Speed Up Your Chinese: Strategies to Avoid Common Errors

Cover......Page 1
Speed Up Your Chinese......Page 2
Title Page......Page 4
Copyright Page......Page 5
Table of Contents......Page 7
Introduction......Page 10
Glossary of grammatical terms......Page 13
Abbreviations......Page 17
§1. Sentences with a descriptive adjective......Page 18
§2. Sentences expressing location and existence......Page 20
§3. When an activity’s location is specified......Page 22
§4. ‘Be there’ or ‘go there’: [zài-location + VP] or [qù location + VP]
......Page 24
§5. Basic word order of an extended [Subj. + VP] sentence......Page 26
§6. Structures of comparison (i): contrast, with  bĭ......Page 29
§7. Structures of comparison (ii): similarity......Page 32
§8. Structures of comparison (iii): behavior......Page 35
§9. The bă construction (i): its usage......Page 38
§10. The bă construction (ii): other elements and the verb phrase......Page 40
§11. The passive construction......Page 43
Check your grammar......Page 46
§12. Conjunctions linking compound clauses (i): If . . . , then . . .......Page 48
§13. Conjunctions linking compound clauses (ii): Both . . . and . . .......Page 50
§14. Conjunctions linking compound clauses (iii): Although . . . , (but) . . .......Page 51
§15. Sentences expressing simultaneous actions......Page 53
§16. Actions in a sequence: xiān VP1, zài VP2......Page 56
§17. ‘As soon as . . . , then . . .’: yī VP1, jiù VP2......Page 58
§18. Yes/no questions and answers......Page 60
§19. Structures with interrogative words: questions and answers......Page 63
§20. The object clauses of the verb zhīdào ‘know’......Page 67
§21. The two ors: a question or a statement?......Page 70
Check your grammar......Page 73
§22. Time phrases (i): when (chronological) vs. how long (durational)......Page 75
§23. Time phrases (ii): periods of the day vs. a.m./p.m.......Page 78
§24. Time phrases in a sentence......Page 80
§25. Time phrase (iii): . . . de shíhou......Page 85
§26. Time phrase (iv): yĭqián......Page 86
§27. Time phrase (v): shíshíkèkè......Page 88
§28. V- le: completed action......Page 90
§29. Emphasis on complements: the shì . . . de pattern......Page 93
§30. Completed action vs. its complements: V- le vs. shì . . . de......Page 97
§31. Adverbs cái and jiù (i): after a time phrase......Page 101
§32. Adverbs cái and jiù (ii): after a prior action......Page 104
§33. Action lasting to a certain point: V- dào + time phrase......Page 106
Check your grammar......Page 108
§34. Modifier + de (i): adjectives as modifiers of nouns......Page 110
§35. Modifier + de (ii): clauses as modifiers of nouns......Page 112
§36. Location phrases......Page 114
§37. Definite and indefinite references of nouns......Page 117
§38. Forms of action verbs......Page 120
§39. Verb-object compounds......Page 123
§40. When a verb-object compound involves another object......Page 126
§41. Simple verbs vs. verb-verb compounds......Page 128
§42. Verb complements (i): resultative......Page 131
§43. Verb complements (ii): directional......Page 133
§44. Verb-verb compounds: actual and potential forms......Page 135
§45. To describe an action’s manner or degree......Page 139
Check your grammar......Page 142
§46. Distinguishing the three homonyms: de1, de2, and de3
......Page 144
§47. ‘A little’: yìdiănr vs. yǒuyìdiănr
......Page 147
§48. Conjunctions hé/ gēn vs. adverb yě......Page 150
§49. ‘Some’: yìxiē vs. yŏude......Page 152
§50. ‘Each’: měi-Mea-N vs. měi-N......Page 154
§51. ‘All’: adverb dōu vs. adjective suŏyŏude......Page 157
§52. The preposition cóng and the prepositional phrase cóng X dào Y......Page 160
§53. The position of the adverb: after the subject and before the verb......Page 163
§54. The subject and the correlating adverb jiù......Page 165
§55. Verb-object compound shuì-jiào vs. verb-verb compound shuì-zháo
......Page 167
§56. Mandarin variations on the English verb ‘ask’......Page 169
§57. Auxiliary verbs huì, néng, and kěyĭ......Page 171
§58. Cognitive verbs zhīdào and rènshi......Page 173
Check your grammar......Page 175
Answer key to exercises......Page 177
Appendix: Examples in traditional characters......Page 188
Bibliography......Page 206
Index......Page 208