【NO139 - 231201】
今天还是连母语者都可能不知道的英语语法问题:
下面哪一种是“正确的”?
John is a(an)...
Old, rich, white man?
Old, white, rich man?
Rich, old, white man?
Rich, white, old man?
White, old, rich man?
White, rich, old man?
从非正式/口语的方面来看,上面的表达都没问题,但英语的书面语中多个形容词其实是有给定的先后顺序的,这个顺序是这样的:
1. Opinion(Unusual, lovely, beautiful)
2. Size(Big, small, tall, short)
3. Physical Quality(Thin, fat, rough, smooth, bumpy, flat)
4. Shape(Round, square, rectangle, oval)
5. Age(Young, old, youthful, elderly)
6. Colour(Red, blue, green, yellow, purple, pink)
7. Origin(Australian, Tongan, Chinese, Indian, Fijian, Japanese)
8. Material(Metal, wood, plastic)
9. Type(General-purpose, bread-like)
10. Purpose(Cleaning, hammering, cooking)
所以,以上六个中唯一正确的是:
John is a rich, old, white man.