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VOA日常语法2022 带疑问词的缩略语

时间:2022-02-18 02:20:28

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(单词翻译)

Contractions2 with Question Words

Imagine you enjoy hip3 hop4 music or want to learn about the history of hip hop.

You might listen to Run DMC, one of the most famous groups of the 1980s. Let's listen to a few words from the group's famous song, "How'd Ya Do It Dee?"

The answers, from questions, I'm tellin to thee 

Cause they always ask me, D.M.C., "How'd ya do it Dee?"

In today's Everyday Grammar, we will show you how hip hop can teach you about English grammar. You will learn about pronouns and contractions with question words.

Pronoun usage5

Let's listen to the first line again:

The answers, from questions, I'm tellin to thee

This line sets up the idea about questions and answers. But we will have to set that aside for later in the report.

The word of interest in this line is a pronoun: the word thee.

This is a very old second-person pronoun that is no longer used in everyday speaking. Its modern equivalent6 would be the pronoun you.

Google Ngrams has data from books dating back many hundreds of years. A recent Ngrams search suggested that thee was more commonly used in the 1500's and 1600's.

You will probably never hear an American use the pronoun thee in everyday speaking, although its meaning is commonly understood.

You might be asking yourself: why would a modern singer use an ancient pronoun? While only the artist truly knows the reason, one possibility is that thee rhymes with the final word - the name Dee - in the next line:

Cause they always ask me, D.M.C., "How'd ya do it Dee?"

This line now leads us to contractions with question words.

Contractions with question words

Question words are words such as what, where, who, when, why, or how.

These words, along with changes in the speaker's voice, show that a person is asking a question – at least in everyday speech. In writing, the question word and a question mark show a question.

English speakers often use question words with certain verbs or helping7 verbs – be, do, has, would, and so on. Sometimes English speakers combine the question word and a short form of the verb or helping verb. This is known as a contraction1.

Let's think back to our example from Run DMC

Cause they always ask me, D.M.C., "How'd ya do it Dee?"

In this line, the question word is how. The helping verb is did. However, did appears in its shortened8 form - ‘d. "How did" becomes "How'd." This is a contraction.

To be clear: this is not slang9 or impolite language. This is normal everyday speech.

You might be wondering how different verbs and helping verbs contract. The answer is that there are regular, repeated ways in which English speakers make contractions.

Contractions with ‘d

Consider these three helping verbs that often appear after question words: had, did, and would.

All of these reduce to ‘d, as in d.

Run DMC was using the contraction for did, as in "How did you do it?"

A person might also ask, "Who'd called you before that?" This is a shorter way of saying, "Who had called you before that?"

Or a person might ask, "Where'd you like to go?" This is short for "Where would you like to go?"

Contractions with ‘s

Other common verbs – is and has, for example, both contract in the same way with ‘s. This sounds like z or s, depending on the situation.

So, a question like "Where is New York City?" becomes "Where's New York City?"

A question like "What has been going on?" becomes "What's been going on?"

Closing thoughts

In today's report, we explored what a few lines from a song can teach you about English grammar. You learned about a pronoun that has been out of use for a long time. And you learned about the idea behind contractions with question words.

The next time you listen to music, pay careful attention to contractions with question words. Make note of how speakers form the contractions and try to understand the verb that is being reduced. With time, you will make great progress in your ability to understand and form your own contracted speech. And perhaps your English teacher will one day ask you "How'd you learn about contractions with question words?"

Words in This Story

contraction – n. a short form of a word or word group that is made by leaving out a sound or letter

certain – adj. always used before a noun — used to refer to something or someone that is not named specifically


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 contraction sn6yO     
n.缩略词,缩写式,害病
参考例句:
  • The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.肌肉的收缩使前臂抬起。
  • The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.扩张力和收缩力相互平衡。
2 contractions 322669f84f436ca5d7fcc2d36731876a     
n.收缩( contraction的名词复数 );缩减;缩略词;(分娩时)子宫收缩
参考例句:
  • Contractions are much more common in speech than in writing. 缩略词在口语里比在书写中常见得多。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Muscle contractions are powered by the chemical adenosine triphosphate(ATP ). 肌肉收缩是由化学物质三磷酸腺苷(ATP)提供动力的。 来自辞典例句
3 hip 1dOxX     
n.臀部,髋;屋脊
参考例句:
  • The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
  • The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。
4 hop vdJzL     
n.单脚跳,跳跃;vi.单脚跳,跳跃;着手做某事;vt.跳跃,跃过
参考例句:
  • The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛,看谁单足跳跃最快。
  • How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远?
5 usage 2jawU     
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。
6 equivalent ViDzo     
adj.(to)相等的,等价的;n.相等物,等值物
参考例句:
  • Nodding your head is equivalent to saying "yes".点头就等于说“赞同”。
  • You will receive the full equivalent of your money.你将收到与你的款项价值完全同等的物品。
7 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
8 shortened 8560273e5cfe310f2c9d5ab5defa48f3     
v.弄短,缩短( shorten的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She shortened the skirt by an inch. 她把裙子缩短了一英寸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Vacations have lengthened and the work week has shortened. 假期延长,工作周就缩短了。 来自辞典例句
9 slang 2Thz2     
n.俚语,行话;vt.使用俚语,辱骂;vi.辱骂
参考例句:
  • The phrase is labelled as slang in the dictionary.这个短语在这本字典里被注为俚语。
  • Slang often goes in and out of fashion quickly.俚语往往很快风行起来又很快不再风行了。

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