20160130-古德明:對某人有好感

古德明:對某人有好感
22:51 30/1/2016


問:英語用法指南Practical English Usage說:In a reply to a negative question,"Yes" suggests an affirmative verb, and"No" suggests a negative verb(回答否定式問句,用Yes帶出肯定的動詞,而用No帶出否定的動詞)。然則以下對話,回答為什麼用No帶出肯定的動詞?──"Why, didn't you like him much at first?""No, I warmed to him at once-- it was just the odd way we met."
答:回答否定式問句,No表示「並非如此」,yes表示「的確如此」。例如:"Haven't you been to Taiwan?""No, I haven't"/"Yes, I have."(「你沒有去過臺灣嗎?」「是,我沒去過。」/「不是,我去過。」)
讀者示下的對話,出自劍橋出版社動詞片語詞書Cambridge Phrasal Verbs in Use: Advanced為三十九章,謹先翻譯如下:「怎麼,你起初不是很喜歡他的嗎?」「不是,只是我們認識的情況很特殊,所以我一開始就對他有點好感。」Warm to someone是指「開始對某人有好感」,這和like someone much(很喜歡某人)不同,例如:We warmed to the new boss when we found that he was not so bad after all(我們發覺新的上司原來不是個那麼壞的人,對他漸生好感)。那段對話,用No表示「並非如此」,即「起初並非很喜歡他」,完全正確。
然則那個No為什麼不「帶出否定動詞」,卻用了個「肯定的動詞」warm up to?按那否定動詞其實只是隱去而已,句子全寫如下:No, I didn't like him much at first. I warmed to him at once-- it was just the odd way we met.


古德明
電郵 :appledailykoo@gmail.com

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