What - 古德明

2014年07月10日 - 蘋果

問：字典有以下句子：（1）What size shoes do you take?（你穿幾號鞋子？）（2）What colour dress did you buy?（你買了什麼顏色的連衣裙？）這兩句可不可改為Shoes of what size do you take?或Dress of what colour did you buy?又可不可以說What pattern/ shape/ material shoes do you take?（你穿什麼模樣／形狀／質地的鞋子？）

答：What之後可用age、height、weight、size、shape、breadth、depth、length、width、colour等字，問年齡、高度、重量、大小、形狀、寬度、深度、長度、闊度及顏色。除了what colour和what shape，其他what age、what length等，和How old、how long等同義，例如：

（1）What age are you?/ What is your age? / How old are you?（你年紀多大？）

（2）What length is the rope? / What is the length of the rope? / How long is the rope?（繩索有多長？）What age、what depth等等，不用of帶出，例如不應說Of what length is the rope?或Dress of what colour did you buy?

至於「你穿什麼顏色／模樣／形狀／質地的鞋子」，則不可說What colour / pattern / shape / material shoes do you take?問顏色，英文會說：What colour shoes do you normally buy/ prefer?問模樣或形狀，英文一般不會用pattern或shape字，而會用style：What style of shoe do you prefer?問質地，則會說：What material do you prefer for you shoes?或What kind of shoes do you like / prefer--leather, cloth or some other material?總之，不同問題，有不同說法，不可一概而論。