11/13/11

EXPRESSING ABILITY

EXPRESSING ABILITY

Expressing a learned ability

The express a learned or acquired ability or skill, something that you know how to do or have learned how to do, use 会

Example:

你会说英文吗?我会说一点儿英文。

你会开车吗?我还不会开车呢。

Expressing an innate ability or talent

To express a skill or lantent or an innate ability, use 会. When expressing this meaning, 会 may be preceded by intensifier 很,真 or 最.

Example:

我妹妹很会跳舞。你请她跳吧。

林老师最会教汉语的。

来,干杯!我真不会喝酒。

Expressing physical ability

To express physical ability or the unobstructed ability to perform an action, use 能.

Examples:

我的身体不舒服。大夫说我不能游泳。

他一天能作十几个小时的事。

When used to express ability, 能 can be modified by intensifiers such as 很,真or 太

Example:

中国人很能吃苦。

我的女儿真能花钱。

EXPRESSING POSSIBILITY

Expressing possibility or the likelihood of the occurrence of an event, as in ‘will, could possibly’ or ‘would probably’ use 会

Example:

明天会不会下雪?天气预报说明天不会下雪。

你想我们要坐的飞机会不会误点?航空公司说我们要坐的飞机不会误点。

Expressing feasibility

可以is sometimes used to express the feasibility of an event

我们今天可以不考试吗?不行。

But the most common function of 可以is to express permission.

Describing circumstances that may influence the occurrence of an event

The specify circumstantial factors that favor or obstruct the occurrence of an event, use 能

今天我的车坏了,所以不能去接你了。

11/10/11

Making Comparisons Part I

Making Comparisons Part I

Comparison structures are used to indicate that things are similar to or different from each other, or to indicate that something is more than or less than another thing in some way.

Some grammatical categories that will be used:

NP: Noun Phrase

AV: Adjectival Verb

AVP: Adjective Verb Phrase

SV: Stative verb

SVP: Stative Verb Phrase

MV: Modal Verb

AV: Action Verb

VP: Verb Phrase

 

SIMILARITY

 

Indicating that noun phrases are identical

To indicate that two noun phrases are similar or equal:

NP1 跟/和 NP2 一样

Examples:

这本书跟/和那本书一样。

今天的天气跟昨天的一样。

 

Indicating that all noun phrases are the same

When a noun phrase refers to multiple entities (for example, houses, cats, two books, etc) use this pattern to say that all the entities are the same.

NP 一样

Examples:

这两本书一样。

这三个菜一样吗?

 

Indicating that noun phrases share a property

To indicate that two noun phrases are alike in a particular property:

NP1 跟/和 NP2 一样 AV

Examples:

我儿子跟我女儿一样高。

小狗和小猫一样可爱。

 

Indicating resemblance

To indicate that one noun phrase resembles another noun phrase:

NP1 像 NP2

他像他爸爸。

他像法国人吗?

Or

NP1 跟/和 NP2 很像

你儿子跟你女儿很像吗?

If the noun phrase refers to multiple entities

NP (很)

他们很像。

 

Indicating similarity in some property

To indicate that two noun phrases are similar enough to be considered equivalent

NP1 有 NP2 那么 AV

Examples:

他有他姐姐那么高。

He is as tall as his older sister

他有他姐姐那么聪明吗?

Is he as smart as his older sister?

Or

NP1 有 NP2 这么 AV

他有你这么高。

He is as tall as you

 

Indicating identical performance of an action

To indicate that two noun phrases perform an action in a similar way:

NP1 跟/和 NP2 [verb 得] 一样 AV

Examples:

我跟他吃得一样多。

弟弟跟妹妹写得一样快。

If the object of the action verb is included in the sentece, the action verb is said twice, once followed by the object, and once followed by 得 一样 (AV)

NP1 跟/和 NP2 [action verb+object] [action verb 得] 一样 AV

Examples:

我跟他吃饭吃得一样多。

弟弟跟妹妹写字写得一样快。

Variation 1

NP1 [action verb+object] [action verb 得] 跟/和 NP2 一样 AV

我吃饭吃得跟他一样多。

弟弟写字写得跟妹妹一样快。

Variation 2

NP1 [action verb+object] 跟/和 NP2 [action verb 得] 一样 AV

我吃饭跟他吃得一样多。

弟弟写字跟妹妹写得一样快。

The verb 有 can be used instead of跟/和

NP1 有 NP2 [action verb+object] [action verb 得] 那么/这么 AV

弟弟有爸爸写字写得那么漂亮。

Younger brother writes characters as beautifully as dad.

Or

NP1 [action verb+object] [action verb 得] 有 NP2 那么/这么 AV

弟弟写字写得有爸爸那么漂亮。

 

Notes:

Be careful to repeat the verb if you include the object of the verb

我吃饭吃得跟他一样多 RIGHT

我吃饭得跟他一样多WRONG

弟弟写字写得有爸爸那么漂亮。RIGHT

弟弟写字得有爸爸那么漂亮。WRONG

地 + verb phrase


Describing the performance of an entire action with an adverbial modifier

Adverbial verb modifier + + verb phrase

他偷偷儿地把钱拿走了。
你们好好儿地学。
他慢慢地把汉字学会了。
快快地吃吧!
孩子高高兴兴地在公园里玩儿。
他们静静地睡了一个晚上。
她急急忙忙地逃走了。

Phrases that frequently occur as adverbial modifier of an entire actions include the following:
慢慢地                 slowly  
快快地                 quickly
好好地                 well
偷偷地                 secretly
静静地                 peacefully
安静地                 peacefully / quietly
急忙地                 hurriedly / hastily
匆忙地                 hurriedly / hastily            
兴奋地                 excitedly
大声地                 loudly
悄悄地                 quietly
严厉地                 sternly
残忍地                 cruelly
仔细地                 meticulously
用心地                 attentively / carefully
留心地                 attentively / cautiously
认真地                 diligently
情愿地                 willingly
自愿地                 willingly
使劲地                 using full strength / do with all one’s might
渐渐地                 gradually
安安静静地       peacefully
仔仔细细地       meticulously
急急忙忙地       hurriedly
慌慌张张地       in a flustered manner

Describing How Actions Are Performed Using 得


Describing How Actions Are Performed

Describing the general or past performance of an action with a manner adverbial phrase
To describe how an action is generally performed or how it was performed in the past, use the following structure:
                Action verb     adjectival verb

Phrases that describe the performance of an action are often referred to as manner of adverbial phrases. The word adverbial means they describe the verb.

Examples:
                他说得快。
                他开得慢。
                你们都考得好。

Notethe suffix 了,过,着 do not occur after the action verb or the adjectival verb in manner adverbial verb.

Describing the performance of an action when the verb takes an object
If the action verb takes an object, the verb is said TWICE , the first time followed by the object, and the second time followed by adjectival verb:
                [action verb + object] [action verb adjectival verb]

Examples:
                得快。
                汉语得快。
                得慢。
                你们试都得好。

Modifying with intesifier
In these manner adverbial phrases, the adjectival verb may be preceded by an intensifier.
Examples:
                他说话说得很快。
                他开车开得太慢。
                你们考试都考得真好。

Modifying with negation
In manner adverbial phrases, negation must occur before the adjectival verb, not before the action verb. Negation must be
Examples:
                他说得不快。
                你们都考得不好。

Asking about the performance of an action

To ask how an action if performed:
(subject) action verb 得怎么样?
Examples:
                他考得怎么样?
                他开车开得怎么样?

To ask if an action is performed in particular way, form a yes-no question with the adjectival verb:
Verb-not-verb structure              
Action verb adjective verb adjective verb
Examples:
                你考试考得好不好?
                他说得清楚不清楚?

yes-no question structure
Examples:
                你考得好吗?
                他说得清楚吗?

Conjunctions


Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words that join phrases belonging to the same grammatical category and indicate a relationship between them.

Conjunctions that indicate an ‘additive’ or ‘and’ relationship
王明和李燕是大学生。

北京跟上海都是很值得去看的地方。

– more common in southern China, not common in the north
我同他的关系很不错。

– often used in literary phrases
我们对中国的文化与历史都很有兴趣。

Conjunctions that indicate a disjunctive or ‘or’ relationship
还是
还是is used in questions that ask the addressee to choose between two alternatives, only one of which can be true or possible. It conveys the sense of ‘either…or’
Example:
你是来旅游还是来学习的?我是来学习。
你想喝红茶还是喝绿茶?我想喝绿茶。

或者
或者is used in statements to present two alternatives, both of which are possible.
Example:
你要今天去长城还是明天去长城?今天去或者明天去都行。


Note:
Mandarin conjunctions are much more restricted than English conjunctions in the grammatical categories that they join. In Mandarin, the ‘and’ conjunctions only join noun phrases. The ‘or’ conjunctions only join verb phrases.