🥇「The Olympics」: 形容詞充當名詞角色

 


相信你也知道「奧運」的英文是「the Olympics」。


「the Olympics」當然是個名詞組,在句子中扮演名詞的角色。


例如:


Are you watching the Olympics?

你在看奧運嗎?


此句中的「the Olympics」是「are watching」的直接賓語名詞組。


不過,「Olympic」一詞原本只是個有希臘文字源的形容詞,意思是「與希臘的古代奧運會(或奧林匹亞地區)有關」。


例如「Olympic champion」就是指奧運中的獲勝者。


那麼為何這形容詞卻在「the Olympics」中變成是名詞了?


其實,整個詞組本是「the Olympics Games」,核心名詞是「games」(競技比賽)。


由於奧運會涵蓋了許多不同的運動項目,因此名詞「games」有眾數字形。 而「Olympics」則是修飾核心名詞「games」的形容詞。


英文文法中,當某些帶有形容詞的名詞組(像「the Olympics Games」),成為一個固定且普及的表達方式,我們有時會把核心名詞省略掉,只留下它的形容詞來充當整個名詞組。


這裡,我們省略了核心名詞「games」,讓「Olympic」充當名詞的角色。又因為本來的核心名詞是眾數字形,我們也要為充當了名詞角色的形容詞「Olympic」加一個眾數字尾。


這樣,就成了我們現在所說的「Olympics」。


要注意,「the Olympic Games」和「the Olympics」都屬於專有名詞,因此在書寫時會使用大寫。


我再用另外兩個與「Olympic」有相同字根的單字來作結吧。


「Olympiad」是一個更為正式的名詞,意指每四年舉行一次的奧運盛會。


例如:


These are the Games of the 33rd Olympiad. (formal) 

這是第三十三屆奧林匹克運動會


「Olympian」也是名詞,意思是參與過奧運的運動員:


Stephanie Au is a five-time Olympian from Hong Kong. 

歐鎧淳是來自香港的五屆奧運選手


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🥇“The Olympics”: An Adjective Assuming the Role of a Noun


You probably already know that we call “奧運" “the Olympics” in English.


It is clear that “the Olympics” is a noun phrase. It plays the role of a noun in a sentence.


For example:


Are you watching the Olympics?

你在看奧運嗎?


In this sentence, “the Olympics” is the direct object noun phrase of “are watching.”


However, the word “Olympic” is originally an adjective. It has a Greek root and means “pertaining to the ancient Olympic Games (or the region of Olympia) in Greece.” 


For example, “Olympic champion” means a winner at the Olympics. 


Why is this adjective playing the role of a noun in the phrase “the Olympics”? 


It is because the full noun phrase is actually “the Olympic Games.”


In this noun phrase, the core noun is “games” (競技比賽). Because there are many different sports and disciplines in the Olympics, the noun “games” is in plural form. The word “Olympic” is an adjective modifier to the core noun “games.”


In English grammar, when certain noun phrases with adjectives, like “the Olympic Games,” become fixed and common expressions, we can sometimes omit the core noun – leaving the adjective to take up the role of the whole noun phrase.


Here, we omit the core noun “games,” leaving the adjective “Olympic” to take up the role of the noun. Because the original core noun is in plural form, we have to add this plural ending to the word “Olympic” as well – because now it is playing the role of the whole noun phrase.


That is why we also say “the Olympics” – always with the plural ending.


In writing, note that “the Olympic Games” and “the Olympics” are treated as proper nouns, so they are conventionally capitalized.


Let’s end with two other words that are derived from the same root as “Olympic”:


“Olympiad” is a more formal noun that refers to the occasion of the Olympic Games, as in, this occasion that takes place every four years.


For example:


These are the Games of the 33rd Olympiad. (formal) 

這是第三十三屆奧林匹克運動會


 “Olympian” is a noun that refers to an athlete who has (ever) competed at the Olympics:


Stephanie Au is a five-time Olympian from Hong Kong. 

歐鎧淳是來自香港的五屆奧運選手


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