第十二章 冠詞（Articles）
假設(shè)我們要翻譯以下的中文句子：
他是聰明的孩子
也許我們會將以上的句子翻譯成以下的句子：
He is clever baby.
這種翻譯是錯的，boy的前面，必須有一個冠詞，英文冠詞只有兩個：a和the，在這個例子，我們應(yīng)該加a，因此正確的翻譯是：
He is a clever boy.
我們現(xiàn)在再看以下的中文句子：
他是昨天來看我的孩子。
以下的翻譯是錯的：
He is boy who came to see me yesterday.
為什么錯呢？仍然是在于boy前面沒有冠詞，這次我們必須加the，正確的翻譯是：
He is the boy who came to see me yesterday.
一般來說，英文句子的單數(shù)名詞前面都會有冠詞，沒有冠詞是例外，以下的句子都是錯的：
He saw cat.
Swimming is good exercise.
Java is computer language.
King of England died last night.
He is professor who taught me English.
正確的句子是：
He saw a cat.
Swimming is a good exercise.
Java is a computer language.
The King of England died last night.
He is the professor who taught me English.
我們知道大多數(shù)的名詞前面要加冠詞，但究竟要加a，還是the呢？我們在下一節(jié)討論。
12§1 a和the之不同用法
a和the的不同，在于a后面的名詞不是指定的，而the后面的名詞是有所指的。我們不妨看以下的兩個句子，他們都是正確的，但意義卻不同。
John is a boy.
John is the boy.
〝John is a boy.〞的意思是“約翰是一個男孩”，而〝John is the boy.〞的意思就完不同了，我們一定曾經(jīng)提到過某一個男孩子，而約翰就是那個男孩子?？赡艿那樾问牵篢here is a boy who is very good in mathematics. John is the boy.
我們就以“國王”為例，如果我們泛指一般的國王，我們可以用復(fù)數(shù)，也可以用單數(shù)，但必須用a，以下是一些例子：
Kings are also human beings.
Even a king will die sooner or later.
Have you ever met a king ？
I do not like to be a king.
He is an ordinary person， not a king.
如果我們的國王是指某一個特定的國王，就必須用the，舉一個例子；如果我們說“國王萬歲”，我們當(dāng)然是指我們的國王，因此“國王萬歲”的翻譯就是
Long live the King.
以下的例子都是正確
Here comes the King.
The King is a popular person in our country.
Even the King of England can not come in.
讀者應(yīng)該了解，同類型的句子，可以用a，也可以用the，但意義是完全不同的，請看以下的句子：
He is not a boy who would cheat others.
意思是：
他不是那種會欺騙別人的男孩子。
再看以下的句子：
He is not the boy who cheated in an examination yesterday.
他不是昨天在考試中舞弊的男孩。
再看以下的句子：
He is a King.
意思是“他是一個國王”。
如果說
He is the King.
意思就完全不同了，這句話的意思是“他是我們國家的國王”。
請注意，世界上國王有好多個，如果我們僅僅說他是一個國王，當(dāng)然沒有指定哪一個國家的國王，就用a king，如果我們用the King意思當(dāng)然指我們共識中的國王。這時的King中的K必須大寫，以示尊敬。
我們再舉一個例子：
Please open a window.
是指請開一扇窗子，隨便哪一扇都可以。
Please open the window.
就不同了，說這句話的人和聽這句話的人一定有一個共識，〝the window〞一定是指某一扇特定的窗子，也許這間房子里只有一扇窗，也可能他們談話中曾經(jīng)提到某一扇窗，〝the window〞就是指那一扇窗。
我們可以再舉一個例，假如我們說，〝我們需要一場大雨〞，我們說
We need a heavy rain.
如果我們說，“這場雨好大”，我們說
The rain is really heavy.
有了這個基本觀念以后，我們就很容易了解以下句子中，為什么要用the：
I am going to the train station.
The post office is quite near.
Where is the library？
根據(jù)這種原則，當(dāng)我們提到地球，月亮這種獨一無二的東西，就必須用the.
the earth
the sun
the moon
the universe
除此以外，the還有一個特殊的用途，我們可以在the的后面加一個形容詞，使這兩個字變成了一個名詞，舉例來說：
the rich＝富人
the poor＝窮人
the weak＝弱者
the deaf＝聾人
the blind＝盲人
請注意，以上的名詞是復(fù)數(shù)：
The rich always get richer.
The poor are getting poorer.
The blind are often very sensitive to sounds.
以下是一些用a和the的例子，讀者應(yīng)設(shè)法了解句子中為何有時用a，有時用the.
He is a student.
He is the student who can swim very well.
I like to be a teacher.
He is the teacher who taught me English.
The president of the United States in an important person in the world.
I have a son and a daughter.
I have two sons. This is the son who will be a doctor.
I want to be a teacher who is loved by students.
He is not the person whom we talked about.
There is a boat in the river.
This is the boat which we can use.
The rain is going to stop tomorrow.
We need a good rain.
The weather is really bad.
Is there a train station near us？
Where is the station？
Do you know where the post office is？
There is a post office inside that building.
The library looks so good.
The rich should pay more taxes.
We should pay more attentions to the poor.
The blind can also study computer science now.
The earth is round.
The sun never sets in the British Empire.
Do you think we can reach the moon？
How large is the universe？
練習(xí)[練習(xí)五十六]
將下列中文句子譯成英文：
他是一個好學(xué)生。
他是那位老師都喜歡的學(xué)生。
我要做總統(tǒng)。
這是總統(tǒng)。
請打開一扇窗。
中華民國的總統(tǒng)將于明年訪問美國。
我要做一個好的工程師。
他是那位我們常常談到的老師。
Java是一個新的計算器語言。
我有一只狗。
他是獲大獎的教授。
火車站在哪里？
請告訴我郵局的地址。
這里有郵局嗎？
富人常住在城里。
盲人可以用計算機。
太陽在東邊升起。
宇宙是非常大的。
為什么我們白天不能看到月亮？
總統(tǒng)幾歲？
[練習(xí)五十七]
將適當(dāng)?shù)墓谠~填入下列的空白：
1. He is student who went to see you.
2. There is river in this area.
3. I don't want to be teacher.
4. He wants to become doctor.
5. No one wants to be beggar.
6. Please open door which opens to the hall.
7. UNIX is computer operating system.
8. WINDOW is only operating system invested by Microsoft.
9. I have dog and two cats.
10. She is teacher who got many prizes.
11. earth is not flat.
12. Is there hotel around here？
13. Where is train station.
14. I really like library.
15. Please give me glass of water.
16. wind is getting stronger and stronger.
17. He is friend of mine.
18. It is hard for poor to go to colleges.
19. He is swimmer who swam across the English Channel.
20. weather is getting colder and colder.
21. This is book which I bought yesterday.
22. I don't like to be professor.
23. I am going to take vacation next month.
24. John will become basketball player.
25. I ride bicycle to work every morning
12§2 a和an的用法
在英文里，a有時必須用an代替，凡是一個字一開始的發(fā)音是元音的話，那么前面就不能用a，而必須用an.例子：
an apple
an answer
an egg
an eye
an island
an idea
an old lady
an odd case
an umbrella
請注意，用an與否并不是完全和字母有關(guān)，而是和發(fā)音有關(guān)。舉例來說，u雖然是一個元音字母，但是我們卻說a unit，而不能用＊an unit，因為unit的一開始發(fā)音并非元音。
其它類似的例子有：
a useful car
a university
a uniform
a one-sided opinion
反過來說，有些字并不以元音開始，但是卻必須用an，因為這些字的第一音節(jié)是元音發(fā)音，例子：
an honest person
an hour
[練習(xí)五十八]
填入a或an
1. He is English Professor.
2. This is easy job.
3. He is just ordinary person.
4. friend in need is friend indeed.
5. Give me hint.
6. I have American friend.
7. I will become engineer.
8. Is he honest boy？
9. hour later， he went away.
10. Is this university library？
12§3 冠詞使用時的例外
在以上的兩節(jié)，我們好像說冠詞的使用是有一定規(guī)則的，其實不然，例外也不少。在很多情形之下，冠詞是要省略的，更麻煩的是，連省略冠詞的規(guī)則都有例外，應(yīng)該省的卻又不省了。
第一個有關(guān)冠詞的特殊用法是這樣的，假設(shè)我們要說〝男生通常不喜歡彈鋼琴〞，我們不能說
Boy does not like to play the piano.
而要說
Boys do not like to play the piano.
這時，Boys的前面，是沒有冠詞的，理由很簡單，我們不能加a，因為boys是復(fù)數(shù)，我們也不能加the，因為boys并沒有指定哪一個男孩，也沒有指定哪一種男孩。類似的例子有：
Girls are more diligent than boys.
When spring comes， flowers start to bloom.
Dogs are often close to their masters.
Cats are often quite lazy.
Men eat more than women.
Professors are all very smart.
第二個規(guī)則有關(guān)所謂不可數(shù)名詞，很多名詞是可以數(shù)的如：
a cup， two cups
a boy， three boys
a teacher
a student
a boat
an airplane
a glass of water
a cup of tea
可是很多名詞是不可數(shù)的，以下這些名詞都是抽象的，因此不可數(shù)
time
love
hatred
pain
joy
sadness
kindness
wisdom
hope
patience
這些抽象名詞的前面是不要加冠詞的，例子如下：
Time flies.（時間過得很快）
We can not live without love.
Let there be no hatred.
We must be able to endure pain.
Loving others creates joy.
There is sadness in his voice.
Can you feel his kindness？
He has wisdom.
There is hope among us.
I am losing patience.
以上的例子，乃是泛指的事物，如果特定的抽象名詞，仍要加冠詞。例如：
This is the time to cry.
Do you feel the pain？
There is a hatred towards was in our society.
Everyone can feel the joy of being loved.
We just can not avoid the sadness of losing some loved ones.
He does have the patience to listen to long talks.
It is a virtue not to steal.
還有一些不可數(shù)的名詞，是所謂的物質(zhì)名詞，像
water
fire
air
metal
tea
coffee
bread
butter
如果這些物質(zhì)名詞泛指一般的東西，前面是不要加冠詞的，例如
Drinking water is important.
Don't play with fire.
We need air to breath.
There is metal in this device.
I don‘t drink tea.
I like coffee.
Father brings bread and butter home every day.
一旦物質(zhì)名詞指特定的東西，前面就要加冠詞，例如：
The water in this city is polluted.
There was a fire near our home last night.
The air in this town is getting worse and worse.
Copper is a metal.
The tea from India is very popular in England.
專有名詞，一般說來都不要加冠詞的：
Mary is from Canada.
John got married last month.
Taiwan is an island.
England is in Europe.
France is a nice country to visit.
Russia is a large country.
Park Street is the main street in this city.
Go to Taipei first.
Sun Moon Lake is a beautiful lake.
January is often very cold here.
Sunday is a day for resting.
Spring is the best season.
Mt. Everest is in Europe.
President Kennedy died when he was young.
King George was considered a mad king.
Queen Elizabeth visited Australia recently.
可惜的是，英文中專有名詞仍有要加the的，我們將試著將這些例外寫成規(guī)則，但這種規(guī)則一定掛一漏萬，讀者如要知道何種情況要加冠詞，何種情況不加冠詞，惟一的辦法是多讀英文的文章，慢慢地就會了解什么情形該用冠詞，什么情形不用冠詞。
哪些專門名詞前面仍要加冠詞the呢？
（1） 河流，海洋，沙漠，海峽，海灣等等專有名詞的前面都要加the.
the Hudson River （赫德森河）
the Rhine River （萊茵河）
the Yellow River （黃河）
the River Thames （泰唔士河）
the Amazon River （亞馬孫河）
the Pacific Ocean （太平洋）
the Red Sea （紅海）
the Mediterranean Sea （地中海）
the Baltic Sea （波羅的海）
the Atlantic Ocean （大西洋）
the Sahara Desert （撒哈拉大沙漠）
the Gobi Desert （戈壁大沙漠）
the Taiwan Straits （臺灣海峽）
the English Channel （英吉利海峽）
the Manila Bay （馬尼拉海灣）
the Bay of Tokyo （東京灣）
the Persian Gulf （波斯灣）
（2） 國家的名詞中如有of時，要加the
the United States of America
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
the Republic of China
（3） 非常言式的名稱，也要加the
the World Bank （世界銀行）
the United Nations （聯(lián)合國）
the Red Cross （紅十字會）
the Catholic Church （天主教會）
（4） 帝國，朝代，時代等等專有名詞的前面，要加the
the British Empire （大英帝國）
the Ottoman Empire （奧圖門帝國）
the United Kingdom （聯(lián)合王國）
the Byzantine Era （拜占庭時代）
the Chin Dynasty （秦朝）
the Victoria Era （維多利亞時代）
the Hanover Dynasty （漢諾威王朝）
The Renaissance Era （文藝復(fù)興時代）
the Dark Ages （黑暗時代）
（5） 如果提到〝全體〞，就要加the
the Wangs （王家）
the Kennedys （肯尼迪家族）
請注意，Wang和Kennedy都是姓，如果要指全家人，必須在姓氏的后面加s，前面加the.
the Chinese （中國人）
the Americans （美國人）
the Africans （非洲人）
我們說過，一般的專有名詞是不要加冠詞的，但是有很多其它的名詞前面也不要加冠詞，以下是一些規(guī)則：
學(xué)科一概不加冠詞
I do not like mathematics.
He hates geometry.
She teaches us history.
三餐一概不加冠詞
Did you have lunch.
Missing breakfast is bad for your health.
We have had dinner already.
千萬記住，如果我們的名詞指定某一個特定的時候，就仍要加冠詞，以下是一些例子：
I had a happy Christmas lunch with my family.
The dinner you treated me last night was really good.
Did you have a big breakfast？
假如我們說“上學(xué)”，“去教堂”等等，都不要加冠詞，例如
I went to church yesterday.
He goes to church every Sunday.
She is going to college this summer.
Did you go to school last week？
但是如果我們說的是指定的教堂，學(xué)校等等，仍要加冠詞，例如：
I went to the church at the corner of Park Street yesterday.
The church which I went to when I was young is still there.
I did not go to the college which my father went to.
語言不要加冠詞
English is easy to learn.
There are also grammatical rules in Chinese.
Can you speech Japanese？
但是，我們必須注意語言有另一種表示的方法，例如：
The English language is easy to learn.
There are grammatical rules in the Chinese language.
運動一概前面不加冠詞
Do you play tennis？
I can not play basketball.
I really love soccer.
動名詞前面不加冠詞，例如
Swimming is good for you.
I like playing tennis.
Do you enjoy playing piano？
[練習(xí)五十九]
以下的句子都有冠詞用法的錯誤，請改正這些錯誤：
The Girls are often good in learning languages.
The dogs always chase the cats.
Do you have the time？
I have not had a water for two hours.
There is no life without the pain.
The love is the most important thing in one's life.
He has the wisdom.
I am losing the patience.
This is not time to cry.
Pain due to losing a loved one is hard to endure.
Joy being a father is really great.
Being honest is virtue.
Speaking the truth is good policy.
Can you feel sadness of his？
We need the air to live.
I do not drink the coffee. I drink the tea.
We Chinese eat the rice every day.
Water in this area is very clean.
There was fire in the next street last night.
Fire last night killed three kids.
Coffee which you are drinking is from South America.
Mary is from the Canada.
The China is a large country.
Republic of China was Founded in 1911.
Where is the England？
Is the Russian in Europe.
The President Lincoln is a great person.
The King George was a mad king.
Yellow River is a long river.
Have you been to Gobi Desert？
Manila Bay is very beautiful.
It is hard to cross Atlantic Ocean by a small boat.
Can you swim across English Channel？
United States of America is a large country.
United Nations and Red Cross often work together.
When did Ottoman Empire end？
British Empire was large before.
Catholic Church is one of the oldest organizations in the world.
This cup was made in Ming Dynasty.
Renaissance is a very important era for mankind.
We should not go back to Dark Ages.
Wangs did not invite me to their house.
I do not like Kennedys.
Chinese pay great attention to education.
I do not like the physics.
Are you interested in the chemistry？
Did you have the lunch？
Let us have the dinner together.
I always have a breakfast with my family.
I had big dinner last night.
Dinner my mother cooked for me was delicious.
I go to the church every Sunday.
He does not like to go to the school.
Did you see beautiful church in the next street？
The English is so hard for me.
Do you speak the English？
Do you play the tennis？
The swimming is good for you.
I like the walking in the woods.
I practice the baseball every week
[練習(xí)六十]
在以下的空白處加入冠詞，如不需要冠詞，就讓它空白：
1. boys usually do not like to sit still for long.
2. I love to have cup of coffee.
3. There is love between us.
4. Can you feel love from you mother？
5. joy for having a new baby is really great.
6. Do you have time for a walk？
7. We can not live without love.
8. I have not drunk wine for a long time.
9. Do you have wisdom to distinguish bad persons from good persons？
10. This is good dinner.
11. I did not have dinner.
12. joy being mother is great.
13. Running is good practice.
14. sadness due to the death of his mother really hurts him.
15. We need water to live.
16. We can not live without air.
17. I do not drink coffee.
18. fire with occurred last night destroyed my house.
19. coffee which you are drinking is very light.
20. Republic of China is in Asia.
21. Where is Russia？
22. Is France in Africa？
23. President Kennedy was liked by most American before be died.
24. Amazon River is a long one.
25. Have you ever been to Tokyo？
26. Have you ever been to Tokyo Bay？
27. There are more than one hundred countries in United Nations.
28. This is Ming Dynasty porcalain.
29. Wangs invited us to a dinner party.
30. I do not like mathematics.
31. spring is a pleasant season.
32. I had pleasant evening with my friends.
33. breakfast which I had this morning was too light for me.
34. It is not easy to study English.
35. I did play basketball yesterday.
36. swimming is a good exercise.
37. There should be chicken in every pot.
38. It is good idea to eat lightly.
[練習(xí)六十一]
將以下的句子譯成成英文：
狗會叫（bark）。
貓會抓老鼠。
有時候（sometimes），痛苦是好的。
我不喝茶。
感覺到被愛是很重要的。
說實話令人快樂。
我們需要愛。
他是一個中國人。
中國人喜歡喝茶。
昨夜，城里有一場火。
約翰來自美國。
法國在哪里？
我喜歡林肯總統(tǒng)。
黃河不是黃的。
紅十字會已經(jīng)有一百年了（one hundred years old）。
明朝是一個重要的朝代。
你喜愛數(shù)學(xué)嗎？
我今天早上沒有吃早飯。
我已吃過午飯。
我昨天沒有去教堂。
我今年秋天要上大學(xué)。
游泳使我強壯。
第十三章 形容詞的比較級
如果我們要翻譯〝他比較老〞，我們不能說
＊ He is more old.
而一定要說
He is older.
為什么呢？這是因為英文里面的形容詞有所謂的比較級規(guī)則。在下一節(jié)，我們講一些最基本的規(guī)則。
13§1 最基本的規(guī)則
首先，我們要說明英文形容詞有三個等級：原級、比較級和級，最基本的規(guī)則是根據(jù)音節(jié)的多少來分的。一般來說，單音節(jié)的形容詞在字后面加er，就變成了比較級，加est就變成了級，而雙音節(jié)，或雙音節(jié)以上的形容詞，比較級是在字前面加more，級則是在字前面加most，舉例來說，old， smart， strong， weak， high， low等等都是單音節(jié)的形容詞，他們的變化如下：
原級 比較級 級
old older oldest
smart smarter smartest
strong stronger strongest
weak weaker weakest
high higher highest
low lower lowest
以上的形容詞，都是單音節(jié)的，以下的例子都有關(guān)雙音節(jié)的形容詞：
原級 比較級 級
difficult more difficult most difficult
delicious more delicious most delicious
beautiful more beautiful most beautiful
correct more correct most correct
stupid more stupid most stupid
significant more significant most significant
有一個規(guī)則必須注意，我們不能將more和er混在一齊用，以下的例子都是錯的：
He is more older than I.
He is more taller than his brother.
正確的句子是：
He is older than I.
He is taller than his brother.
[練習(xí)六十二]
寫出以下形容詞的比較級：
small
slow
intelligent
expensive
tall
short
important
cheap
famous
cold
fast
careful
colorful
long
dark
bright
13§2 特殊的比較級規(guī)則
在上一節(jié)，我們說明了最基本的規(guī)則，那就是單音節(jié)形容詞加er或est，雙音節(jié)的形容詞前面加more或most.但以下就是這些基本規(guī)則的例外。
單音節(jié)形容詞的字是e，就直接加r或st：
原級 比較級 級
large larger largest
late later latest
nice nicer nicest
wise wiser wisest
形容詞的字尾是y，而前一個子母是一個子音，則除掉y，加上ier，或iest：
原級 比較級 級
lucky luckier luckiest
happy happier happiest
pretty prettier prettiest
dry drier driest
easy easier easiest
單音節(jié)形容詞的字尾是子音，前一音是一個元音，則字尾必須重復(fù)一次，再加er或est：
原級 比較級 級
fat fatter fattest
hot hotter hottest
wet wetter wettest
big bigger biggest
完全不規(guī)則的變化：
英文中，有幾個特殊的字，他們的比較級完全沒有規(guī)則，以下是一些例子，讀者必須記住：
原級 比較級 級
good
well better best
bad worse worst
many
much more most
[練習(xí)六十三]
寫下以下形容詞的比較級：
cute
wide
early
happy
heavy
thin
easy
hot
wise
large
good
bad
many
13§3 比較形的用法
大多數(shù)比較級句子里會有than，以下是一些例子：
I am older than he.
His English is better than mine.
San Francisco is more beautiful than New York.
His car is cheaper than your car.
He is the most diligent student in his class.
I like apples more than oranges.
He has more money than his brother.
He is stronger than his brother.
必須注意的是以下的句子是錯的：
I am older than him.
She is smarter than me.
為什么錯了呢？因為原來句子應(yīng)該是：
I am older than he （is）。
She is more smart than I （am）。
習(xí)慣上的is和am都省略掉的，由以上的解釋可以看出，than后面的句詞應(yīng)該是主詞，而非受詞。
以下的錯誤，也請?zhí)貏e注意：
My head is larger than your.
正確的句子是：
My head is larger than your head.
或者 My head is larger than yours.
請看以下幾個錯誤的句子：
My house is larger than your.
The temperature of this city is higher than San Francisco.
The height of Himalayas is greater than Mt. Fuji.
My bicycle is older than his.
正確的句子應(yīng)該是：
My house is larger than your house.
或者 My house is larger than yours.
The temperature of this city is higher than the temperature of San Francisco.
或者 The Temperature of this city is higher than that of San Francisco.
The height of Himalayas is greater than the height of Mt. Fuji.
或者 The height of Himalayas is greater than that of Mt. Fuji.
請注意以下的例子，句子中沒有than，但仍有比較級：
Among all the teachers who have taught me， he is the best.
This is the best movie I have ever seen.
This food is the worst one which I have ever eaten.
John is the stronger one.
Do we have a better choice？
Mary is the more diligent one.
He is the older of the two.
He is one of the best movie actors.
This area is one of the hottest areas in the world.
He is one of the fastest swimmers of America.
This is a book which I like most.
[練習(xí)六十四]
改錯：
＊He is more old than I.
＊She is younger than me.
＊This university is more larger than that university.
＊He is more older than my brother.
＊His house is older than my.
＊The size of this city is larger than San Francisco.
＊She is taller than him.
＊The height of this boy is greater than his brother.
＊He is the most good student in my class.
＊He is the more bad one.
[練習(xí)六十五]
將下列句子譯成英文句子：
你比他強壯。
他的英文比我的好。
他比他的弟弟更富有。
他是世界上最富有的人。
這支筆比你的貴得多。
喜馬拉雅山是世界上的山。
亞馬孫河是世界上最長的河。
他比他的爸爸高。
他是班上的學(xué)生。
在我遇到的人中，他是的。
練習(xí)六十六]
填充：
1. He is （old）than John.
2. This problem is one of the （difficult）problems that I have ever seen.
3. This is one of the （good）movies that I have ever seen.
4. Do we have a （good）choice？
5. This place is （hot）than San Francisco.
6. He is （famous）than his sister.
7. She is getting （bad）now.
8. He is feeling （well）now.
9. He has （much）money than his father.
10. Mary is one of （beautiful）student in her class.
11. He is （happy）than before.
12. Peter is getting （thin）。
13. This summer is （hot）than last summer.
14. You have a （bright）future now.
15. He has （many）students than I.
16. I feel much （well）now.
17. He is （careful）than you.
18. Time is （important）than money
假設(shè)我們要翻譯以下的中文句子：
他是聰明的孩子
也許我們會將以上的句子翻譯成以下的句子：
He is clever baby.
這種翻譯是錯的，boy的前面，必須有一個冠詞，英文冠詞只有兩個：a和the，在這個例子，我們應(yīng)該加a，因此正確的翻譯是：
He is a clever boy.
我們現(xiàn)在再看以下的中文句子：
他是昨天來看我的孩子。
以下的翻譯是錯的：
He is boy who came to see me yesterday.
為什么錯呢？仍然是在于boy前面沒有冠詞，這次我們必須加the，正確的翻譯是：
He is the boy who came to see me yesterday.
一般來說，英文句子的單數(shù)名詞前面都會有冠詞，沒有冠詞是例外，以下的句子都是錯的：
He saw cat.
Swimming is good exercise.
Java is computer language.
King of England died last night.
He is professor who taught me English.
正確的句子是：
He saw a cat.
Swimming is a good exercise.
Java is a computer language.
The King of England died last night.
He is the professor who taught me English.
我們知道大多數(shù)的名詞前面要加冠詞，但究竟要加a，還是the呢？我們在下一節(jié)討論。
12§1 a和the之不同用法
a和the的不同，在于a后面的名詞不是指定的，而the后面的名詞是有所指的。我們不妨看以下的兩個句子，他們都是正確的，但意義卻不同。
John is a boy.
John is the boy.
〝John is a boy.〞的意思是“約翰是一個男孩”，而〝John is the boy.〞的意思就完不同了，我們一定曾經(jīng)提到過某一個男孩子，而約翰就是那個男孩子?？赡艿那樾问牵篢here is a boy who is very good in mathematics. John is the boy.
我們就以“國王”為例，如果我們泛指一般的國王，我們可以用復(fù)數(shù)，也可以用單數(shù)，但必須用a，以下是一些例子：
Kings are also human beings.
Even a king will die sooner or later.
Have you ever met a king ？
I do not like to be a king.
He is an ordinary person， not a king.
如果我們的國王是指某一個特定的國王，就必須用the，舉一個例子；如果我們說“國王萬歲”，我們當(dāng)然是指我們的國王，因此“國王萬歲”的翻譯就是
Long live the King.
以下的例子都是正確
Here comes the King.
The King is a popular person in our country.
Even the King of England can not come in.
讀者應(yīng)該了解，同類型的句子，可以用a，也可以用the，但意義是完全不同的，請看以下的句子：
He is not a boy who would cheat others.
意思是：
他不是那種會欺騙別人的男孩子。
再看以下的句子：
He is not the boy who cheated in an examination yesterday.
他不是昨天在考試中舞弊的男孩。
再看以下的句子：
He is a King.
意思是“他是一個國王”。
如果說
He is the King.
意思就完全不同了，這句話的意思是“他是我們國家的國王”。
請注意，世界上國王有好多個，如果我們僅僅說他是一個國王，當(dāng)然沒有指定哪一個國家的國王，就用a king，如果我們用the King意思當(dāng)然指我們共識中的國王。這時的King中的K必須大寫，以示尊敬。
我們再舉一個例子：
Please open a window.
是指請開一扇窗子，隨便哪一扇都可以。
Please open the window.
就不同了，說這句話的人和聽這句話的人一定有一個共識，〝the window〞一定是指某一扇特定的窗子，也許這間房子里只有一扇窗，也可能他們談話中曾經(jīng)提到某一扇窗，〝the window〞就是指那一扇窗。
我們可以再舉一個例，假如我們說，〝我們需要一場大雨〞，我們說
We need a heavy rain.
如果我們說，“這場雨好大”，我們說
The rain is really heavy.
有了這個基本觀念以后，我們就很容易了解以下句子中，為什么要用the：
I am going to the train station.
The post office is quite near.
Where is the library？
根據(jù)這種原則，當(dāng)我們提到地球，月亮這種獨一無二的東西，就必須用the.
the earth
the sun
the moon
the universe
除此以外，the還有一個特殊的用途，我們可以在the的后面加一個形容詞，使這兩個字變成了一個名詞，舉例來說：
the rich＝富人
the poor＝窮人
the weak＝弱者
the deaf＝聾人
the blind＝盲人
請注意，以上的名詞是復(fù)數(shù)：
The rich always get richer.
The poor are getting poorer.
The blind are often very sensitive to sounds.
以下是一些用a和the的例子，讀者應(yīng)設(shè)法了解句子中為何有時用a，有時用the.
He is a student.
He is the student who can swim very well.
I like to be a teacher.
He is the teacher who taught me English.
The president of the United States in an important person in the world.
I have a son and a daughter.
I have two sons. This is the son who will be a doctor.
I want to be a teacher who is loved by students.
He is not the person whom we talked about.
There is a boat in the river.
This is the boat which we can use.
The rain is going to stop tomorrow.
We need a good rain.
The weather is really bad.
Is there a train station near us？
Where is the station？
Do you know where the post office is？
There is a post office inside that building.
The library looks so good.
The rich should pay more taxes.
We should pay more attentions to the poor.
The blind can also study computer science now.
The earth is round.
The sun never sets in the British Empire.
Do you think we can reach the moon？
How large is the universe？
練習(xí)[練習(xí)五十六]
將下列中文句子譯成英文：
他是一個好學(xué)生。
他是那位老師都喜歡的學(xué)生。
我要做總統(tǒng)。
這是總統(tǒng)。
請打開一扇窗。
中華民國的總統(tǒng)將于明年訪問美國。
我要做一個好的工程師。
他是那位我們常常談到的老師。
Java是一個新的計算器語言。
我有一只狗。
他是獲大獎的教授。
火車站在哪里？
請告訴我郵局的地址。
這里有郵局嗎？
富人常住在城里。
盲人可以用計算機。
太陽在東邊升起。
宇宙是非常大的。
為什么我們白天不能看到月亮？
總統(tǒng)幾歲？
[練習(xí)五十七]
將適當(dāng)?shù)墓谠~填入下列的空白：
1. He is student who went to see you.
2. There is river in this area.
3. I don't want to be teacher.
4. He wants to become doctor.
5. No one wants to be beggar.
6. Please open door which opens to the hall.
7. UNIX is computer operating system.
8. WINDOW is only operating system invested by Microsoft.
9. I have dog and two cats.
10. She is teacher who got many prizes.
11. earth is not flat.
12. Is there hotel around here？
13. Where is train station.
14. I really like library.
15. Please give me glass of water.
16. wind is getting stronger and stronger.
17. He is friend of mine.
18. It is hard for poor to go to colleges.
19. He is swimmer who swam across the English Channel.
20. weather is getting colder and colder.
21. This is book which I bought yesterday.
22. I don't like to be professor.
23. I am going to take vacation next month.
24. John will become basketball player.
25. I ride bicycle to work every morning
12§2 a和an的用法
在英文里，a有時必須用an代替，凡是一個字一開始的發(fā)音是元音的話，那么前面就不能用a，而必須用an.例子：
an apple
an answer
an egg
an eye
an island
an idea
an old lady
an odd case
an umbrella
請注意，用an與否并不是完全和字母有關(guān)，而是和發(fā)音有關(guān)。舉例來說，u雖然是一個元音字母，但是我們卻說a unit，而不能用＊an unit，因為unit的一開始發(fā)音并非元音。
其它類似的例子有：
a useful car
a university
a uniform
a one-sided opinion
反過來說，有些字并不以元音開始，但是卻必須用an，因為這些字的第一音節(jié)是元音發(fā)音，例子：
an honest person
an hour
[練習(xí)五十八]
填入a或an
1. He is English Professor.
2. This is easy job.
3. He is just ordinary person.
4. friend in need is friend indeed.
5. Give me hint.
6. I have American friend.
7. I will become engineer.
8. Is he honest boy？
9. hour later， he went away.
10. Is this university library？
12§3 冠詞使用時的例外
在以上的兩節(jié)，我們好像說冠詞的使用是有一定規(guī)則的，其實不然，例外也不少。在很多情形之下，冠詞是要省略的，更麻煩的是，連省略冠詞的規(guī)則都有例外，應(yīng)該省的卻又不省了。
第一個有關(guān)冠詞的特殊用法是這樣的，假設(shè)我們要說〝男生通常不喜歡彈鋼琴〞，我們不能說
Boy does not like to play the piano.
而要說
Boys do not like to play the piano.
這時，Boys的前面，是沒有冠詞的，理由很簡單，我們不能加a，因為boys是復(fù)數(shù)，我們也不能加the，因為boys并沒有指定哪一個男孩，也沒有指定哪一種男孩。類似的例子有：
Girls are more diligent than boys.
When spring comes， flowers start to bloom.
Dogs are often close to their masters.
Cats are often quite lazy.
Men eat more than women.
Professors are all very smart.
第二個規(guī)則有關(guān)所謂不可數(shù)名詞，很多名詞是可以數(shù)的如：
a cup， two cups
a boy， three boys
a teacher
a student
a boat
an airplane
a glass of water
a cup of tea
可是很多名詞是不可數(shù)的，以下這些名詞都是抽象的，因此不可數(shù)
time
love
hatred
pain
joy
sadness
kindness
wisdom
hope
patience
這些抽象名詞的前面是不要加冠詞的，例子如下：
Time flies.（時間過得很快）
We can not live without love.
Let there be no hatred.
We must be able to endure pain.
Loving others creates joy.
There is sadness in his voice.
Can you feel his kindness？
He has wisdom.
There is hope among us.
I am losing patience.
以上的例子，乃是泛指的事物，如果特定的抽象名詞，仍要加冠詞。例如：
This is the time to cry.
Do you feel the pain？
There is a hatred towards was in our society.
Everyone can feel the joy of being loved.
We just can not avoid the sadness of losing some loved ones.
He does have the patience to listen to long talks.
It is a virtue not to steal.
還有一些不可數(shù)的名詞，是所謂的物質(zhì)名詞，像
water
fire
air
metal
tea
coffee
bread
butter
如果這些物質(zhì)名詞泛指一般的東西，前面是不要加冠詞的，例如
Drinking water is important.
Don't play with fire.
We need air to breath.
There is metal in this device.
I don‘t drink tea.
I like coffee.
Father brings bread and butter home every day.
一旦物質(zhì)名詞指特定的東西，前面就要加冠詞，例如：
The water in this city is polluted.
There was a fire near our home last night.
The air in this town is getting worse and worse.
Copper is a metal.
The tea from India is very popular in England.
專有名詞，一般說來都不要加冠詞的：
Mary is from Canada.
John got married last month.
Taiwan is an island.
England is in Europe.
France is a nice country to visit.
Russia is a large country.
Park Street is the main street in this city.
Go to Taipei first.
Sun Moon Lake is a beautiful lake.
January is often very cold here.
Sunday is a day for resting.
Spring is the best season.
Mt. Everest is in Europe.
President Kennedy died when he was young.
King George was considered a mad king.
Queen Elizabeth visited Australia recently.
可惜的是，英文中專有名詞仍有要加the的，我們將試著將這些例外寫成規(guī)則，但這種規(guī)則一定掛一漏萬，讀者如要知道何種情況要加冠詞，何種情況不加冠詞，惟一的辦法是多讀英文的文章，慢慢地就會了解什么情形該用冠詞，什么情形不用冠詞。
哪些專門名詞前面仍要加冠詞the呢？
（1） 河流，海洋，沙漠，海峽，海灣等等專有名詞的前面都要加the.
the Hudson River （赫德森河）
the Rhine River （萊茵河）
the Yellow River （黃河）
the River Thames （泰唔士河）
the Amazon River （亞馬孫河）
the Pacific Ocean （太平洋）
the Red Sea （紅海）
the Mediterranean Sea （地中海）
the Baltic Sea （波羅的海）
the Atlantic Ocean （大西洋）
the Sahara Desert （撒哈拉大沙漠）
the Gobi Desert （戈壁大沙漠）
the Taiwan Straits （臺灣海峽）
the English Channel （英吉利海峽）
the Manila Bay （馬尼拉海灣）
the Bay of Tokyo （東京灣）
the Persian Gulf （波斯灣）
（2） 國家的名詞中如有of時，要加the
the United States of America
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
the Republic of China
（3） 非常言式的名稱，也要加the
the World Bank （世界銀行）
the United Nations （聯(lián)合國）
the Red Cross （紅十字會）
the Catholic Church （天主教會）
（4） 帝國，朝代，時代等等專有名詞的前面，要加the
the British Empire （大英帝國）
the Ottoman Empire （奧圖門帝國）
the United Kingdom （聯(lián)合王國）
the Byzantine Era （拜占庭時代）
the Chin Dynasty （秦朝）
the Victoria Era （維多利亞時代）
the Hanover Dynasty （漢諾威王朝）
The Renaissance Era （文藝復(fù)興時代）
the Dark Ages （黑暗時代）
（5） 如果提到〝全體〞，就要加the
the Wangs （王家）
the Kennedys （肯尼迪家族）
請注意，Wang和Kennedy都是姓，如果要指全家人，必須在姓氏的后面加s，前面加the.
the Chinese （中國人）
the Americans （美國人）
the Africans （非洲人）
我們說過，一般的專有名詞是不要加冠詞的，但是有很多其它的名詞前面也不要加冠詞，以下是一些規(guī)則：
學(xué)科一概不加冠詞
I do not like mathematics.
He hates geometry.
She teaches us history.
三餐一概不加冠詞
Did you have lunch.
Missing breakfast is bad for your health.
We have had dinner already.
千萬記住，如果我們的名詞指定某一個特定的時候，就仍要加冠詞，以下是一些例子：
I had a happy Christmas lunch with my family.
The dinner you treated me last night was really good.
Did you have a big breakfast？
假如我們說“上學(xué)”，“去教堂”等等，都不要加冠詞，例如
I went to church yesterday.
He goes to church every Sunday.
She is going to college this summer.
Did you go to school last week？
但是如果我們說的是指定的教堂，學(xué)校等等，仍要加冠詞，例如：
I went to the church at the corner of Park Street yesterday.
The church which I went to when I was young is still there.
I did not go to the college which my father went to.
語言不要加冠詞
English is easy to learn.
There are also grammatical rules in Chinese.
Can you speech Japanese？
但是，我們必須注意語言有另一種表示的方法，例如：
The English language is easy to learn.
There are grammatical rules in the Chinese language.
運動一概前面不加冠詞
Do you play tennis？
I can not play basketball.
I really love soccer.
動名詞前面不加冠詞，例如
Swimming is good for you.
I like playing tennis.
Do you enjoy playing piano？
[練習(xí)五十九]
以下的句子都有冠詞用法的錯誤，請改正這些錯誤：
The Girls are often good in learning languages.
The dogs always chase the cats.
Do you have the time？
I have not had a water for two hours.
There is no life without the pain.
The love is the most important thing in one's life.
He has the wisdom.
I am losing the patience.
This is not time to cry.
Pain due to losing a loved one is hard to endure.
Joy being a father is really great.
Being honest is virtue.
Speaking the truth is good policy.
Can you feel sadness of his？
We need the air to live.
I do not drink the coffee. I drink the tea.
We Chinese eat the rice every day.
Water in this area is very clean.
There was fire in the next street last night.
Fire last night killed three kids.
Coffee which you are drinking is from South America.
Mary is from the Canada.
The China is a large country.
Republic of China was Founded in 1911.
Where is the England？
Is the Russian in Europe.
The President Lincoln is a great person.
The King George was a mad king.
Yellow River is a long river.
Have you been to Gobi Desert？
Manila Bay is very beautiful.
It is hard to cross Atlantic Ocean by a small boat.
Can you swim across English Channel？
United States of America is a large country.
United Nations and Red Cross often work together.
When did Ottoman Empire end？
British Empire was large before.
Catholic Church is one of the oldest organizations in the world.
This cup was made in Ming Dynasty.
Renaissance is a very important era for mankind.
We should not go back to Dark Ages.
Wangs did not invite me to their house.
I do not like Kennedys.
Chinese pay great attention to education.
I do not like the physics.
Are you interested in the chemistry？
Did you have the lunch？
Let us have the dinner together.
I always have a breakfast with my family.
I had big dinner last night.
Dinner my mother cooked for me was delicious.
I go to the church every Sunday.
He does not like to go to the school.
Did you see beautiful church in the next street？
The English is so hard for me.
Do you speak the English？
Do you play the tennis？
The swimming is good for you.
I like the walking in the woods.
I practice the baseball every week
[練習(xí)六十]
在以下的空白處加入冠詞，如不需要冠詞，就讓它空白：
1. boys usually do not like to sit still for long.
2. I love to have cup of coffee.
3. There is love between us.
4. Can you feel love from you mother？
5. joy for having a new baby is really great.
6. Do you have time for a walk？
7. We can not live without love.
8. I have not drunk wine for a long time.
9. Do you have wisdom to distinguish bad persons from good persons？
10. This is good dinner.
11. I did not have dinner.
12. joy being mother is great.
13. Running is good practice.
14. sadness due to the death of his mother really hurts him.
15. We need water to live.
16. We can not live without air.
17. I do not drink coffee.
18. fire with occurred last night destroyed my house.
19. coffee which you are drinking is very light.
20. Republic of China is in Asia.
21. Where is Russia？
22. Is France in Africa？
23. President Kennedy was liked by most American before be died.
24. Amazon River is a long one.
25. Have you ever been to Tokyo？
26. Have you ever been to Tokyo Bay？
27. There are more than one hundred countries in United Nations.
28. This is Ming Dynasty porcalain.
29. Wangs invited us to a dinner party.
30. I do not like mathematics.
31. spring is a pleasant season.
32. I had pleasant evening with my friends.
33. breakfast which I had this morning was too light for me.
34. It is not easy to study English.
35. I did play basketball yesterday.
36. swimming is a good exercise.
37. There should be chicken in every pot.
38. It is good idea to eat lightly.
[練習(xí)六十一]
將以下的句子譯成成英文：
狗會叫（bark）。
貓會抓老鼠。
有時候（sometimes），痛苦是好的。
我不喝茶。
感覺到被愛是很重要的。
說實話令人快樂。
我們需要愛。
他是一個中國人。
中國人喜歡喝茶。
昨夜，城里有一場火。
約翰來自美國。
法國在哪里？
我喜歡林肯總統(tǒng)。
黃河不是黃的。
紅十字會已經(jīng)有一百年了（one hundred years old）。
明朝是一個重要的朝代。
你喜愛數(shù)學(xué)嗎？
我今天早上沒有吃早飯。
我已吃過午飯。
我昨天沒有去教堂。
我今年秋天要上大學(xué)。
游泳使我強壯。
第十三章 形容詞的比較級
如果我們要翻譯〝他比較老〞，我們不能說
＊ He is more old.
而一定要說
He is older.
為什么呢？這是因為英文里面的形容詞有所謂的比較級規(guī)則。在下一節(jié)，我們講一些最基本的規(guī)則。
13§1 最基本的規(guī)則
首先，我們要說明英文形容詞有三個等級：原級、比較級和級，最基本的規(guī)則是根據(jù)音節(jié)的多少來分的。一般來說，單音節(jié)的形容詞在字后面加er，就變成了比較級，加est就變成了級，而雙音節(jié)，或雙音節(jié)以上的形容詞，比較級是在字前面加more，級則是在字前面加most，舉例來說，old， smart， strong， weak， high， low等等都是單音節(jié)的形容詞，他們的變化如下：
原級 比較級 級
old older oldest
smart smarter smartest
strong stronger strongest
weak weaker weakest
high higher highest
low lower lowest
以上的形容詞，都是單音節(jié)的，以下的例子都有關(guān)雙音節(jié)的形容詞：
原級 比較級 級
difficult more difficult most difficult
delicious more delicious most delicious
beautiful more beautiful most beautiful
correct more correct most correct
stupid more stupid most stupid
significant more significant most significant
有一個規(guī)則必須注意，我們不能將more和er混在一齊用，以下的例子都是錯的：
He is more older than I.
He is more taller than his brother.
正確的句子是：
He is older than I.
He is taller than his brother.
[練習(xí)六十二]
寫出以下形容詞的比較級：
small
slow
intelligent
expensive
tall
short
important
cheap
famous
cold
fast
careful
colorful
long
dark
bright
13§2 特殊的比較級規(guī)則
在上一節(jié)，我們說明了最基本的規(guī)則，那就是單音節(jié)形容詞加er或est，雙音節(jié)的形容詞前面加more或most.但以下就是這些基本規(guī)則的例外。
單音節(jié)形容詞的字是e，就直接加r或st：
原級 比較級 級
large larger largest
late later latest
nice nicer nicest
wise wiser wisest
形容詞的字尾是y，而前一個子母是一個子音，則除掉y，加上ier，或iest：
原級 比較級 級
lucky luckier luckiest
happy happier happiest
pretty prettier prettiest
dry drier driest
easy easier easiest
單音節(jié)形容詞的字尾是子音，前一音是一個元音，則字尾必須重復(fù)一次，再加er或est：
原級 比較級 級
fat fatter fattest
hot hotter hottest
wet wetter wettest
big bigger biggest
完全不規(guī)則的變化：
英文中，有幾個特殊的字，他們的比較級完全沒有規(guī)則，以下是一些例子，讀者必須記住：
原級 比較級 級
good
well better best
bad worse worst
many
much more most
[練習(xí)六十三]
寫下以下形容詞的比較級：
cute
wide
early
happy
heavy
thin
easy
hot
wise
large
good
bad
many
13§3 比較形的用法
大多數(shù)比較級句子里會有than，以下是一些例子：
I am older than he.
His English is better than mine.
San Francisco is more beautiful than New York.
His car is cheaper than your car.
He is the most diligent student in his class.
I like apples more than oranges.
He has more money than his brother.
He is stronger than his brother.
必須注意的是以下的句子是錯的：
I am older than him.
She is smarter than me.
為什么錯了呢？因為原來句子應(yīng)該是：
I am older than he （is）。
She is more smart than I （am）。
習(xí)慣上的is和am都省略掉的，由以上的解釋可以看出，than后面的句詞應(yīng)該是主詞，而非受詞。
以下的錯誤，也請?zhí)貏e注意：
My head is larger than your.
正確的句子是：
My head is larger than your head.
或者 My head is larger than yours.
請看以下幾個錯誤的句子：
My house is larger than your.
The temperature of this city is higher than San Francisco.
The height of Himalayas is greater than Mt. Fuji.
My bicycle is older than his.
正確的句子應(yīng)該是：
My house is larger than your house.
或者 My house is larger than yours.
The temperature of this city is higher than the temperature of San Francisco.
或者 The Temperature of this city is higher than that of San Francisco.
The height of Himalayas is greater than the height of Mt. Fuji.
或者 The height of Himalayas is greater than that of Mt. Fuji.
請注意以下的例子，句子中沒有than，但仍有比較級：
Among all the teachers who have taught me， he is the best.
This is the best movie I have ever seen.
This food is the worst one which I have ever eaten.
John is the stronger one.
Do we have a better choice？
Mary is the more diligent one.
He is the older of the two.
He is one of the best movie actors.
This area is one of the hottest areas in the world.
He is one of the fastest swimmers of America.
This is a book which I like most.
[練習(xí)六十四]
改錯：
＊He is more old than I.
＊She is younger than me.
＊This university is more larger than that university.
＊He is more older than my brother.
＊His house is older than my.
＊The size of this city is larger than San Francisco.
＊She is taller than him.
＊The height of this boy is greater than his brother.
＊He is the most good student in my class.
＊He is the more bad one.
[練習(xí)六十五]
將下列句子譯成英文句子：
你比他強壯。
他的英文比我的好。
他比他的弟弟更富有。
他是世界上最富有的人。
這支筆比你的貴得多。
喜馬拉雅山是世界上的山。
亞馬孫河是世界上最長的河。
他比他的爸爸高。
他是班上的學(xué)生。
在我遇到的人中，他是的。
練習(xí)六十六]
填充：
1. He is （old）than John.
2. This problem is one of the （difficult）problems that I have ever seen.
3. This is one of the （good）movies that I have ever seen.
4. Do we have a （good）choice？
5. This place is （hot）than San Francisco.
6. He is （famous）than his sister.
7. She is getting （bad）now.
8. He is feeling （well）now.
9. He has （much）money than his father.
10. Mary is one of （beautiful）student in her class.
11. He is （happy）than before.
12. Peter is getting （thin）。
13. This summer is （hot）than last summer.
14. You have a （bright）future now.
15. He has （many）students than I.
16. I feel much （well）now.
17. He is （careful）than you.
18. Time is （important）than money