Friday, April 3, 2015

Rhetorical Question (Part.2) -- Positive or negative statement

Rhetorically, a negative question is used to make a positive statement but a positive question is used to make a negative statement. Please take a look of the following two examples:

(Situation: Mr. Wang wants to buy a fancy car but Mrs. Wang points out that they can not afford such as car.)
  • 王先生:这个车真不错,咱们怎么不买一辆呀?This car is really nice. Why don't we get one?!
  • 王太太:谁不想买这种车?可是,咱们有这个钱吗?Who doesn't want to buy a car like this? But, do we have the money?
(Situation: Two brothers are fighting over some money left on the table. The younger one insists that money belongs to him and the older one uses a rhetorical question to say he can not prove it.)
  • 弟弟:谁说这些钱不是我的?Who said the money was not mine?
  • 哥哥:你说是你的,就是你的吗?上面写着你的名字了吗? You said it's yours, and then are they really yours? Is your name written on it?
Please figure out the meaning of the following sentences:

  • 这么好的天气,你能不喜欢吗?
  • 你怎么会不知道Mark Zuckerberg呢?
  • 这么重要的日子,你怎么忘记了呢?
  • 这不就是新来的老板吗?
Please chose the RQ which matches the meaning of the statement:
  1. 父母最爱他们的孩子。
    • 父母最疼爱他们的孩子吗?
    • 父母最疼爱的不是他们的孩子。
    • 父母最疼爱的不是他们的孩子吗?
  2. 张先生家庭和事业都很成功,他很幸福。
    • 张先生家庭和事业都很成功,他很幸福吗?
    • 张先生家庭和事业都很成功,他不是很幸福。
    • 张先生家庭和事业都很成功,他不是很幸福吗?
  3. 她生病了,很不舒服。
    • 她生病了,很不舒服吗?
    • 她生病了,怎么能舒服呢?
    • 她生病了,怎么能不舒服呢?
Please change the statement to a RQ by using the structure given:
  1. 这是陈太太。(不是......吗?)
  2. 这是不是Taylor Swift? (不是......吗?)
  3. 今天是星期一,你应该在学校上课呀。(不是......吗?)
  4. 作为学生,你应该努力学习。(不是......吗?)
  5. 他很不开心,你应该看得出来呀。(怎么......)
  6. 这么好的天气,你不应该呆在家。(怎么......)
  7. 都几点了?你该睡觉了!(怎么......)
Please choose the RQ in the following sentences:
1. 这是王老师吗?
2. 这不是王老师。
3. 这不是王老师吗?
4. 这个字怎么写呢?
5. 我怎么会忘了这个字怎么写呢?
6. 这个字怎么读,谁知道呀?
7. 这个字太难了,谁知道呀?
8. 你觉得他说的对吗?
9. 难道你觉得他说的对吗?
10. 这么重的书包,她怎么能提得动呢?
11. 这个书包,她提得动吗?
12. 这么重的书包,难道你觉得她提得动吗?

1 comment:

  1. Yes it's better to learn a language from different perspectives. The listening and speaking are not difficult for me, but the reading and writing are really hard. And I am 17 this year and try to go China next year.

    I have taken the live online lesson to learn it for nearly one year, by real communication with a native-Chinese teacher from eChineseLearning. https://bit.ly/3kkupr5
    As a result, it is good at least for now. Do you have some suggestions to the learning method?

    ReplyDelete