to 和 have got a 往往唸成 “gotta”。例如:I gotta go. (= I have got to go) (我必須走了);Gotta pen? (=Have you got a pen?) (有筆嗎?)。

Q:But that there is water, there would be no fish. 這句是假設語氣的條件句,請問 But that 子句為何可以用現在式動詞?

A:But that 的意思是「若非;要不是」,是條件句的另一種句型。它的後面接子句,不過我們也可將之改為「but for + 名詞」(而 but for 又等於 without)。

由於 But that 子句敘述的是事實,所以若為現在式,則使用簡單現在式,若為過去式,則使用簡單過去式。而主要子句係屬假設的敘述 (非事實),所以若與現在事實相反,則句型為「主詞 + would/should/could/might + 原形動詞」;若與過去事實相反,則句型為「主詞 + would/should/could/might + have + P.P.」。不過,它們也都可以改為用 if 引導的假設語氣條件句。注意:此時 if 子句的敘述必須分別與現在和過去事實相反。請看下面的例句 (第一句為問題中的句子) 並加以分析,以徹底瞭解這些實用句型及其變化:

  1. But that there is water, (現在事實的敘述) there would be no fish. (與現在事實相反) — (要不是有水,就不可能有魚)
    = If there were no water, (若無水 — 與現在事實相反) there would be no fish.
    = But for water, there would be no fish.
    = Without water, there would be no fish. (but for = without,意思亦是「若非;要不是」,但後面接名詞)
  2. But that you helped me, (過去事實的敘述) I would not have succeeded. (與過去事實相反) — (要不是你幫忙,我就不會成功)
    = If you had not helped me, (如果沒有你的幫忙 — 與過去事實相反) I would not have succeeded.
    = But for your help, I would not have succeeded.
    = Without your help, I would not have succeeded.

Q:在 I will quit my job and go work for another company. (我將跳槽到另一家公司) 這句中,go 的後面為何可以直接接原形動詞 work 呢?

A:這是美式英語的一種正規用法,而這種用法的實例俯拾即是,除問題中的句子外,在此再舉一例來加深大家對這種用法的印象:I must go buy some soft drinks for my wife. (我必須去幫我太太買一些清涼飲料)。在英式英語中,相對應的正規結構為:「go + and + 原形動詞」或「go + to + 原形動詞」。所以,上句亦可寫成或說成 I must go and buy (或 go to buy) some soft drinks for my wife.。

除 go 之外,come 也有相同的結構和用法,如 You can come live (= come and live/come to live) with us. (你可以來跟我們一起住);You will come see (= come and see/come to see) us sometimes, won’t you? (你有時會來看我們,對不對?) 。

然而,請注意:與 try and 不同的是,go/come + and 並無過去式或現在式的限制。因此,下面的句子也都是正確無誤的習慣用法:He came and saw me yesterday. (他昨天來看我);He went and thanked her last week. (他上週去謝謝她)。

Q: I told you he was going to come to the party. 這句明明是過去式,為何使用表示未來的 be going to 呢?

A:類似 I told you he was going to come to the party. (我告訴你他會來參加聚會) 這樣的句子,我們可以稱之為「過去的未來式」(future in the past);它們是用來表示在過去某個時間點你認為某事未來會發生。至於你的想法或看法是否正確則不重要。這種句型在英文中頗為常見。茲將它們的幾個重點敘述如下:

1. 與簡單未來式 (simple future) 一樣,「過去的未來式」有兩個不同的型態:would 和 was/were going to。

  • I told him I would help him later. (我告訴他稍後會協助他)
  • I knew John was secretly going to meet Jane after the party. (我知道約翰將在聚會後偷偷地和珍見面)

2. 「過去的未來式」遵守簡單未來式的基本用法規則,即 would 的基本用法與 will 一樣,而 was/were going to 的基本用法與 am/is/are going to 相同。

  • He promised he would send a postcard from Egypt. (他承諾會從埃及寄來明信片)
  • I had a feeling (that) the vacation was going to be a disaster. (我覺得這個假期將是一場災難)

3. 與所有未來式一樣,「過去的未來式」不能用在以 when, while, before, after, by the time, as soon as, if 和 unless 等開頭的副詞子句或時間子句中,亦即在這些子句中不能使用 would/will/be going to。

  • I already told Mark that when he arrived, we would go out for dinner. (我已經告訴馬克,在他到達時,我們將外出吃晚餐) (正)
  • I already told Mark that when he would arrive, we would go out for dinner. (誤)
  • Sally asked if I was going to go to class late. (莎莉問我上課是否會遲到) (正) — 在這句中,if (= whether) 所引導的子句是名詞子句而非副詞子句。

此外,由於在英文中我們可以使用現在進行式來表示不久的將來 (in the near future) 要發生的事件,所以「過去的未來式」亦有可能以過去進行式的型態出現。例如,下面兩句也是「過去的未來式」:

  • She was aware of the fact that we were meeting after class. (她知道我們下課後要碰面)
  • I told my mom I was having dinner with some friends after work. (我告訴我媽媽下班後要跟一些朋友聚餐)

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:下列兩句的意思有何不同? (1) Class is supposed to begin at 10: 00. (2) Class was supposed to begin at 10: 00.

A:be supposed to 表示的是一種預期 (expectation) 的情況:現在式的 be supposed to 意為「應該」,因此語意上相當於 should 或 ought to (ought to 的語氣比 should 來得強);過去式的 be supposed to 意為「本該發生的事,但實際上卻沒發生」,因此相當於 should have + P.P. 或 ought to have + P.P.。

第 (1) 句的意思是說,課應該在 10 點開始上 (預期);而第 (2) 句的意思是說,課原本應該在 10 點開始上,但事實卻沒有 (即預期沒有實現),所以這相當於,譬如說,Class was supposed to begin at 10: 00, but it didn’t begin until 10: 15. (課原本應該在 10 點開始上,但直到 10 點 15 分才上)。我們亦可用下面的句子來表達相同的意思:

  • Class should have begun at 10: 00 (but it didn’t begin until 10: 15).
  • Class ought to have begun at 10: 00 (but it didn’t begin until 10: 15).

be supposed to 除了上述的意思外,還有一個頗為常見的意思,那就是「一般認為」(to be generally believed/considered)。請看下句:

  • It is generally believed that mice are afraid of cats. (一般認為老鼠怕貓)

這種以 it 做假主詞或形式主詞來代表其後 that 所引導的名詞子句的句型,在英文中用得很多,應該加以熟悉。現在我們使用 be supposed to 來改寫如下:

  • Mice are supposed to be afraid of cats. (老鼠應該怕貓)

若不用 be supposed to,這句也可以改成:

  • Mice are generally believed to be afraid of cats. (一般認為老鼠怕貓)

大多數的 “It…that” 句型都可以如上述地加以改寫,其方式就是將名詞子句的主詞拿來當句子的主詞,並將名詞子句的動詞變成 to-不定詞。最後要提的是,supposed to 中的 d 不發音,它的發音就跟 suppose to 一樣,但在拼寫時切記不可漏掉 “d”。

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。

Awake, awaken, wake, waken (vv.)

這四個動詞大致上可視為同義詞,它們皆可當及物和不及物動詞用,也都有字面和比喻的意思,前者意為「喚醒;弄醒;(使) 醒來」,後者意為「喚起;激起;使認識到;使意識到」。

Awake 的過去式可以是 awaked 或 awoke,而過去分詞可以是 awaked 或 awoken,但通常使用 awoke 和 awoken:The thunder awoke me. (雷聲把我驚醒了);He awoke to the sound of birds chirping. (他被啁啾的鳥叫聲叫醒了);I awoke to find myself alone. (我一覺醒來發現只有自己一個人);His father tried to awake him to a sense of duty. (他父親試圖使他認識到自己的責任);We must awake to our responsibilities. (我們一定要認識到自己的職責)。awaken 是個規則動詞 (awaken, awakened, awakened):I was awakened by their shouts. (我被他們的喊叫聲吵醒);He awakened her at six. (他在六點時叫醒她);He has awakened to new challenges. (他已意識到新的挑戰);She awakened at six. (她六點鐘醒來)。

Wake 的過去式可以是 waked 或 woke,而過去分詞可以是 waked 或 woken,但通常使用 woke 和 woken:She usually wakes (up) early. (她通常早起);John woke to a quiet knocking on his door. (約翰被一陣輕輕的敲門聲給叫醒了);The bad news finally woke the country to the danger of war. (壞消息傳來,終於使國人意識到即將發生戰爭的危險)。wake 後面經常接介系詞 up,是一個相當常用的片語動詞:I woke up at six this morning. (今天早晨我六點鐘醒來);Please wake me up at 7:00. (請在七點鐘叫醒我)。waken是個規則動詞 (waken, wakened, wakened):He wakened early that morning. (那天早晨他很早就醒了);I was wakened by their shouts. (我被他們的喊叫聲吵醒);All this wakened the local government to the need for safety precautions. (所有這些使當地政府認識到必須採取安全預防措施)。

一般而言,awake 和 awaken 用在比喻意思的情況比較多,而 wake 和 waken 用在字面意思的情況比較多。就使用頻率而言,awaken 比 awake 常用,而 wake 比 waken 常用。

除做動詞外,這四個字當中的 awake 還可當形容詞用,而 wake 還可當名詞用。awake 用做形容詞時意為「醒著的;認識到的,意識到的」,但不可用在名詞之前:I managed to stay awake long enough to watch the video. (我強忍著不睡看完了錄影帶);I was already wide awake before the alarm went off. (鬧鐘還沒停,我就已完全醒了);We are fully awake to the dangers of the situation. (我們充分意識到局勢的危險)。在上面的例句中,stay awake 意為「保持醒著的」,而 wide awake 意為「完全醒著的;頭腦清醒的」,它們都是頗為常見的片語。wake 用做名詞時意為「守夜;守靈;(船航行時留下的) 航跡,尾波,尾流」,通常用在 in the wake of 或 in sb’s/sth’s wake 中 — 這兩個片語意為「尾隨,緊跟在…後面;隨著…而來,作為…的結果」:The car left clouds of dust in its wake. (車子後面揚起一片塵土);An inquiry has been set up in the wake of the crash. (墜機發生後,調查隨之展開)。

Born, borne (past participle, adj.)

Bear 是個相當常用的動詞,主要意為「忍受,忍耐,容忍 (通常用於否定或疑問句);帶有,具有,印有,寫有,刻有;運送,攜帶;(對某人) 懷有 (某種感受,如懷恨);生 (孩子)」。bear 的過去式為 bore,過去分詞為 borne,但作「生,生育」(to give birth) 之意時,它的過去分詞則有兩種型態:born 和 borne。

當 bear 意為「生,生育」時,born 都用在沒有 by 的被動態且當分詞形容詞用,如 He was born in Japan. (他在日本出生);The twins were born on February 15, 1969. (這對雙胞胎生於 1969 年 2 月 15 日);The baby was born to a very young woman. (這嬰兒是一位年紀非常輕的女子所生);Amy was born into a large/wealthy family. (艾美出生於一個大家庭/富裕家庭) — 請注意上面四個例句中介系詞 (in, on, to 和 into) 的用法。當形容詞用的 born 除了「出生的,誕生的」意思外,還意為「天生的,生來就有的,有天才的,命中注定的」,如 She was considered a born movie star. (她被視為天生的電影明星);He is a born leader/writer. (他是天生領袖/天才作家);She was born to succeed. (她命中注定會成功的)。注意:當 born 意為「出生的」時,be born to 後接名詞或名詞片語 (to 為介系詞),而當 born 意為「命中注定的」時,be born to 後接原形動詞 (to 為不定詞)。

當 bear 意為「生,生育」時,borne 僅當過去分詞用,主詞都是 mother, woman 或 she,如 The woman has borne three sons. (這位女人已生了三個兒子),She had borne six children. (她生過六個小孩),而且只能用於主動態,換言之,上面的例句 The baby was born to a very young woman. 不可寫成 The baby was borne to a very young woman.。

如上所述,在 bear 的其他意思上,不管動詞是主動還是被動,它的過去分詞恆為 borne,如 He has borne a grudge for many years. (他已懷恨多年);They had borne enough pain. (他們已忍受了過多的痛苦);The prisoner’s story was borne out by his wife. (那囚犯的供述為他的妻子所證實);The following points should be borne in mind. (下列要點要記住)。to bear out 和 bear in mind 都是常用的片語,前者意為「證實,為…作證,支持 (某種說法)」,後者意為「記住;考慮」。事實上,borne 亦可當形容詞用,但僅用在 “be borne in on/upon somebody” 這片語以及與名詞連用所構成的形容詞中,前者意為「為某人所意識到;為某人所瞭解」,後者意為「由…所攜帶的;由…所傳播的」:Slowly it was borne in on the citizens that the enemy had surrounded them. (市民漸漸意識到敵人已經包圍了他們);Some plants have windborne seeds. (有些植物靠風傳播種子);Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease. (瘧疾是由蚊子傳播的疾病);airborne pollution (空氣傳播的污染);airborne supply (空中補給);airborne troops ( 空降部隊)。

拼字錯誤的情況經常發生,尤其是當 bear 意為「生,生育」而用法是被動態或形容詞時,born 往往被誤寫成 borne。