汉语的动词和副词英文版

– Ni lei ma? Are you tired? – Wo hen lei. I am very tired.
• The verb “to be” expresses a state of being. Therefore these kinds of Chinese verbs are called stative verbs.
1. Chinese Verbs
1.1 Chinese Stative Verbs
• Convey states rather than actions • They take what would be considered an adjective in English and use it seemingly as a verb. • When translating stative verbs into English, one needs to add the English verb “to be”
– Time: 今天，去年, 将来, 近来 “recently”, 现 在，下午，暂时 zanshi, 刚（刚）
• 今天我不舒服 Today I am comfortable. • 我今天不舒服 *I today am comfortable.
– Attitude: adverbs that denote the speaker’s attitude toward or evaluation of an event. 显然 xianran “obviously”
– 他快快地走。*He quickly walks. He walks quickly – 她静静的躺在草上。 He quietly lays on the grass. – 张三空手被李四制服了。Zhangsan, empty handed, was subdued by Lisi. Empty handed Zhangsan was subdued by Lisi. – 张三被李四空手制服了。Zhangsan was subdued by Lisi empty-handedly. – Zhangsan was subdued by empty-handed Lisi.
又, 再, 就
– 他明天又要吃了。*He tomorrow again wants to eat. Again, he wants to eat tomorrow. – 他明天要再吃。*He tomorrow wants again to eat. He wants to eat again tomorrow.
• 就 is a sentence linking element.
– 我来了以后，他就不高兴。*I came after, he then unhappy. After I arrived, he was (became) unhappy.
• It can also mean immediately, soon or only.
– *He already eats breakfast.
Teaching verbs cont.
• Chinese learners of English often have trouble speaking and writing in any tense except present tense. • How can you correct this problem? • Teach past tense first instead of present tense?? Has this been tried? • Any other suggestions?
3. Chinese ae – Attitude
• Nonmovable adverbs
– Manner – Nonmanner
3.1 The Position of Adverbs in Chinese Sentence
• Adverbs in Mandarin typically occur after the subject or after the topic in a topic prominence (we will discuss this later) sentence.
• Nonmanner adverbs are adverbs that include 已经，一直，连，常，早, 也，再， 就，只，很，才，都，还，又
– – – – 我已经把作业做好了 I already have done my homework. I have already done my homework. Compare 已经 and 早已
2. Teaching English Verbs to Chinese learners
• Because Chinese does not inflect verbs, when teaching new learners, time words will be added to the sentence to help the students grasp the new concept.
Verbs and adverbs
Hung, Tong T.N. (2005). Understanding English Grammar – A Course Book for Chinese Learners of English. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. Ansell, Mary. English Grammar: Explanations and Exercises. Retrieved from /bally/durrus/153/gramdex.html Sinclair, John, ed. in chief (2003). Collins Cobuild Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary. London: Harper Collins Li, Charles N. & Thompson, Sandra A. (1981). Mandarin Chinese - A Functional Reference Grammar. Los Angeles: University of California Press. Ross, Claudia (2004). Schaum's Outline of Chinese Grammar. McGraw-Hill
• 张三刚来. Zhang Three has just arrived. • 张三太高. Zhang Three is too (or extremely) tall.
Position cont.
• When a sentence contains both an adverb and an auxiliary verb, the adverb always precedes the auxiliary verb.
– He has (already) eaten breakfast. – Ta (yi jing) chi le zao fan
• This results in redundancies when writing English, or worse, incorrect use of the verb.
– 我就去． I will go soon. 他就喜欢张三. He likes only Zhangsan.
• The different uses of 就 are determined by the context.
只, 才
• 只 solely modifies the entire predicate phrase as does 就. It can never modify a noun phrase as “only” can in English.
1.2 Action or functive verbs
• These are your normal everyday verbs expressing an action
– Ni chi le ma? Have you eaten? – Wo chi le. I have eaten. – Wo xi huan kan shu. I like to read. – Wo hen xi huan ta. I really like him. – Wo ai ta. I love her.
• 张三一定能跳舞. • Zhangsan definitely can dance.
3.1.1 Moveable adverbs
• Certain adverbs may occur both after the topic of a sentence and also in the sentence initial position, that is proceeding the topic.
连（甚至）
• • • • • 我连一分钱都没有。 我甚至没有一分钱。 *I even don’t have one cent. *I even one cent don’t have. I don’t even have one cent.
又 and 再
• 再 refers to events that have not yet happened, whereas 又 refers to applies either to past or to present events. – 他又吃了。He is eating again. – 他昨天又吃了。*He yesterday ate again. He ate again yesterday. – 他明天再吃。He will eat again tomorrow. √ Notice here that 再 indicates future. Are there other Chinese adverbs like this?