【質數的孤寂】(The Solitude of Prime Numbers) 改編自意大利作家 Paolo Giordano 的暢銷小說《質數的孤獨》(La Solitudine Dei Numeri Primi),是一個關於孤單與愛人的故事。作者以細膩的筆觸,描寫 Alice 和 Mattia 的成長歷程,感動了萬千讀者。
驟眼看,以為朋友在發瘋──好端端的一個句子,有甚麼問題?細心想,才明白朋友的疑惑。她大概以為,students 是眾數,a bottle of water 應改為 bottles of water 才匹配吧?
在未回答朋友的疑問前,請先看看以下選擇題:
The children are blowing their (nose / noses).
不知各位會選 nose 還是 noses?文法大家 Swan 選了 noses (參考 Practical English Usage, distributive plural 條)。是否選 nose 便是錯?非也!因為每人只有一個鼻嘛!若說 The children are blowing their noses,會讓人產生錯覺,以為每個小孩有數個鼻,是異形的同類呢!
要是栗對鼻子的理解沒錯,那 Students should bring a bottle of water 便是百分百正確。寫句子的人,是想讓學生每人帶一瓶水;若寫成 Students should bring bottles of water,學生可能會誤會,以為每人要帶幾瓶水!
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後話1:其實只要谷歌一下,便會發現 Students should bring a bottle of water 有2,490個相符句子,當中有 .edu 的網址!
後話2:PEU 有另一例 Tell the kids to bring raincoats to school tomorrow。栗認為這裡用眾數確實較佳。不過此乃直覺,沒有經典可援。
Careful what you say
This time of year
Tends to weaken me
And have a little decency
And let me cry in peace
But there's a place where I
Erase the challenges I've been through
Where I know every corner,
Every street-name
all by heart
And so it is a part of my
courageous plan to leave
With a broken heart
Tucked away under my sleeve
I wanna go home for Christmas
Let me go home this year
I wanna go home for Christmas
Let me go home this year
I'll pack my bags
and leave before the sun rises tomorrow
'cause we act more like strangers for each day
That I am here
But I have people close to me
Who never will desert me
Who remind me frequently
What I was like as a child
And so it is a part of my
courageous plan to leave
With a broken heart
Tucked away under my sleeve
I wanna go home for Christmas
Let me go home this year
I wanna go home for Christmas
Let me go home this year
I don't know what my future holds
or who I'll choose to love me
But I can tell you where I'm from
And who loved me to life
And so it is a part of my
courageous plan to leave
With a broken heart
Tucked away under my sleeve
I wanna go home for Christmas
Let me go home this year
I wanna go home for Christmas
Let me go home this year