打電話、逗點 - 古德明

2013年2月6日 - 蘋果

問：要說「我多次打他的手提電話找他，都找不到」，以下哪個說法正確？──I contacted him / I tried to contact him by mobile phone many times without success。

答：I contacted him就是「我聯絡到他」，而I tried to contact him則是「我試聯絡他」；I tried to contact him by mobile phone是「我試用手提電話聯絡他」，而不是「我試打他的手提電話」。此外，many times without success四字，置於句中而非句末，意思會清楚一點。全句可改寫如下：I tried many times, without success, to contact him on his mobile phone。

問：He had three children, who were all well educated（他有三個孩子，都有良好教育）這一句，who之前假如不用逗點，句子意思有沒有不同？

答：類似問題我談過多次。簡而言之，who、which、whom等帶出的關係子句（relative clause）之前，用逗點，是不界定所述人、物的身分或性質；不用逗點，則是加以界定。例如Little White is an elephant, which has a long snout（小白是隻象，有長長的鼻子）、Little White is an elephant which enjoys human company（小白是隻愛和人類一起的象）。凡象都有長鼻，所以，which has a long snout這子句，沒有界定Little White是什麼象；象不一定愛和人類一起，所以，which enjoys human company是界定Little White是哪一類的象。

同樣道理，讀者說的那一句，是說他有三個兒子，所以不用界定是哪三個；假如說He had three children who were well educated，則表示他有不止三個孩子，所以要界定「那三個受過良好教育的」。