先来看一些句子:
I have a little money. Tom has less money. Jenny has little money. So, who almost has no money?Jenny!
那么,less作为限定词来看,在意义上讲,应该是a little的比较级,毕竟less表示“还是有,只是更少”,而little表示否定含义。
同理,I have a few freckles. Tom has fewer than I do and Jenny has few. So, Jenny doesn't need so much concealer as I do, as she has almost no freckles.
fewer作为限定词来看,在意义上讲,应该是a few的比较级,毕竟fewer表示“还是有,只是更少”,而few表示否定含义。
请问,less按照“更少的”意义来看,为什么是little(几乎没有)的比较级呢?
I have a little money. Tom has less money. Jenny has little money. So, who almost has no money?Jenny!
网友首先要明确以下问题:
1. less 是 little 的比较级形式,但 less 并非用来跟 little 相比较,并不是比 little 少。这是很多英语学习者的误区。less 实际表达一种“少的趋向,比较时少于另外一个数字”。
2. 根据前面所讲的道理,网友把这几句放在一起,貌似有趣,其实会导致误解 less 的含义。这是人为地把 less 跟 a little 比较。为何不跟 a lot of 或 two million 比较呢?比较概念表示两个数字的多寡,不表示“绝对数”的多少。
就跟 older 一个道理,它一定比 old 老吗?
The man is old. He is eighty.
Tom is thirteen. John is older and he is 14 years old.
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