常見嘅數學英文錯誤,令老師喺你講到一半即刻叫停你

有個學生喺口語練習堂上面描述一個圖表。佢講:「Sales increased of twenty percents, from thirty to fifty percentage。」佢導師喺佢講到一半時舉起手:「等等 —— 一啖氣三個問題。等我逐個拆開嚟講。」呢一句入面有個錯嘅介詞、一個錯嘅複數,同埋一個用嚟講兩個百分比之間差距嘅錯字。數學英文係一個滿佈細微失誤嘅雷區,導師一次又一次聽到同樣嘅錯。好消息係:呢啲錯只係得大約十幾個,一旦你學識點修,就可以補返成個規律。

點解呢樣嘢重要

數字喺真實英文入面周圍都係 —— 帳單、時間表、天氣報告、體育比分、講課、傾人工、簡報入面嘅圖表、成績、價錢,同埋新聞入面嘅百分比。數學句子亦都係細心嘅聽者最易認出一個學英文嘅人嘅地方。文法好短,詞彙好少,但啲規則毫不留情。一個失誤 —— percents 加咗 s、用 increase of 而唔係 increase by、講 three point fourteen 而唔係 three point one four —— 即刻就將句子標籤為非母語。修正好快。回報好大,因為一旦你唔再喺數字上面跣腳,你其餘嘅英文就會聽落自信好多。

呢篇文章係呢個系列入面嘅收拾文。如果你想睇深入啲嘅,睇 Five Dollars 定 Five-Dollar?英文點樣令數字變成形容詞 學連字號同複數規則,睇 Percent、Percentage 同 Percentage Points:細細個字,大大個錯 學圖表描述嘅陷阱。

規律

少數幾個錯誤就佔咗學英文嘅人犯嘅數學英文錯誤嘅絕大部分。佢哋喺呢度,分咗組。

錯嘅介詞。 英文用 by 表示變化嘅幅度,用 to 表示新數值,用 of 表示某個基數嘅分數同百分比,用 per 表示比率。混淆佢哋係最常見嘅失誤。

• Increased by ten percent(變化嘅幅度)。
• Increased to fifty(新數值)。
• Twenty percent of fifty(某個基數嘅一部分)。
• Sixty miles per hour(比率)。

錯嘅複數。 Percent 接住數字嗰陣永遠唔加 -s(係「twenty percent」,唔係「twenty percents」)。Hundred、thousand、million 同 billion 當數字用嗰陣維持單數(係「five hundred people」,唔係「five hundreds people」)。但當佢哋當名詞用、解做 好多 嗰陣,就加 -s(「hundreds of people」)。

錯嘅小數讀法。 小數點後面嘅數字係 逐個 讀,唔係砌埋一個正常數字。3.14 係 three point one four,唔係 three point fourteen。

錯嘅分數讀法。 分數喺分母用序數。1/3 係 one third 或者 a third。2/3 係 two thirds(加 -s,因為分子大過一)。1/2 係 a half 或者 one half,係不規則。

錯嘅詞彙。 想講 percent 嗰陣講咗 percentage,或者想講 percentage points 嗰陣講咗 percent,都可以令句子嘅意思反轉。將粗略嘅估算叫做 calculation,或者想講 number 嗰陣用咗 count,都會令句子有少少偏差。

錯嘅連字號。 喺名詞前面嘅形容詞形式,數字加單位嘅短語會去咗 -s 並加連字號:a five-dollar coffee、a ten-minute break、a two-year-old child。喺述語或者賓語形式,個 -s 就返嚟:the coffee costs five dollars、the child is two years old。

錯嘅語序。 量詞例如 each 同 apiece 坐喺價錢 後面(ten dollars each),唔係前面。Every 行喺數字加時間短語前面(every two hours),唔係後面。

錯誤 / 自然 / 點解

常見情境

喺簡報描述數據。「Sales rose by about fifteen percent to roughly four point six million, from four million last year。」一齊內建咗三個快速修正:by 表示幅度,to 表示新數值,from … to … 清楚顯示兩個端點。如果一個學英文嘅人講「sales increased of fifteen percents to four point six millions」,每一個錯都可以用呢篇文章嘅一條規則修正。

喺超市讀價錢出嚟。「The bag of rice is a dollar fifty a pound。」一次過有三樣嘢:口語嘅 a / an 比率形式、相當於 each 嘅 a pound,同埋唔加生硬「per」嘅銀碼講法。一個學英文嘅人講「one fifty per pound」,文法上冇問題但有少少生硬;「a dollar fifty a pound」就聽落地道。

話人知你年齡。「I'm twenty-eight years old。」如果一個學英文嘅人講「I have twenty-eight years」,呢個係好多語言講年齡方式嘅直譯,而英文唔係噉樣。英文嘅年齡用 be,唔用 have。「I am twenty-eight」或者「I am twenty-eight years old」,又或者喺名詞前面講「a twenty-eight-year-old learner」。

報告測驗結果。「I got eighty out of one hundred, which is eighty percent。」留意 out of 用嚟講原始分數,percent 用嚟講百分比。學英文嘅人成日講「I got eighty percent of one hundred」—— 呢句意思係 我攞咗一百嘅百分之八十,係一句唔清晰、近乎哲學嘅說話。自然嘅形式係 eighty out of one hundred,或者淨係 eighty percent。

夾錢食飯。「The bill is forty-eight dollars, so let's just round up to fifty and split four ways — that's twelve fifty each。」一句入面塞滿咗數學英文:埋單湊整、夾分、each 喺啱嘅位置、four ways 解做 四個人夾。學英文嘅人成日講「split for four people」,雖然明,但有少少唔啱;split four ways 先係自然嘅英文慣用語。

講人工。「I make about seventy thousand a year。」口語嘅比率形式(a year)、自然嘅湊整(about seventy thousand)。一個學英文嘅人講「I am earning seventy thousands per year」,就疊埋咗我哋兩個最常見嘅錯:thousand 上面多餘嘅 -s,同埋有少少生硬嘅 per year 而唔係 a year。導師成日聽到呢個組合。

常犯嘅錯誤

• 喺變化動詞後面用 of。正確介詞係 by:rose by, fell by, increased by, decreased by。將 of 留畀名詞形式,例如 an increase of ten percent。
• 喺 percent、hundred、thousand、million、billion 接住數字嗰陣加咗 -s。係 five hundred,唔係 five hundreds。係 ten percent,唔係 ten percents。個 -s 只係喺呢啲字當名詞用、解做 好多 嗰陣先返嚟:hundreds of people。
• 將小數當複合數字噉讀。係 three point one four,唔係 three point fourteen。每個數字都有自己一啖氣。
• 混淆 percent、percentage 同 percentage points。有確切數字 → percent。冇確切數字 → percentage。兩個百分比之間嘅差距 → percentage points。
• 喺名詞前面嘅單位上留咗 -s:a five-dollars coffee、a ten-minutes break。喺名詞前面,單位要縮短。
• 喺複合數字形容詞入面唔記得加連字號:a two and a half hour drive。標準形式係 a two-and-a-half-hour drive。
• 混淆 nearly 同 over。Nearly 永遠指向目標下面;over 永遠指向上面。
• 講年齡講咗 I have twenty years。英文用 be:I am twenty。
• 講咗 give and take,而唔係 give or take。固定慣用語用 or。
• 想講 by 嗰陣用咗 to(或者相反)。Increased by ten 描述變化嘅幅度。Increased to ten 點出新數值。佢哋幾乎永遠唔可以互換。
• 將 data 同 sales 當作永遠單數。喺商務同學術英文入面,sales 通常係複數(「sales are up」),而 data 喺嚴謹寫作入面當作複數處理(「the data show」)。

迷你練習

喺每句搵出並修正一兩個錯誤。

1. Our team grew of five members last quarter, from eight to thirteen.
2. The bill is forty-two fifty, so let's round up to forty-five and pay fifteen dollars each one.
3. He is a two-years-old boy who already reads big books.
4. Inflation rose to three percentage points, from two percent to five percent.
5. The recipe calls for two third of a cup of sugar and one and half teaspoons of salt.

總結

數學英文有一小撮屢犯嘅錯誤:錯嘅介詞(by / to / of / per)、錯嘅複數(percent / hundred / thousand)、錯嘅小數(逐個數字,唔砌埋)、錯嘅分數(分母上嘅複數 -s)、錯嘅詞彙(percent / percentage / percentage points)、錯嘅連字號(喺名詞前面,去咗 -s 並加連字號),同埋 each 同 every 嘅錯嘅語序。逐個逐個修正,大聲練習,你嘅數字句子就唔會再令老師喺講到一半時舉起手 —— 反而會聽落正正就係你一直咁努力建立緊嘅英文。

想喺真實嘅試題句子入面練習數字、量詞同單位?喺 ExamRift 開始練習。