密歇根新闻广播 万一你不知道

Were you aware that "unawares" is a thing people say?

Maybe you've seen it recently it in relation to COVID-19 – things like "The governor's announcement caught some people unawares," and "We have no excuse to be caught unawares in an outbreak.

We wanted to know, where did that "s" come from?

Listen Listening...5:29 That's What They Say for June 14, 2020.

Short answer, that "s" has been there for a really long time.

"Unaware¹" and "unawares" have actually been sitting next to each other since the 16th century. Early on, they were both adverbs. The "s" is a construction known in English as the adverbial genitive – it's the same "s" we see in words like "always" and "afterwards."

As an adverb, "unawares" could mean a couple of different things. It could mean "without being aware," as in "He fell unawares into error."

"Unawares" could also mean "without being noticed." The Oxford² English Dictionary gives this example: "Hours might have passed, unnumbered and unawares."

"Unawares" is often found with "take" or "catch." This usage³ goes all the way back to Shakespeare. Today, you'll find "unawares" as an adverb and "unaware" as an adjective.

This week also seemed like a good time to also take a look at "beside" and "besides." To hear our discussion, listen to the audio above.

1 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

2 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

3 usage   

n.惯用法，使用，用法

参考例句：

• I am clear about the usage of this word at last.这个词的用法我算是弄明白了。
• The usage is now firmly established.这种用法现已得到确认。