tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post1866232947393943488..comments2024-03-22T08:04:05.869-07:00Comments on 魚之樂: Hypnotic = 催眠的?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-2309581910750826912022-09-03T01:18:09.549-07:002022-09-03T01:18:09.549-07:00Hello “Typo Catcher”,
Please keep in mind that typ...Hello “Typo Catcher”,<br />Please keep in mind that typos are always pain in the neck for native speakers 😅 and that’s why we have Spelling Bee games, but your efforts are highly appreciated.👍 Looks like I just failed to persuade you... But let’s talk about how much you really understand what you said “that British English and American English are different is a well-known fact...”. You said, “immigrant is an adjective or a noun...” (you missed the word ‘either’ here.) well, here’s the difference. American dictionary teaches you that the word ‘immigrant’ can be an adjective, but not to me. Go check Collins and Cambridge online. Can you find Cambridge providing adjective usage? You certainly can find the word as an adjective in Collins, but under American English part. If you look up more closely, British English part only provides noun definition. (Thanks, after years not checking dictionary, I did it again.🤣) Now, do you see both Merriam-Webster and Cambridge give the same example of ‘a large immigrant population’? Isn’t that interesting to see the same example under different definitions? Same example is under adjective part of Merriam-Webster but under noun definition of Cambridge? See that? That’s what really differentiates British English and American English. Not just some spellings. And there are more than that. How about ‘Taipei City’ or ‘World Health Organization’? Can you tell me which word is an adjective? Just by explaining differences between the above two has shifted the focus on Mr. Winchester’s sentences, but at the end of the day, it was my carelessness for not checking spellings. Sorry! Me bad!(try to be colloquial so don’ start it) Anyway, plz don’t use American grammar to analyze Mr. Winchester’s sentences, as it’s neither fair nor respectful. Read his sentences one more time. (His writing is beautiful and deserves our appreciation over and over again.) Anyway, I was going to talk about “hypnotic organized” but I’ll stop here. Oh one more thing, Mr. Winchester wrote the word ‘performances’ rather than ‘performance’ in his book titled “Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs”. So, can all of you end the grammar war on ‘... performance are one of the...’? It might be on Chapter 4, or you can find the picture of Roman Harak (a world class photographer).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-73559737181616145782022-09-01T10:57:05.584-07:002022-09-01T10:57:05.584-07:00"... later on immigrants to the US" - &q..."... later on immigrants to the US" - "immigrant" is an adjective or a noun, but not a verb. Also, that British English and American English are different is a well-known fact. Professor Wong (aka 魚之樂) certainly knows the difference.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-12646942650386483312022-09-01T06:22:44.087-07:002022-09-01T06:22:44.087-07:00I am a native speaker and I’ve learned Chinese in ...I am a native speaker and I’ve learned Chinese in Taipei. If I may, I’d like to shorten the sentence in terms of helping you to see the big picture. “Performance by youngsters are signature achievements of North Korea.” 有沒有發現,拿掉的 ...one of the few... 不影響 ... are achievements 因為這四個英文字是形容 achievements. 這才是重點。Why are the Taiwanese so into American grammar? I never fathom that. I never learn English grammar and I still got my Master’s and Doctoral. And why all the people in this forum dissected the sentence by only adopting American dictionary? You don’t know Simon Winchester is a Brit? He grew up in UK and received his bachelor’s degree in Oxford Uni.. And 魚之樂 用 American Merriam-Webster, rather than British Collins or Cambridge, to explain word meanings? If you guys ponder that there’s no differences between British English and American English, then you are so wrong. If your native tongue is Chinese, you have no problem identifying among people from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It’s the same thing for Brits and Americans. What I’m trying to say is: yeah, Simon Winchester later on immigrants to the US, it is the UK that shaped his language proficiency and writing style, not the US. So, with this all said, would all of you read your own comments again? Food for thought.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-66094075022218010052020-07-16T02:58:35.848-07:002020-07-16T02:58:35.848-07:00這我很能體會,台灣的民進黨就常要台灣選民向牠們道歉這我很能體會,台灣的民進黨就常要台灣選民向牠們道歉王嵐https://www.blogger.com/profile/13975467071283708619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-5042440023479928232016-08-04T21:27:42.919-07:002016-08-04T21:27:42.919-07:00Sirius,
As I have already pointed out, a verb nor...Sirius,<br /><br />As I have already pointed out, a verb normally agrees with the subject of a sentence, not with a following complement (e.g. "Illegal immigrants ARE a big problem" and "A serious problem in our garden IS wasps"). Even if you were right that "one of" is always singular, sentences like "We are one of the most audacious peoples in the world" are correct because "are" agrees with the subject.W. Wonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07161244576570372004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-77702509824820846032016-08-04T16:59:49.644-07:002016-08-04T16:59:49.644-07:00莎士比亞 Henry VIII 有一句 "Yet thus far we are one ...莎士比亞 Henry VIII 有一句 "Yet thus far we are one in fortunes",是否又是錯的呢?LKnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-67634715105679641712016-08-04T15:39:49.519-07:002016-08-04T15:39:49.519-07:00One more example: "We are a strong team and o...One more example: "We are a strong team and one of the four teams entering the final." Unacceptable?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-39656910031691291802016-08-04T15:32:15.293-07:002016-08-04T15:32:15.293-07:00No, it doesn't make sense. Would you consider ...No, it doesn't make sense. Would you consider "We are one team" incorrect too?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-59952262757591193202016-08-04T14:22:25.799-07:002016-08-04T14:22:25.799-07:00Re 匿名,
* Short answer:
Because 'a team' ...Re 匿名,<br /><br />* Short answer:<br /><br />Because 'a team' is COLLECTIVE singular. 'one' is just singular.<br /><br /><br />* Long answer:<br /><br />'We' is plural<br /><br />'a team' is COLLECTIVE singular. <br /><br />'we are a team' is claiming multiple subjects is combined to collective singular object. So it's fine.<br /><br /><br />'one of' is singular, not collective singular, just singular<br /><br />'bilingual teams' is plural<br /><br />'one of the bilingual teams' is referring to a single object that is part of multiple objects, so it's still singular<br /><br />'we are one of the bilingual teams' is claiming multiple subjects is a singular object. so it's wrong.<br /><br /><br />Does it make sense? <br /><br />SiriusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-40820926879323666602016-08-04T14:02:41.691-07:002016-08-04T14:02:41.691-07:00You said " 'One group' and 'a tea...You said " 'One group' and 'a team' are both singular". If you accept "We are a team", why don't you also accept, e.g. "We are one of the bilingual teams"?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-23772772507238351302016-08-04T13:52:35.552-07:002016-08-04T13:52:35.552-07:00// "We are a team." Is this ungrammatica...// "We are a team." Is this ungrammatical, Sirius?<br /><br />// "Those people over there are a group of professional pickpockets working together." Ungrammatical too?<br /><br />Re 匿名, <br /><br />I don't see any grammartical mistake in these two sentences but they provide nothing to support the validity of 'are one of'. So I'm not sure why you bring them up.<br /><br />I am not a linguist. I normally have no problem with grammar mistakes. As a matter of fact, I make them all the time. But since this article is about grammar and semantics I think my argument is in the right place, and is sound.<br /><br />SiriusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-30311967582274986602016-08-04T11:48:24.067-07:002016-08-04T11:48:24.067-07:00"Those people over there are a group of profe..."Those people over there are a group of professional pickpockets working together." Ungrammatical too?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-76992538986389163952016-08-04T11:39:41.349-07:002016-08-04T11:39:41.349-07:00"We are a team." Is this ungrammatical, ..."We are a team." Is this ungrammatical, Sirius?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-82997145787750334282016-08-04T11:26:22.260-07:002016-08-04T11:26:22.260-07:00Ok, I give up. If you are so confident that you ar...Ok, I give up. If you are so confident that you are right, just use it your way.W. Wonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07161244576570372004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-50815195000449504162016-08-04T11:09:51.312-07:002016-08-04T11:09:51.312-07:00Your examples are actually counter-examples. '...Your examples are actually counter-examples. 'One group' and 'a team' are both singular. <br /><br />'Group' and 'team' are both collective. They can be treated as singular or plural depending on the context. 'the team has' and 'the team have' are both acceptable. 'One group have' and 'a team have' are not acceptable.<br /><br />Also, 'one' has a plural form - 'ones'<br /><br />SiriusAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-64688687487623349752016-08-04T08:14:04.616-07:002016-08-04T08:14:04.616-07:00"One", like "a", does not nece..."One", like "a", does not necessarily refer to something that is singular. "One group" and "a team", for example, can be plural as well as singular, depending on the context.<br /><br />If a Russian says "We are one of the most audacious peoples in the world", he is referring to Russians generally and the "one" in his sentence is plural, not singular.W. Wonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07161244576570372004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-36146169468742186772016-08-04T07:03:12.092-07:002016-08-04T07:03:12.092-07:00Hope you enjoyed your holiday. I've been waiti...Hope you enjoyed your holiday. I've been waiting for your return before posting my reply.<br /><br />You and other comments provided several examples of the phrase 'are one of' being used, some of which are from reputable sources such as dictionary. But none of them directly address the issue of plurality conflict between 'are' and 'one'. You need better arguments to support your point that the phrase is indeed correct rather than a very common mistake.<br /><br />I am aware that 'are one of' is widely used and commonly accepted. But that doesn't change the fact that it is semantically inaccurate according to the plural principle. Here are some examples:<br />http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/a-and-b-are-one-of-the.2581787/<br />http://painintheenglish.com/case/4744/#comment-21945<br /><br />The English language, and probably also other natural languages, has many quirks that are commonly accepted/tolerated but should be considered grammatically incorrect in a strict sense. 'are one of' is one of them.<br /><br />Sirius<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-71229233007943940852016-07-25T11:18:17.064-07:002016-07-25T11:18:17.064-07:00就像 “台灣網民發起「向中國道歉大賽」” 那樣
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwe...就像 “台灣網民發起「向中國道歉大賽」” 那樣<br />http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/china/2016/07/160718_ana_taiwan_apology_china<br /><br />恐怕也不難理解是褒還是貶。<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-89708705601531679092016-07-25T11:03:49.694-07:002016-07-25T11:03:49.694-07:00但如果那篇文總體可能給人的感覺是『(北韓有幾樣嘢叻)千人操係其中之一』(其它就冇咩叻了)的話,咁係褒...但如果那篇文總體可能給人的感覺是『(北韓有幾樣嘢叻)千人操係其中之一』(其它就冇咩叻了)的話,咁係褒係貶,恐怕也不難理解。<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-40429019488652909862016-07-25T01:36:18.328-07:002016-07-25T01:36:18.328-07:00hypnotic / organized 呢度係paired adjectives, 所以並非甚麼催...hypnotic / organized 呢度係paired adjectives, 所以並非甚麼催眠, 此處只是沒有用逗號分開, style選擇而已. Impeccably drilled 亦無咩反諷含意, 純粹係指操得完美. 陶生只係信口開河, 一貫作風.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-68562623007441219612016-07-25T01:26:40.252-07:002016-07-25T01:26:40.252-07:00其實Hypnotic的原意也確是有「催眠的」意思,只不過是有時在翻譯時如果「直譯」,會因為不同地方有...其實Hypnotic的原意也確是有「催眠的」意思,只不過是有時在翻譯時如果「直譯」,會因為不同地方有不同的比喻習慣,而會令當地人不習慣或不明白別人的比喻。<br />例如即使是粵語「炖冬菇」,如果「直譯」用普通話說『他被上司「炖冬菇」』,相信會令說普通話的人難以明白。<br />Hypnotic organized performance相信也是那樣,在歐洲是奧地利人Mesmer把催眠術理論化和系統化,稱其為Mesmerism;後來英國人James Braid把其命名為Hypnotism。<br />如果直譯為「催眠的」不如改為「迷人的」或「吸引人的」則就更符合本地人的習慣。<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-1873886276804548382016-07-22T08:53:23.578-07:002016-07-22T08:53:23.578-07:00十分同意,希望你也可以多多指教
http://storagehk.blogspot.hk
十分同意,希望你也可以多多指教<br />http://storagehk.blogspot.hk<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-53587861823484324432016-07-21T16:02:34.551-07:002016-07-21T16:02:34.551-07:00Sirius,
"are one of" 是合文法的,"are&qu...Sirius,<br /><br />"are one of" 是合文法的,"are" 跟前面的名詞 agrees 即可,例如 "Students are one of the groups who are suffering from reductions in federal programs." <br />(見<a href="http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/write/we/ch6/21a.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/write/we/ch6/21a.htm</a>)<br />上面讀者留的例子也是這樣。<br /><br /><a href="http://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/adjuncts" rel="nofollow">Cambridge Dictionary</a>亦有這樣的句子:"Adjuncts are one of the five major elements of clause structure."W. Wonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07161244576570372004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-21703864225231443732016-07-21T15:31:26.494-07:002016-07-21T15:31:26.494-07:00Hillary Clinton on Donald Trump: "We cannot l...Hillary Clinton on Donald Trump: "We cannot let him bankrupt America like we are one of his failed casinos."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4010478591191633760.post-43031109143420821712016-07-21T15:28:19.718-07:002016-07-21T15:28:19.718-07:00"A man's friendships are one of the best ..."A man's friendships are one of the best measures of his worth." -Charles DarwinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com