有關ｆｉｖｅ－ｙｅａｒ－ｏｌｄ用法的聯想

劉慧娟

本文說的 five-year-old 的意思是“五歲大的”,其中的 five 只是我們隨意舉的一個例子,它也可換成 one, two, three, four, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve 等;同時,其中的 year 也可根據情況改用 month, day 等詞。本文擬對這類結構的用法作一小結,同時也對其相關用法作一歸納。

一、基本用法

1. 用作形容詞

My four-year-old daughter was asleep on the sofa. 我四歲的女兒在沙發上睡著了。

Mary drove. Her ten-year-old daughter sat behind. 瑪麗開車,她十歲的女兒坐在后面。

Their five-year-old son is able to use the calendar to count how many days it is until his birthday. 他們五歲的兒子能用日歷數出離他的生日還有多少天。

In the car accident the mother was killed, but her two-year-old son was found alive. 在這次車禍中,母親死了,但是她兩歲的兒子卻還活著。

2. 用作名詞

A seven-year-old should be able to read. 七歲的兒童應當識字了。

Shes quite clever for a ten-year-old. 對一個10歲的孩子來說,她算相當聰明了。

Tim has an average vocabulary for a 3-year-old. 蒂姆掌握了相當于3歲孩子的平均詞匯(量)。

二、用法聯想

1. five-year-old 中的 year 可用復數嗎?

不可以。five-year-old 這類結構中的 year 只能用單數,不能用復數。如:

她兩歲的兒子搖搖擺擺地走進屋里。

誤:Her two-years-old son toddled into the room.

正:Her two-year-old son toddled into the room.

2. five-year-old 中的連字符可以去掉嗎?

不可以。若去掉,則要轉換表達方式。如:

She has a ten-year-old son. 她有個10歲的兒子。

She has a son ten years old. 她有個10歲的兒子。

Her son is ten years old. 她兒子10歲。

3. five-year-old 可用作表語嗎?

不可以。若要用作表語,可考慮改用 five years old 之類的表達。如:

她20歲,但卻嫁了一個50歲的丈夫。

誤:She was twenty-year-old, but married a man of fifty.

正:She was twenty years old, but married a man of fifty.

4. five-year-old 前用 a 還是 an?

five-year-old 前若需要用不定冠詞,要用 a,不能用 an。但是,若將其中的 five 改為 eight, eleven, eighteen, eighty 等,則其前要用 an,不用 a。如:

He has an 11-year-old daughter. 他有一個11歲大的女兒。

He married an 18-year-old American girl. 他娶了一個18歲的美國女孩。

5. five-year-old 用作名詞時可以有復數形式嗎?

可以。five-year-old 這類結構用作名詞時,若語法上需要用復數,可以在詞尾加-s。如:

Eighteen-year-olds qualify to vote. 年滿十八歲者有選舉權。

The report attacks the idea of exams for 7- and 8-year-olds. 這份報道抨擊了對七八歲孩子進行考試的設想。

Even ten-year-olds have started wearing lipstick and make-up in imitation of the older girls. 甚至連10來歲的女孩子們也開始模仿年齡大一點的女孩子抹口紅和化妝。

(編輯 周貞雄)