10 March 2022

假如你想谈论道德问题——你对于什么样的行为正确，什么样的行为不正确的观点。

你可能谈你自己或别人的行为，应该用什么样的句型和结构呢?

今天的每日语法，我们将探讨一下道德问题和语法的联系。你将学到形容词，句型和必须的表达方法。

主语

+BE+主语从句/Subject + BE + subject complement

讨论道德问题经常用到形容词"right"和"wrong"。

例如行为是正确或错误的。这种句子中心结构就是:

Subject + BE + subject complement.

常用肯定动词包括:

right, correct, appropriate or justified.

常用的否定动词包括:wrong, incorrect, terrible, or unjustified.

一个人可以说 "My decision was appropriate," "their behavior was terrible," "we were wrong," and so on

但是还有其它的表达方法，让我们听一下美国总统Joe Biden的演讲，他清晰的表明俄罗斯的行为是错误的。如:

Putin's attack on Ukraine was premeditated and totally unprovoked.

"Putin's attack on Ukraine"是句子的主语。主动词was."Premeditated" and "unprovoked"是描述attack的术语。形容词"Premeditated"预谋的意思，形容词"unprovoked"无缘无故的;未受挑衅的的意思。

必须/Necessity

讨论道德问题的另一个关键语法就是必须——行为必须作或不作。

英语口语中有几种结构表达必须，但重要的有"need to…" and "have got to …" or "have got to do…

."等

设想你听到两个家庭纠纷的故事，你可以说"You need to apologize to him," or "he needs to apologize to you."。

你也可以用"have got to…"表达"You have got to apologize to him."

让我们听英国首相Boris Johnson谈论他相信正确的行为。

"We've got to do everything we can to change the heavy odds that Ukraine faces."

10 March 2022

Imagine that you want to talk about moral issues – your opinion about what is correct behavior and what is incorrect behavior.

You might want to talk about your actions or the actions of another. What kinds of terms and structures should you use?

In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore a point of connection between grammar and moral issues. You will learn about adjectives, sentence patterns, and expressions of necessity.

Subject + BE + subject complement

Discussions about morality often

involve adjectives such as "right" or "wrong."

For example, an action is right or an action is wrong.

The central structure for these kinds of statements is this:

Subject + BE + subject complement.

The subject complement is often an adjective.

Common positive adjectives include right, correct, appropriate or justified.

Common negative adjectives include wrong, incorrect, terrible, or unjustified.

A person might say, "My decision was appropriate," "their behavior was terrible," "we were wrong," and so on.

But there are many other ways a person can describe their opinion of an action.

Let's listen to a few words from United States President Joe Biden's recent State of the Union speech. In the speech, he makes clear that he believes the actions of Russia are incorrect.

Putin's attack on Ukraine was premeditated and totally unprovoked.

"Putin's attack on Ukraine" is the subject of the sentence. Was – the past tense of BE – is the main verb. "Premeditated" and "unprovoked" are terms that describe the attack.

"Premeditated" is an adjective that means done or made according to a plan. Legal cases often use this term. A person might be convicted of premeditated murder, for example.

"Unprovoked" means not caused by anything said or done. For example, a news story might describe an "unprovoked attack." This means that one person or group was not doing or saying anything that would give reason for an attack.

Necessity

Another key area of grammar that connects with discussions about moral issues is the idea of necessity – an action must or must not be done. English speakers use several structures to express necessity, but some of the important ones are "need to…" and "have got to …" or "have got to do…."

For example, imagine you hear a story about a disagreement between two of your family members.

You might say, "You need to apologize to him," or "he needs to apologize to you."

You might also use "have got to…" to express a similar idea, as in "You have got to apologize to him."

Let's listen to UK Prime Ministry Boris Johnson use the structure "have got to do …" to talk about what he believes is a correct course of action.

We've got to do everything we can to change the heavy odds that Ukraine faces.