Comparing the amount of things:
We can compare the amount of things using more...than, fewer...than and less...than.
We use the most for the largest amount and the fewest/the least for the smallest amount.
以上是初中教科书上的句子:我的疑问是,amount用于不可数名词,number用于可数名词,
但是,为什么用英语说"比较东西的数量“时用了amount呢?因为既可能是比较可数名词的数量,也可能比较是不可数名词的数量,
所以,为什么不是说compare the amount of thing (不可数,不加s) or compare the number of things (可数,加s)?
非常不解。
牛津词典在amount 词条下的说明:
Amount is most often used with uncountable nouns: an amount of cash/space/material/food It is also sometimes used with countable nouns, especially in spoken or informal English: You're competing with a massive amount of people. However, some people consider that this is not correct and prefer to use number with countable nouns: You're competing with a very large number of people.
所以,教材中使用amount of后接things,并非完全不可接受,只不过是非正式用法而已。其实,为了避嫌,教材编著者可以用quantity取代amount。quantity可以后接可数名词,也可以后接不可数名词。例如《牛津》例句:
The police found a quantity of drugs at his home.
I was overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of information available.
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1. Comparing the amount of things:(教科书)
We can compare the amount of things using more...than, fewer...than and less...than.
We use the most for the largest amount and the fewest/the least for the smallest amount.
2. 为什么不是说compare the amount of thing (不可数,不加s) or compare the number of things (可数,加s)?(网友)
书上出现错误,而网友本人也有错误。
修改如下(见黑体和破折号后面的内容):
1. Comparing the number or the amount of something:
We can compare the number or the amount of something using more...than, fewer...than and less...than.
We use the most for the largest number or amount and the fewest/the least for the smallest number or amount.
2. 为什么不是说compare the amount of thing (不可数,不加s) or compare the number of things (可数,加s)?
——thing 是可数名词,能零冠词并使用单数吗?把 thing 改为 something ,复合不定代词 something,指代可数名词或不可数名词,均可。
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