在一篇作文范文中看到这样一句:
The boss asked her how much holiday she needed and she said five days was enough.
我对其中 how much holiday 的用法有疑问,怎么可以用 how much 来修饰 holiday 呢?但想想看,也不好用 how many 吧?如果用 how many,那 holidays 就得用复数啊!那 how many holidays 是什么意思呢?多少天假?多少次假?
▲说 how much holiday 是完全正确的。要询问“几天假”(假期的时间长度)可用以下表达:how much holiday(多长的假)/ how many days’ holiday(几天的假)。
用 how much holiday 以及 how many days’ holiday 的例句:
How much holiday are you allowed? 你有多少天假?(牛津词典)
How many days’ holiday do you get with your new job? 你的新工作有几天假期?(剑桥词典)
▲根据《葛传椝英语惯用法词典》:
……holiday 不一定指“一天”,如 We have a holiday every Saturday 里的 holiday 指一天,但 We take a month's holiday every year 里的 holiday 并不指一天,却指“假期”。所以 We have five holidays this term 是“在本学期里我们有五次放假”,未必指五天放假。但复数形式 holidays 往往被用来指一天以上的假期,所以 summer holiday 跟 summer holidays 意思相同,a holiday of two months, a two-month holiday 和 two months of holiday(s)也意思相同,其中,第三种表达最不普通。
“连续五天放假”不可说 five holidays,该说 a holiday of five days, a five-day holiday 或 five days of holiday(s),第三种表达最不普通。
根据柯林斯字典
1. [N-COUNT 可数名词] 外出度过的假期;A holiday is a period of time during which you relax and enjoy yourself away from home. People sometimes refer to their holiday as their holidays. [also on/from N] [BRIT 英]
I've just come back from a holiday in the United States. 我刚从美国度假回来。
2. [N-PLURAL 复数名词] 学校的假期;he holidays are the time when children do not have to go to school. [usu the N] [BRIT 英]
the first day of the school holidays 学校放假的第一天
3. [N-UNCOUNT 不可数名词] 不上班的休假期;If you have a particular number of days' or weeks' holiday, you do not have to go to work for that number of days or weeks. [BRIT 英]
Every worker will be entitled to four weeks' paid holiday a year. 每位工人每年都能享受4周的带薪休假。
所以可以说how much holiday 的。