怎麼樣?抱歉 - 古德明

蘋果日報 2015/04/25 00:00


問:看英文電影,常見這樣的說法:How about you take a taxi?(你搭計程車,好嗎?)但about是介系詞(preposition),介系詞之後不是應用名詞或動名詞(gerund)嗎?上述那樣的句子,文法正不正確?
答:How about即「怎麼樣」,可用於問句,也可用於提議,其後最好用名詞或動名詞,例如:(1)How about you, Peter, what would you like to do?(彼得你呢?你想做什麼?)(2)How about taking a taxi?(搭計程車好嗎?)
不過,隨便一點,how about之後,也可用「名詞+動詞」或「連接詞(conjunction)+子句(clause)」,例如:(1)How about I ask him to come?(我請他來,好嗎?)(2)How about when the going gets tough?(遇上困難的時候,那怎麼樣?)(3)How about if I die tomorrow?(假如我明天死去,那怎麼樣?)
問:同事電郵說:Sorry much that we cannot...(我們不能……十分抱歉)。Sorry much是不是應改為Sorry very much?
答:Much一字,在否定句中,可以獨立使用;在肯定句中,則一般和very連用,例如:(1)I am not(very)much interested(我不大感到興趣)。(2)I am very much interested(我深感興趣)。不過,要表示歉意,英文習慣說We are(really/very/extremely/awfully)sorry that...或We regret that...,不會說Sorry very much that...。