Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (Modern Grammars)

Book Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Series Title......Page 3
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Acknowledgements......Page 16
Introduction......Page 17
How to use this book......Page 18
Glossary of grammatical terms......Page 19
A note on Chinese characters......Page 27
Part A: Structures......Page 28
1. Overview of pronunciation and Pinyin romanization......Page 30
2. Syllable, meaning, and word......Page 33
3. The Chinese writing system: an overview......Page 39
4. Phrase order in the Mandarin sentence......Page 44
5. Nouns......Page 49
6. Numbers......Page 55
7. Specifiers and demonstratives......Page 66
8. Classifiers......Page 70
9. Noun phrases......Page 76
10. Adjectival verbs......Page 83
11. Stative verbs......Page 88
12. Modal verbs......Page 96
13. Action verbs......Page 103
14. Prepositions and prepositional phrases......Page 109
15. Adverbs......Page 116
16. Conjunctions......Page 124
17. The passive......Page 127
Part B: Situations and functions......Page 132
18. Names, kinship terms, titles, and terms of address......Page 134
19. Introductions......Page 148
20. Greetings and goodbyes......Page 152
21. Basic strategies for communication......Page 161
22. Telecommunications and e-communications: telephones, the internet, beepers, and faxes......Page 168
23. Negating information......Page 173
24. Asking questions and replying to questions......Page 179
25. Expressing identification, possession, and existence......Page 192
26. Describing people, places, and things......Page 198
27. Describing how actions are performed......Page 208
28. Indicating result, conclusion, potential, and extent......Page 213
29. Making comparisons......Page 225
30. Talking about the present......Page 242
31. Talking about habitual actions......Page 247
32. Talking about the future......Page 250
33. Indicating completion and talking about the past......Page 253
34. Talking about change, new situations, and changing situations......Page 263
35. Talking about duration and frequency......Page 270
36. Expressing additional information......Page 278
37. Expressing contrast......Page 283
38. Expressing sequence......Page 287
39. Expressing simultaneous situations......Page 295
40. Expressing cause and effect or reason and result......Page 299
41. Expressing conditions......Page 305
42. Expressing ‘both,’ ‘all,’ ‘every,’ ‘any,’ ‘none,’ ‘not any,’ and ‘no matter how’......Page 309
43. Expressing location and distance......Page 318
44. Talking about movement, directions, and means of transportation......Page 329
45. Talking about clock time and calendar time......Page 337
46. Expressing obligations and prohibitions......Page 349
47. Expressing commands and permission......Page 355
48. Expressing ability and possibility......Page 359
49. Expressing desires, needs, preferences, and willingness......Page 362
50. Expressing knowledge, advice, and opinions......Page 365
51. Expressing fear, worry, and anxiety......Page 371
52. Expressing speaker attitudes and perspectives......Page 375
53. Topic, focus, and emphasis......Page 379
54. Guest and host......Page 388
55. Giving and responding to compliments......Page 391
56. Expressing satisfaction and dissatisfaction......Page 393
57. Expressing gratitude and responding to expressions of gratitude......Page 397
58. Invitations, requests, and refusals......Page 399
59. Expressing apologies, regrets, sympathy, and bad news......Page 407
60. Expressing congratulations and good wishes......Page 411
Index......Page 415