hundred or hundreds
問：hundred, thousand, million 是數詞, 還是名詞? 如果是數詞, 為什麼它們有複數形式?
答：許多權威的英語詞典均未把hundred, thousand, million 看作是數詞, 而看作是“名詞; 形容詞”。有趣的是, R. Quirk 等人在CGEL 中解釋這類詞時竟出現了混亂。他們在§6. 65 中說hundred, thousand 和million 可以用作數詞, 如Ten million viewers saw the title fight on TV. 但是他們在§ 5. 89 中卻說two hundred people 中的hundred 是數量名詞(quantitative noun) 。因此, 我們最好還是不去爭論這些詞的詞性, 而是弄清它們的用法。對此, 語言學家們已經作了全面的總結。
當hundred, thousand, million, billion 和dozen 受數詞或不定數量詞修飾時, 總是用零複數形式(即意義上是複數, 而形式上無複數標誌) :
- two hundred/thousand/million/billion/people
- several hundred/thousand/million/billion/people
- They want (a few hundred./ten thousand.)
- Several billion molecules would be needed to fill a thimble.
要充滿頂針般大小的容器就得需要幾十億個分子。 - The radio programme has an audience of several million.
廣播節目有幾百萬聽眾。
而當後面接of 片語時, dozen, hundred, thousand, million 等在標準英語中大都採用複數形式: many(several/a few) dozens/ hundreds/ thousands/ millions of people
- “Have you ever gone water-skiing before? ”“Oh, yes, dozens of times.”
“你以前滑過水嗎?” “噢, 滑過, 滑過幾十次了。” - Hundreds of men, women and children came for a weekly ritual: scouring the stalls in search of food and clothing.
前來參加每週的慣例活動——— 在攤子上尋找食品和衣物的人數以百計, 有男有女, 還有孩子。(《新聞週刊》) - Billions of molecules would be needed to fill a thimble.
要充滿頂針般大小的容器就得需要幾十億個分子。
小練習：請選出錯誤的地方。並予改正。（留言作答）
1. The Millicent Rogers Museum houses five thousands pieces of Hispanic and American Indian jewellery, textiles, and other objects documenting the vibrancy of these two cultures.
2. Scientists estimate that as many as two hundred millions visible meteors enter the Earth’s atmosphere every day.
3. George Washington Carver found hundred of uses for the peanut, the sweet potato, and the soybean and thus stimulated the cultivation of these crops.
(參見dozen)
hundreds
問：1900s 和1990s 如何讀法?
答：1900s 讀作nineteen hundreds, 1990s 讀作nineteen-nineties。