时间:2018-12-07 作者:英语课 分类:2017年VOA慢速英语(四)月


英语课

 


From VOA Learning 1 English, this is Everyday Grammar.


Almost every American has seen or heard of the movie "Forrest Gump."


The film is a touching 2 story about the life of a man who faces many challenges.


One of the most famous quotes from “Forrest Gump” is this:


My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.


These lines might interest you for two reasons.


First, if you mention them to an American, they will probably know what you are talking about. Second, if you study the lines carefully, you can learn how complex grammar is used in everyday speech.


Today on Everyday Grammar, we are going to explore how Americans use noun 3 clauses 5 in speech.


Just like Gump's box of chocolates, this report might have a pleasant surprise for you!


What are noun clauses?


Noun clauses are groups of words that act as a noun. They often begin with words such as if, what, why, and so on. These clauses have a subject and a predicate, just like a sentence. However, they do not act as sentences on their own. Instead, they have an effect on a longer, more complex sentence.


Here is an example. Imagine you do not know the answer to a question in your mathematics class. You could ask, "I wonder if my teacher knows the answer?"


In the sentence, the main clause 4, "I wonder," is followed by the if - noun clause, "if my teacher knows the answer."


In this report, we are talking about noun clauses that begin with the words what, why, where, and so on. Let’s call them wh- clauses. In technical language, you could call them subordinators. They can act as subjects, objects, complements 7, and so on.


The good news is this: Americans commonly use if- and wh- noun clauses in a few expressions. Generally, such expressions have one of the following verbs: know, see, and wonder.


We will use lines from popular movies and short examples to show you how Americans use these verbs with different noun clauses.


1. Know


Consider this line from the 2004 film Million Dollar Baby.


"No matter where he is, I thought you should know what kind of man your father really was."


In the sentence, the word what leads to a clause that comes after the verb, know. This is a common pattern in American English.


If you were to visit the United States, you would probably hear expressions such as "I know what..." or "I don't know what..." almost every day.


Speakers will also use different wh- words to introduce clauses. For example, you could say, "I thought you should know why I came here." Or you could say, "I thought you should know where to find the post office.”


You will also hear if-noun clauses with the verb know.


For example, imagine that a person asked you, "Do you know if the museum is near here?" You could say, "No, I don't know if the museum is near here."


2. See


Another word that is commonly followed by an if- or wh- noun clause is the verb see.


Consider this line from the 1998 film “The Truman Show.”


"Do you want another slice?


No, I'm okay.


What else is on?


"Yeah, let's see what else is on."


Where's the TV Guide?


Americans will often use the words "Let's see what...." or "Let's see if..." to make a suggestion, as in the line from The Truman Show.


At other times, speakers will use "Let's see …" in an informal way. They do not necessarily 8 mean it as a suggestion. Consider this quote from 1999 film, “The Green Mile.”


"Mr. Jingles 9? Where you been? Been worried about you, boy. You hungry? Hmm? Let's go see if we can't find you something to eat."


These lines show you how some Americans speak, notably 10 in the southeastern United States. The speaker is clearly not making a suggestion; instead, he is speaking to himself in an indirect 11 way. Although he uses the negative "can't", he actually means "can."


3. Wonder


Another word that is commonly used with an if- or wh- noun clause is the verb wonder.


The structure "I wonder if..." is commonly used to ask a question. Remember the example, "I wonder if my teacher knows the answer."


Speakers will also use wh-clauses with the verb wonder. Many forgetful people have probably said "I wonder where my keys are?”, for example.


Why these structures are important


Now that you have learned 12 about if-and wh- clauses, think back to the film Forrest Gump.


"My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."


Did you notice that Gump uses one of the common grammatical 13 structures that we have talked about in this report?


Although you might not suspect it, every time you watch an American film, listen to American music, or talk to an American, you can learn more grammar.


All of the structures we have studied today are considered polite, and can be used in formal or informal speech. They also can be used in writing.


The next time you are watching an American film, try to find complex grammatical structures like the ones we talked about. Listen for the words know, see, and wonder. What types of noun clauses do speakers use? How do they organize their sentences?


This process might be difficult. But remember this: you know what you should do.


Words in This Story


grammar – n. the set of rules that explain how words are used in a language


clause – n. grammar: a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb


predicate – n. grammar: the part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject


complement 6 – n. grammar: a word or group of words added to a sentence to make it complete


challenge – n. a difficult test or problem


complement – n. something that completes something else or makes it better


pattern – n. a repeated form or design


introduce – v. to use or make something available for the first time;


stylistic – adj. of or relating to a way of doing things


polite – adj. showing respect to others


formal – adj. of or related to serious of official speech



1 learning
n.学问,学识,学习;动词learn的现在分词
  • When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时,常会从车上掉下来。
  • Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。
2 touching
adj.动人的,使人感伤的
  • It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
  • His letter was touching.他的信很感人。
3 noun
n.名词
  • What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词?
  • This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。
4 clause
n.(正式文件或法律文件的)条款,从句,分句
  • The sentence consists of a main clause and a subordinate clause.这句中有一个主句和一个从句。
  • What clause do you require in the contract?你要求在合同中订上什么条款?
5 clauses
从句( clause的名词复数 ); (法律文件等的)条款
  • Relative pronouns and adverbs introduce attributive clauses. 关系代词和关系副词引导定语从句。
  • Please underline the noun clauses in the passage. 请用线画出短文中的名词性从句。
6 complement
n.补足物,船上的定员;补语;vt.补充,补足
  • The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
  • They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。
7 complements
补充( complement的名词复数 ); 补足语; 补充物; 补集(数)
  • His business skill complements her flair for design. 他的经营技巧和她的设计才能相辅相成。
  • The isoseismal maps are valuable complements to the instrumental records. 等震线图是仪器记录有价值的补充资料。
8 necessarily
adv.必要地,必需地;必定地,必然地
  • More work does not necessarily call for more men.增加工作量不一定就要增添人员。
  • A voter must necessarily be no younger than eighteen.选民必须在18岁以上。
9 jingles
叮当声( jingle的名词复数 ); 节拍十分规则的简单诗歌
  • Can I give Del and Mr. Jingles some? 我可以分一点给戴尔和金格先生吗?
  • This story jingles bells for many of my clients. 这个故事对我许多客户来说都耳熟能详。
10 notably
adv.值得注意地,显著地,尤其地,特别地
  • Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席,特别是连班长也没来。
  • A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小,一头银发,每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。
11 indirect
adj.间接的,转弯抹角的,非直接的
  • What he said was very indirect.他的话很婉转。
  • He gave only an indirect answer.他只作了间接的回答。
12 learned
adj.有学问的,博学的;learn的过去式和过去分词
  • He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
  • In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里,他被视为有学问的人。
13 grammatical
adj.语法的,符合语法规则的
  • His composition is excellent except for some grammatical mistakes.他的作文写得很好,只有几处语法错误。
  • He can barely form a grammatical sentence.他几乎造不出合乎语法的句子。
标签: VOA慢速英语
学英语单词
AECA
ailin'
air slide valve
alligations
anabaptizes
antilcer
antimonpearceite
assessment tool
balloon plate
before one can say knife
box-spring
Cantona
carris
cattle cakes
chemistry of sea water
chloracetyl
chronic granulocytopenia
clonmell
coefficient of personnel demand
commutator rectifier
condensate return piping
conversion privilege of preferred stock
corydalis curviflora maxim.
crematogaster treubi apilis
D-ELATERIN
danger mark
deafener
deafening silences
desmie region
Digenea
dispersonalize
dredgers
duplex copying
eppenstein
euphrasia iinumai takeda
EURYPHARYNGIDAE
federal officials
foreign partnership
foreshortening
forevacuum pressure
gas extraction
ground-contour-following device
horizontal deflection driver
hot crimping
hydrodynamic interaction
IAPD
indirectamente
isopentennyladenine
jamb
Kartikeya
Lao She
leechings
ligne ga(u)ge
local-deterministic axiom
magnetic separation cleaning
medium voltage winding
melilite olibine nephelinite
musulin
Nango
normal probability plot
normed space
orange-seed oil
Oriental button
ostium secundum defect
outer regulator corrector
photochemical dissociation
platinum(iv) chloride
platyfish
power-drives
principal metal
projection TV
ramsbothams
re-exhaust
redcued
repetitive peak inverse current
restricted cosmological principle
ridable
risk of rust
robemaking
rod journal
roll book
RSBS
salafs
sanguinarine nitrate
segmental orifice plate
semantic incommensurability
seventeenth parallel
sides
specimen requirements
split straws
spruced up
sulci palpebralis inferior
temperature warning sensor
territorialise
tidal current limit
towtruck
trespass to chattel
trezevant
triple deck
triturations
truely