Five Dollars 定 Five-Dollar?英文點樣令數字變成形容詞
有個學英文嘅人問:「點解書面係 a five-dollars coffee,但我講嗰陣係 the coffee costs five dollars?」老實嘅答案係:其實唔係噉。正確嘅書面形式係 a five-dollar coffee —— 冇 -s —— 而嗰個靜靜消失嘅複數,難倒咗喺每個考試、每份履歷,同埋英語世界每間咖啡店嘅學英文嘅人。
點解呢樣嘢重要
同一個數字喺英文可以兩種方式出現。喺一個位置,單位攞複數 -s。喺另一個位置,個 -s 消失,連字號就出現。混淆佢哋唔會令你被理解唔到,但即刻就將個寫法標籤為非母語,而喺寫作考試入面就真係扣分。一旦你睇到呢個規律,佢適用於金錢、時間、年齡、距離、容量,同埋差唔多任何數字加單位嘅短語。
規律
英文喺呢啲短語入面將名詞用喺兩個主要嘅文法角色。
當數字加單位嘅短語係一個動詞嘅 主語或賓語 嗰陣,單位維持複數。個短語當作名詞用:
- The coffee costs five dollars.
- The break lasted ten minutes.
- The drive was one hundred miles.
當同一個短語坐喺 另一個名詞前面 並描述佢嗰陣,成個組塊就變成一個 形容詞。英文形容詞唔變複數,所以單位去咗個 -s,啲字通常由連字號連住:
- A five-dollar coffee.
- A ten-minute break.
- A one-hundred-mile drive.
兩種形式由唔同嘅文法角度描述同一樣嘢。Five dollars 係嗰個數量。Five-dollar 係嗰個描述詞。一個單獨企住做一個量度;另一個修飾後面嘅名詞。
呢個規律有時叫做 複合修飾語(compound modifier) 或者 定語形容詞(attributive adjective) 規則,但你唔需要記個名。測試係看位置:如果數字加單位嘅短語行喺 一個名詞前面並修飾佢,就去咗 -s 並加連字號。
錯誤 / 自然 / 點解
| 錯誤 | 自然 | 點解 |
|---|---|---|
| It is a five-dollars coffee. | It is a five-dollar coffee. | 喺名詞前面,單位變成形容詞用法並失去 -s。 |
| We took a ten-minutes break. | We took a ten-minute break. | Ten-minute 修飾 break;去咗 -s。 |
| She is a two-years-old child. | She is a two-year-old child. | Child 前面嘅描述詞去咗 -s 並用連字號。 |
| The coffee costs five-dollar. | The coffee costs five dollars. | 做 costs 嘅賓語,個短語係名詞,維持複數。 |
| It was a thirty-pages report. | It was a thirty-page report. | Thirty-page 係形容詞;只有 report 攞名詞角色。 |
| He drives a 12-gallons tank truck. | He drives a 12-gallon tank truck. | 容量描述詞喺 tank 前面變單數。 |
| He bought a six-pounds bag of flour. | He bought a six-pound bag of flour. | Six-pound 修飾 bag;喺名詞前面去咗 -s。 |
| We are on a two-years program. | We are on a two-year program. | 喺定語位置去咗 -s。 |
常見情境
講價錢。 喺咖啡店,你可能會講 "This place has great five-dollar lattes。" 數字加單位坐喺 lattes 前面,所以失去咗 -s。但收銀員埋單嗰陣,佢會講 "That will be five dollars," 名詞短語形式完整保留。
喺公司排時間表。 你嘅日曆顯示 "a 30-minute sync with marketing。" 喺會議本身,你老細可能會講 "This will only take 30 minutes。" 兩種形式喺同一個對話、同一個話題、同一個數字入面出現 —— 只係位置改變。
形容人。 兒科醫生寫 "The patient is a two-year-old child。" 同一個醫生可能對家長講 "Your child is two years old now — time flies。" 述語形式:two years old。定語形式:two-year-old。啲連字號同消失嘅 -s 一齊行動。
讀同寫報告。 你交 a 30-page report。你宣布 a five-year strategic plan。你引用 a 100-page deck。一旦數字加單位滑入一個名詞前面,單位就縮短。
旅行同距離。 你搭 a 10-hour flight,由車站行 a five-minute walk,或者租車去 a three-day trip。喺對話入面,你亦都講 "It is a ten-hour flight," 同 "The walk is five minutes。" 第二句用 five minutes 做述語名詞,所以保留 -s。
容量、體積、重量。 你買 a 12-gallon tank、a five-pound bag of rice、a 16-ounce coffee、a two-liter bottle。每一個都滑入名詞正前面嘅形容詞位置。
常犯嘅錯誤
- 喺名詞前面嘅單位上留咗 -s:a five-dollars coffee、a ten-minutes break、a thirty-pages report。複數 -s 係呢啲複合詞入面有問題嘅最常見信號。
- 喺描述詞有多個字嗰陣唔記得加連字號。風格指南有分別,但喺嚴謹寫作入面標準形式係加連字號:a five-year-old child、a two-and-a-half-hour drive、a one-hundred-mile race。
- 喺述語位置因為類推而去咗 -s。The coffee costs five-dollar 同 The trip took three-day 都係錯。喺動詞之後,名詞短語形式(five dollars、three days)返嚟。
- 喺一句入面溝埋兩種規律:It was a thirty-pages report, and it took two-hour to read。 應該係 a thirty-page report(形容詞)同 two hours to read(took 嘅賓語)。
- 喺述語用法加咗多餘嘅連字號:The patient is two-years-old 係錯。正確嘅述語形式係 The patient is two years old(冇連字號)。連字號只係喺個短語坐喺名詞前面嗰陣出現:a two-year-old patient。
- 混淆年齡短語。A two-year-old(有連字號)可以自己做一個名詞,意思係一個嗰個年紀嘅細路。A two-year program 係兩年咁長。第一個指一個人;第二個指時長。
- 唔記得啲寫成數字嘅量度嘅規則。A 10-minute break 同 a five-minute break 跟同一個規律 —— 只係格式(數字 vs 串字)有分別。
迷你練習
改寫每個短語,令數字同單位變成正確形式。
- We took a ten-minutes coffee break.
- He is reading a 250-pages novel.
- The flight was eight-hours long, but I slept through most of it.
- She brought a five-years-old child to the office.
- I bought a two-liters bottle of soda and it cost three-dollar.
總結
當數字同單位描述一個名詞嗰陣,單位去咗佢嘅複數 -s 並通常加埋連字號:a five-dollar coffee、a ten-minute break、a two-year-old child。當同一個短語係一個主語、賓語或者述語名詞嗰陣,複數 -s 返嚟:The coffee costs five dollars。位置決定一切 —— 如果佢坐喺一個名詞前面,佢就縮短;如果佢自己企住,佢就維持複數。
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