有系統地思考「tense」 (Tense系列#1)
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很多學生在看到某些英文句子,或需要組成英文句子時,經常向我查問關於 tense 字形的用法。
廣東話母語人士在學習英文作為外語時,常會以錯誤的方向思考「tense」。(或者說,對學習在日常溝通時能正確且自信地運用tense沒有幫助的方向思考)。這是自然的,因為大家也知道,廣東話/中文句子的核心動詞,並不會像英文句子的核心動詞一樣,以字形變化表達那動作的時態。
我試解釋一下,學生們錯誤思考tense的兩個主要方向。這篇newsletter會先說第一個錯誤方向,另一個則留待下期討論。
首先,學生們常常不明白,我們必需知道某句子要表達的意思是甚麼,才能據此判斷句子中的限動定詞是否具有「正確」,或說合適,的「tense」。
如果不是以句子想表達的意思去作基礎,又怎能判斷限定動定的 tense 是否合適或「正確」?
我的意思是,例如,空泛地討論是「he likes ice-cream」中的現在式限動定詞「likes」「正確」,還是「he liked ice-cream」中的過去式限動定詞「liked」「正確」,是完全無意義的,除非我們知道要表達的意思是甚麼。
兩個句子都包含正確的限定動詞字形,顯示各自的tense(和aspect、voice)。我們若不知道本身要表達的意思是甚麼,便無法回答是「likes」正確或「liked」正確。
但只要知道要表達的意思是甚麼,我們便可判斷該 tense 字形是否能合適地表達那意思。
例如,要表達的意思是,「他以前喜歡吃雪糕」,卻使用了「likes」的字形,說成是「he likes ice-cream」,我們便可說這是不對的。因為現在式的「likes」字形並不適用於表達這意思;
過去式的「liked」就可以。
只有根據要表達的意思,判斷動詞 tense 字形是否「正確」才有意義。
我再舉一個例子。
我曾在社交媒體上發佈了一個reel,寫了下面的例句:
I tried to call you, but I guess you are busy.
我收到許多留言,說第二個子句中顯示現在式的「are」是個「錯」的,應該要說「you were busy」才對。
以這方向來思考 tense,對大家理解 tense 是用作表達現實中不同意思這點,並沒有任何幫助。
就像「he likes ice-cream」和「he liked ice-cream」一樣,假如我們不知道句子確實想傳遞甚麼意思,或情境是甚麼,討論「you are busy」還是「you were busy」才正確是毫無意義的,因為顯然,兩個句子都是字形正確的句子,有正確的限定動詞字形,只是,字形顯示的 tense 不同。
如果要表達的意思是,「我剛打電話給你,但你沒有接聽,所以我估計你當時很忙」,那麼「I tried to call you, but I guess you were busy」便適合表達這意思。要表達這意思的話,「I guess you are busy」可以說是「錯」的。
但假如要表達的意思是,「我剛打電話給你,但你沒有接聽,所以我估計你 現在 很忙(可能還在會議中?)」,那麼說「but I guess you are busy」便適合了。要表達這意思的話,「I guess you were busy」便「錯」了。
所以,不根據要表達的意思而說「I tried to call you, but I guess you are busy」是「錯」的,便是用錯了方向去思考 tense。
因為空泛地說這是「錯」,便好像是說,「那講者一定要是在表達『我估計你當時很忙』,如果他要表達『我估計你現在很忙』,便是錯!」。
這是在語言較哲學的層面,想錯了方向。
所以,記得一定要根據自己想要表達的意思來考慮適當的 tense 字形了。
下週,本系列的#2,我會繼續討論另一個無助大家學習的,對於tense的思考方向。
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(English version)
Students often ask me questions about the use of different tense forms in sentences they encounter (or in sentences that they need to form).
Cantonese speakers learning English as a foreign language often think about “tense” in a wrong way (or in a way that is not conducive to learning how to use tense correctly and confidently in communication) because, as we all know, the core verbs in Cantonese/Chinese sentences do not have tense forms like their counterparts in English do.
Let me try to explain the two main ways in which students’ thinking about “tense” is unhelpful. I will discuss the first way in this newsletter and the second in the next installment:
First, students often do not clearly understand that we can only judge whether a finite verb in a sentence has the right “tense” if we know what the intended meaning for that sentence is.
If we don’t know what the intended meaning for a sentence is, how can we judge whether the finite verb has the right tense?
What I mean is, it is meaningless to discuss whether the sentence “he likes ice-cream,” with the finite verb “likes” in present tense (and simple aspect), or the sentence “he liked ice-cream,” with the finite verb “liked” in past tense, is “correct” if we don’t know what the intended meaning is.
Both of these sentences are valid, with valid finite verb forms showing different tenses, by themselves. If we don’t know what the intended meaning is supposed to be, there is no way to answer the question of “whether ‘likes’ or ‘liked’ is correct.”
If we know the intended meaning, however, we can judge whether the use of a particular tense form is appropriate for that intended meaning.
For example, if someone wants to express the meaning of 他以前喜歡吃雪糕 but says “he likes ice-cream,” using the form “likes” – then we can say, no, the form “likes,” with present tense, does not appropriately express this intended meaning, whereas “liked” does.
Only when we judge the tense form of a verb against the intended meaning is it really meaningful to say “whether the form is correct or wrong.”
Let me give another example of this way of thinking and how it is unhelpful.
On my social media, I posted a reel with this example sentence:
I tried to call you, but I guess you are busy.
I received many comments saying that the tense form of “are” (present tense) in the second clause here is “wrong,” and that it should be “you were busy” instead.
But this way of thinking about tense forms is not helpful.
Just like “he likes ice-cream” vs. “he liked ice-cream,” if we don’t know what the intended meaning precisely is, it is meaningless to discuss whether “you are busy” or “were” is “correct.”
If the intended meaning is 我剛打電話給你,但你沒有接聽,所以我估計你「那時」很忙, then “I tried to call you, but I guess you were busy” would be the appropriate form for this meaning.
But, if the intended meaning is 我剛打電話給你,但你沒有接聽,所以我估計你 「現在 」很忙(可能還在會議中?), then “...but I guess you are busy” would be more appropriate.
Saying that “I guess you are busy” is “wrong” without the context of the intended meaning is like saying “the speaker is not allowed to express ‘I guess you are busy right now.’” It is a wrong way of thinking on the “philosophical” level of language.
So, remember to think about tense forms in terms of the meaning that you are trying to express.
In #2 of this series next week, I will explain the second “unhelpful” way in which students often think about tense.
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