Roadside memorial

有人在那裡車禍去世,他的家屬在路邊設立了一個紀念碑。路邊紀念碑不算少見,但是照片中的那個特別的地方是它在上世紀末就出現了,這麼多年過去了,亡者的家屬仍是持續維護,開車路過時常看到新放的花。如果一些擺設被風雨吹倒,過沒多久那些擺設又重新放正。

"in/on the morning of October 20"?

On the morning of October 20

On the morning of the wedding

這用法的表達重點是在那個特定日期(on … October 20),當天的那個 “the morning” 倒是其次。我們有時記得的是一個特定事件「那天」,這時是用那個事件代表那天,這表達習慣中文和英文一樣。

1. https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/morning
找 GRAMMAR: Patterns with morning
...
on the morning of something
• Something happens on the morning of a particular date or event:
- On the morning of March 15,2008, he was involved in a car accident.
- Make sure you arrive in plenty of time on the morning of the exam.

2. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/morning
例句: She arrived on the morning of March 18.

3. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/grammar/british-grammar/at-on-and-in-time

In or on? "... The ship left the harbour on the morning of the ninth of November."

4. https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/morning_1

  • on the morning of something We got the news on the morning of the wedding.

但是 …

late 或是 early 搭配時的慣用表達則是用 in。比如 late in the morning of June 19, 1967

這用法表達重點除了日期之外也特別將注意力轉移到特定的區段(以上例為例,不是 early in the morning 喔,是 late in the morning)。

1. https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/in-the-morning
Examples from the Corpus:
- Late in the morning of  June 19,1967, he received a call from Atty.

2. English in Mind Level 2B Combo, by Herbert Puchta, Jeff Stranks, Cambridge University Press, page 12
- ... it happened very early in the morning of April the eighteenth, 1906.


後記

說老實話,我第一次在網路上碰到有人問這問題時我也以為是 in。我當時不知道用 on 的這用法,因為之前沒碰過——不管是日常,在讀研究所時或是後來上班,一般要嘛講個大概日期,要嘛如同商業書信那樣明確的寫好時間和日期,沒必要在那邊另外加個模糊性質的 the morning。不過在那之後我在新聞媒體上碰到時我倒是有特別注意這用法。


編按:以下為舊資料

ng念法/ŋ/ or /ŋɡ/?

比如 sing, singer。很多年前有人在網路上問這問題。他說在看美劇時聽到有演員在發 ng 的音時尾端有個 /ɡ/ (hard ɡ) 音,所以 sing 變成 /siŋɡ/ ,然後 singer 變成 /siŋɡɚ/。說老實話,那時我是第一次聽到有這種事,不過之後我刻意留意這現象,也還真的多次在電視上聽到這種念法(特別是在戴耳機聽的時候)。 好奇之下我查了一下,基本上是這樣:

ng 念成 /ŋɡ/ 不是標準念法

根據Wikipedia 這篇的說明, ng 在遠古以前還真的是念成 /ŋɡ/ ,後來,也就是現代,這兩個音合併成只發 /ŋ/ 一個音(NG-coalescence)。這也是為什麼在 YouTube 上眾多英文母語人士的英文發音教學影片裡頭的 NG 清一色都是教  /ŋ/ 這個標準發音,沒有另外提 /ŋɡ/ 這種地方/區域性的念法(詳細的讀上頭的 Wikipedia 文章)。 

英文母語人士如何看待這現象? 

幾個例子:

  • https://www.reddit.com/r/asklinguistics/comments/1623h26/whats_up_with_putting_g_at_the_end_of_syllables/
    對於這現象,reddit 這串文提到兩個可能形成原因。一個是 ng 刻意不念成 n'(比如 fishing 變成 fishin')造成的過度矯正。另一個是(學童期間)英文是靠閱讀學習而不是靠聽英文。我是覺得這比較有可能,因為美國在 '80, '90 年代盛行 "whole language" 英文學習法,簡單說就是讓學童自行閱讀,不事先教 phonics。這似乎也解釋了在看美劇時我通常是在年輕演員那聽到這種念法。
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總之就是知道有這現象就好,不要刻意學。

is wearing不是「正在穿/戴」

… is wearing … 不是「正在穿(上)/戴(上)/...」

直接看影片比較清楚:

如果上頭的 yarn.co (或是 getyarn.io) 無法看影片,那麼看這個英文教學影片也行:

  • "What are you wearing? "
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O67zKqPKiYc
    從 [0:20] 開始(或是 [3:08] 處是附上字幕的相同影片)。訪問的人問 "What are you wearing?",接受訪問的少年郎並不是正在把衣物穿上,他回答的是他穿在身上的是什麼衣物:"I'm wearing, uh, black shoes, blue jeans, black jacket, and red top."
    影片接下去則是更多的 "What are you wearing?" 的對話例子。

字典怎麼說?

文馨當代英漢辭典(第五版)

  • (vt.) wear:  穿著(衣、鞋);戴著(帽);戴著(戒子、眼鏡);佩著(槍、劍)
    (★指穿上,戴上時,用put on)
    ....
    • He was wearing a saber. 他配著一把軍刀。 

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

  • wear1 ... verb
    1 ON YOUR BODY: ... to have something such as clothes, shoes, or jewellery on your body:
    • Susanna was wearing a black silk dress.

...

Register
In everyday English, people often say that someone has something on rather than is wearing something:
· She had on a black silk dress.

注意讀 Register 部份的說明。

 


之前的舊資料

https://www.englishforums.com/English/WearProgressiveOrSimple/brwwcn/post.htm
CalifJim:
He is wearing a new coat. (now, as we speak)
He wears his new coat wherever he goes. (always, as a habit)
He was wearing a new coat at the party last night. (then, during the time we are speaking about)
He [wore / used to wear / would wear] his new coat wherever he went. (always, as a habit)
He wore his new coat to the party last night. (then, when he traveled to the party, on that occasion)


https://www.englishforums.com/English/WoreOrWasWearing/brjbhz/post.htm
(1) He wore glasses (2) She was wearing a new coat. ...
.... 'wore' and 'was wearing' ...

CalifJim:
In many, many cases, the two are equivalent. Choose the one you like better.

If you are talking about something that always or usually happens, something that occurs regularly, then wore is probably better.

He (always) wore glasses.
She (always) wore the same coat every day.


https://www.englishforums.com/English/PastContinuousTense/bhvbck/post.htm


Free tickets + $50!!!(Boston)

Damn! I missed it .... Wait, no 🤣

https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/evg/d/boston-attend-melania-documentary-free/7911560682.html

Attend MELANIA documentary- Free tickets + $50!!! (Boston) 

Before update: 

After update:


 



When he stopped showing up, the chef went looking for him.

A man ate at the same Florida restaurant every day for a decade. When he stopped showing up, the chef went looking for him.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shrimp-basket-pensacola-florida-restaurant-regular-rescued-chef/

說不定 Reader’s Digest 會採訪這故事

#true_story

Backerinners

 


We call them “backerinners.” As opposed to the more traditional way of parking, going in nose-first with the front of the car, backerinners are more and more prevalent these days.

感恩節那一陣子的新聞。因為是購物熱潮,而 backerinners 因為需要多花些時間停車,因此會在停車場造成像上頭影片那樣的阻塞。說實在的,我一般是避開購物熱潮,所以我沒注意到這種現象。平常的話就算在停車時遇到前頭的車在那邊「倒車入庫」也只是多等一會,也不常遇到,所以這不是問題。但是一般人要購物熱潮期間去賣場購物需要停車時,情況就不一樣了。