類(lèi)似ten-year-old的7個(gè)用法要點(diǎn)

本文說(shuō)的ten-year-old的意思是“五歲大的”，其中的ten只是我們隨意舉的一個(gè)例子，它也可換成one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, eleven, twelve等；同時(shí)，其中的year也可根據(jù)情況改用month, day等詞。本文擬這類(lèi)結(jié)構(gòu)的用法作一小結(jié)，同時(shí)也對(duì)其相關(guān)用法作一歸納。

一、基本用法

1.用作形容詞

My four-year-old daughter was asleep on the sofa. 我四歲的女兒在沙發(fā)上睡著了。

Mary drove. Her ten-year-old daughter sat behind. 瑪麗開(kāi)車(chē)，她十歲的女兒坐在后面。

Their five-year-old son is able to use the calendar to count how many days it is until his birthday. 他們五歲的兒子能用日歷數(shù)出離他的生日還有多少天。

In the car accident the mother was killed, but her two-year-old son was found alive. 在這次車(chē)禍中，母親死了，但是她兩歲的兒子卻還活著。

2.用作名詞

A seven-year-old should be able to read. 七歲的兒童應(yīng)當(dāng)識(shí)字了。

She’s quite clever for a ten-year-old. 對(duì)一個(gè)10歲的孩子來(lái)說(shuō)，她算相當(dāng)聰明了。

Tim has an average vocabulary for a 3-year-old. 蒂姆掌握了相當(dāng)于3歲孩子的平均詞匯(量)。

二、用法聯(lián)想

1. five-year-old中的year可用復(fù)數(shù)嗎?

不可以。five-year-old這類(lèi)結(jié)構(gòu)中的year只能用單數(shù)，不能用復(fù)數(shù)。如：

她的兩歲的兒子搖搖擺擺地走進(jìn)屋里。

誤：Her two-years-old son toddled into the room.

正：Her two-year-old son toddled into the room.

2. five-year-old中的連字符可以去掉嗎?

不可以。若去掉，則要轉(zhuǎn)換表達(dá)方式。如：

She has a ten-year-old son. 她有個(gè)10歲的兒子。

She has a son ten years old. 她有個(gè)10歲的兒子。

Her son is ten years old. 她兒子10歲。

3. five-year-old可用作表語(yǔ)嗎？

不可以。若要用作表語(yǔ)，可考慮改用five years old之類(lèi)的表達(dá)。如：

她20歲，但卻嫁了一個(gè)50歲的丈夫。

誤：She was twenty-year-old, but married a man of fifty.

正：She was twenty years old, but married a man of fifty.

4. five-year-old前用a還是an？

five-year-old前若需要用不定冠詞，要用a，不能用an。但是，若將其中的five改為eight, eleven, eighteen, eighty等，則其前要用an，不用a——尤其是當(dāng)它們以8, 11, 18, 80這樣的數(shù)字出現(xiàn)時(shí)更要引起注意。如：

He has an 11-year-old daughter. 他有一個(gè)11歲大的女兒。

He married an 18-year-old American girl. 他娶了一個(gè)18歲的美國(guó)女孩。

5. five-year-old用作名詞時(shí)可以有復(fù)數(shù)形式嗎？

可以。five-year-old這類(lèi)結(jié)構(gòu)用作名詞時(shí)，若語(yǔ)法上需要用復(fù)數(shù)，可以在詞尾加-s。如：

Eighteen-year-olds qualify to vote. 年滿(mǎn)十八歲者有選舉權(quán)。

The report attacks the idea of exams for 7- and 8-year-olds. 這份報(bào)道抨擊了對(duì)七八歲孩子進(jìn)行考試的設(shè)想。

Even ten-year-olds have started wearing lipstick and make-up in imitation of the older girls. 甚至連10來(lái)歲的女孩子們也開(kāi)始模仿年齡大一點(diǎn)的女孩子開(kāi)始抹口紅和化妝。