容易讲错的知识点:maybe的含义与对应的句中位置
maybe通常使用在句首或句尾,也可作为答语使用,在书面英语中,人们往往更喜欢用perhaps,因为它比maybe略微正式一些。
【资料图】
maybe在句子中间使用的两种情况:
第一种:maybe作为perhaps的同义语,可用于句首、句尾或句子中间。
第二种:maybe位于数字前,表示近似不确定的数量。
【很久以前,一直没有注意到这个用法,而一直和学生说maybe只能用于句首,而不能用于句中,且只表示perhaps的含义——真是无知!所以这里刻意地写出词条目。】
我们看以下词典例句(6处例证)。
第一种:maybe作为perhaps的同义语,可用于句首、句尾或句子中间。
《韦氏高阶英语词典》第1009页may 方框:
They’re hoping that she’ll maybe change her mind.
= They’re hoping that maybe she’ll change her mind.
《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》第八版第1285页maybe词条
Maybe he’ll come, maybe he won’t. 他可能来,也可能不来。
‘Are you going to sell your house?’ ‘Maybe.’
“你要卖房子吗?” “也许吧。”
第二种:maybe位于数字前,表示近似不确定的数量。
《麦克米伦高阶英汉双解词典》第1297页
maybe词条:用作普通副词(位于数字前)。
There were maybe 15people there.那里可能有15个人。
《剑桥高阶英汉双解词典》第1357页maybe词条2:
(非正式)(表示近似数量的)约:
There were 200, maybe 300, refugees on the boat. 船上约有200或300名难民。
《韦氏高阶英语词典》第1009页may 方框:
There were maybe 10,000 fans at the game.
I got three, maybe four hours [= about three or four hours] of sleep last night.
We waited an hour, maybe more.
《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》第八版第1285页maybe词条
It will cost two, maybe three hundred pounds. 这个要花二百英镑,或许三百英镑。
We go there maybe once or twice a month. 我们每月大概去那里一到两次。
《朗文当代高级英语辞典》第五版第1560页maybe词条3
maybe也许(表示对某一数额或数目不能确定)
The problems really started maybe two or three years ago.
这些问题可能是两三年以前真正开始出现的。
He looked like he was thirty, maybe thirty-five years old.
他看上去有3岁,也许35岁。
2016年11月17日
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