User Comments - John
John
Posted on: An Unplanned Tan
June 28, 2010 at 3:56 AMGreat link! I like papers like this. I tend to just skim them, but they're interesting...
Posted on: Future fun with 会 (hui4), 要 (yao4), and 将 (jiang1)
June 26, 2010 at 9:43 AM不要客气！ (Bù yào kèqi!)
Posted on: Future fun with 会 (hui4), 要 (yao4), and 将 (jiang1)
June 26, 2010 at 9:42 AMYes, adverbs can definitely be used to adjust the level of certainty.
Also, you're normally going to put those adverbs directly before 要 (yào) or 会 (huì).
Posted on: Fun at the Beach
June 24, 2010 at 7:34 AMSome native speakers do use this pattern, but it might feel strange with some verbs and some places. For example, I'd say "I forgot my book at home," but I wouldn't say, "I forgot my keys in my car."
From a linguistic perspective, it's about observation. Language changes. The question isn't, "is it right or wrong?" but "do people say this?" The former question is impossible to answer, but the latter can be empirically investigated, either by researching in a standard corpus of English, or, more informally, by a Google search.
Of course, if you're doing a Google search, you might want to limit your search to the more respected content publishers online, for example the New York Times. I couldn't find this pattern there, but a A quick search shows that the "forget X at home" example, at least, is all over the internet.
To me this indicates a relatively new usage perhaps not yet accepted by mainstream media, so it's not surprising that some native speakers find it strange.
Posted on: Changing a Plane Ticket
June 24, 2010 at 2:55 AMIf it helps at all, the pinyin zui is actually an abbreviated representation of "zuei" (zu + ei). The "e" gets dropped because there is no "ZWEE" syllable, and thus no potential for confusion (on the part of the Chinese).
Posted on: One-on-One Basketball
June 24, 2010 at 2:49 AMI had to look some of these up!
zone defense: 区域防守
man-to-man defense: 人盯人防守
to block a shot: 盖帽
to set a pick: 掩护
center: 中锋
point guard: 组织后卫
shooting guard: 得分后卫
power forward: 大前锋
small forward: 小前锋
For more basketball vocabulary, please check here, here, and here.
Posted on: Being Seated in a Restaurant
June 24, 2010 at 2:25 AMHebert,
Not bad at all!
Your first two are correct. Some notes:
They didn't come.
他们没有来。 (Ta1men mei2you3 lai2.)
Fine. No explanation needed.
They aren't coming.
他们不来了。 (Ta1men bu4 lai2 le.)
This sentence implies that they were originally planning on coming. (This is the effect of the 了 (le) at the end.)
They will not be coming. (= "They will not come"?)
他们不会来的。 (Ta1men bu4 hui4 lai2 de.)
This sentence literally means "they will not come", which is what you wanted to express, I think. The 的 (de) is optional but adds emphasis.
Posted on: World Cup Talk
June 24, 2010 at 1:48 AMOK, yeah, you're right... I guess I'm just used to the boundless World Cup enthusiasm I see in the ChinesePod office. You guys are still pretty enthusiastic, though. And after that taunt, the comments have started to flow... :)
Posted on: World Cup Talk
June 23, 2010 at 7:07 AMLooks like there's an overall lack of enthusiasm for the World Cup in the comments so far. While I can certainly understand this, I must say I'm a bit surprised...
Posted on: An Unplanned Tan
June 28, 2010 at 3:59 AMHa ha, yes, that's who I was talking about! I used to see that ganguro look a lot in Japan, but I haven't been there in about 5 years. Has this trend faded?
I also feel like I see more deeply tanned male city-dwellers in Japan. (One of my friends in Chiba is a surfer.)