CHIN3001 Grammar Structures

Adjective + 死了

Serves as a complement to indicate and extreme degree of condition described by the adjective

Verb + 起来

indicates the beginning of an action

Repetition

• 一趟: indicates making a trip (go and return once). Use with 去/来/跑

• 一遍：completion of an action, and is repeated the same everytime

• 次：ordinal or repeated but different everytime

Subject + 把 + object + verb + other elements

• Emphasises the subjects manipulation of the object

• Used with action verbs

• Cannot be used with stative verbs (i.e 喜欢，想，知道，明白）

又。。。又。。。

Both… and…. Can be followed by adjective or verbs

越来越 + adjective + (了）

More and more

再说

• Besides/moreover/in addition

• Introduces an additional reason for an action taken or decision made

• Adds another reason and reinforces speaker's attitude

• Often used in informal/spoken contexts

是/在 同 + noun phrase + other elements

Means the sam

Person A + 对 + person B + 的印象 + 好/不好

Impression

俩 = 两个人

• Only refers to people

• Pronoun + 们俩

• Noun + 俩 = 俩 + noun

Subject + verb/verb phrase/adjective + 得 + complement

Descriptive complement: subject of a sentence can be described by a complement following 得

The different de

• 的 + noun: possessive adjective

• 地 + verb: manner

• Verb + 得：results

Potential Complements

• Affirmative form: verb + 得 + complement

• Negative form: verb + 不 + complement

• Interrogative form: … 吗？ OR verb + 得 + complement + verb + 不 + complement

Subject + verb + place word/noun phrase + 来/去

• Simple directional complement

• 来: towards the speaker

• 去：away from the speaker

Subject + verb + 来/去 + noun phrases

• Simple directional complement

• Pattern only used when object of the verb is not a location and when the action is completed

Subject + verb + 上/下/进/出/回/过/起/开/到 + 来/去 + place word/noun

Compound directional complement

Subject + verb + 上/下/进/回/过/起/到 + place word/noun

• If object refers to a location/place it comes before 来/去

• Other objects can come either before or after 来/去

• Long objects are moved to the beginning of the sentence

了

• Verb + 了: completion of an action

• Sentence + 了： indicate a change of state

• Verb + 了 + time + 了：either emphasises or expresses continuing of an action

连。。。都/也

• Even… used for emphasis i.e 这个字太难了，连老师都不认识

• Part to be emphasized put between 连 and 都

Verb + 得下 OR verb + 不下

Suggests that a location or container is able/not able to accommodate a certain number of people or things

Number + 多 + measured word

Approximate number/ more than >

都

• All, any e.g 我什么菜都吃

• 都没/都不 + verb : not any/neither/none

• 都没 emphasises experience/past

• 都不 emphasises unwillingness

那么+ adjective

• That… so…

• 又：on top of that/furthermore OR indicate reccurence of an action or a state over the cource of time

• 当然： adverb，of course

• 越来越+adjective: more and more + adjective

Subject + time expression + 没（有）+ verb + 了

Indicate an action has not been or was not performed for the specified period of time

好+verb and 难 + verb

• Resulting compounds become adjectives

• 好：easy/pleasant

• 难：difficult/unpleasant

Verb + 下去

Indicates continuation of an action/state, continue to… keep …ing

Duration of an activity

• When a sentence contains both a time expression indicating the duration of an action and an object must use one of these 2 patterns:

• Repetition of the verb e.g 她每天下午游泳游四十分钟

• Verb + Time expression + （的）+ obejct e.g 他每天下午游四十分钟的泳

着

• Signifies continuation of an action or state

• When used between 2 verbs: verb preceding 着 signifies the accompanying action/describes the state the action is being performed in, second verb signifies main action

• e.g 老师站着教课, main verb is 教 as it is after 着, so the teacher is teaching standing up (accompanying action)

Receiver of action + 被/叫/让 + agent of action + verb + other elements (complement/了）

• Passive voice

• Often carries a negative connotation and used in situations unpleasant for the receiver of the action or in situations when something is lost

• If agent of the action if not identifiable use 人

• With 被 the agent of the action can be omitted from the sentence

有的。。。有的。。。

• Some… some…others

• Use for lists, but no more than 4 things

Adjective/verb + 得 + 不得了

• Very/extremely/unbelievably

• Verb form emphasises degree of emotions, sensations, desires or states

• Verbs such as like, want, hurt

Interrogative pronoun + 都/也 + verb

• 什么：any/every thing

• 谁：any/every body

• 哪儿：any/every where/place

• 什么时候：anytime

• 怎么：in any way/means

Interrogative pronoun + 就 + interrogrative pronoun

• Two identical interrogative pronouns can appear in one sentence to convey the meaning, 就 is used to join the second clause to the first

• Clause 1 reads like a question and clause 2 the answer e.g 你想吃什么，就吃什么

打 + number + 折

• Discounts: in chinese the post discount amount if emphasised

• 10% off = 90% of full price = 打九折

Numbers over 1000

• 十：ten

• 百: 100

• 千: 1 000

• 万：10 000

• 亿：100 000 000

• In chinese numbers or segmented into four digit sets

e.g 25 376 -> 2 5376 -> 两万 五千三百七十六

• 0 is 零

• For money 快=$, 毛=cents (0.10）, 分=cents (0.01)

• Use 两 before measure words and 百/千/万/亿

• Use 二 for single numbers, ordinal numbers, dates, reading digit by digit and fixed expressions (e.g 二月 February, 二楼 Second Floor)

A + 比 + B + adjective + numeral + measure word

Comparitive sentence