Week 23 : 詞法——名詞
1. 請給我兩張紙。
ˇ Please hand me two sheets of paper.
Photo: AdobeStock l 圖片:AdobeStock
χ Please hand me two papers.
註︰paper 作物質名詞（material noun）「紙」解時，沒有複數形式，要表達數量時前面要加量詞，作「學術報告」、「報紙」、「考卷」或「論文」等解時，可有複數形式。常見的物質名詞還有麵包（bread）、粉筆（chalk）等。
2. 祖母的頭髮已變灰白了。
Photo: AdobeStock l 圖片:AdobeStock
ˇ Grandmother’s hair has already turned gray.
χ Grandmother’s hairs have already turned gray.
註︰hair 統指頭髮（或毛）時只用單數。hairs 指多根頭髮（或毛），例如：She has several gray hairs.。另外，英文裡提到白頭髮習慣上多以 gray 一詞來代替 white，較為委婉含蓄。
3. 他沒有多少工作要做。
ˇ He doesn’t have a lot of work to do.
χ He doesn’t have a lot of works to do.
註︰work 若指「工作」是不可數名詞，不能加 s，且不用不定冠詞。work 的複數形式表示下列幾種意義：(1) 著作，如 Chaucer’s works；(2) 工廠，如 China Steel Works；(3) 機器的轉動部分，如 the works of a watch；(4) 工程，如 public works。
4. 這是個好消息。
ˇ This is very good news.
ˇ This is great news.
χ This is such a good news.
註︰news 是不可數名詞，雖具有複數形式，但只用作單數，前面不可加 a，後面的動詞也應用第三人稱單數，如：Bad news travels quickly. 像這類的名詞還有 politics, economics,physics, mathematics 等，習慣上都是作為單數。
5. 工人能在三個半月內蓋好我們的新家。
ˇ The workers can complete our new house in three and a half months.
χ The workers can complete our new house in three and half a month.
註︰「半個月」、「半年」、「半小時」用 half a month、half a year、half an
hour。一個半以上的「半」都用...and a half，例如：two and a half years（兩年半）、three and a half weeks（三個半星期）、four days and a half（四天半）。表示一個半以上的具體東西時也如此：one pound and a half、two tons and a half、three apples and a half 等等。
Exercises:
A. 我有六根白頭髮。
I have six gray __________ .
1. hair
2. hairs
3. haires
B. 他總能找到許多需要做的事情。
He always finds a lot of __________ to be done.
1. working
2. works
3. workings
4. work
Answers:
A. 2
B. 4
文章由書林出版公司提供：
www.bookman.com.tw
蘇正隆 — 台灣翻譯學學會前理事長、師大翻譯研究所兼任副教授; 編著《走讀自然.花言樹語》，《英語的對與錯》，《世紀病毒：必讀防疫英文知識與詞彙》...等。國家教育研究院中英雙語詞彙審議委員；研究領域為翻譯、術語及詞典編譯，從事植物與人文導覽數十年，亦曾應邀遠赴國外大學做植物人文導覽。
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