Ebook: Modern Mandarin Chinese grammar: a practical guide

Contents note continued: 25.7. Providing information about the identification of Chinese characters -- 25.8. Signaling that you are following the speaker -- 25.9. Interrupting a speaker -- 25.10. Using fillers -- 25.11. Formal development of a topic -- 26. Telecommunications and e-communications: telephones, the internet, and faxes -- 26.1. Making and receiving phone calls; sending and receiving faxes and email messages -- 26.2. Dialing a number and entering a number -- 26.3. Using the internet -- 26.4. Telephone etiquette -- 26.5. Writing and reciting phone numbers and fax numbers -- 27. Negating information -- 27.1. Negation of verbs and verb phrases -- 21.2. The relative order of negation and adverbs -- 27.3. Words that occur with negation -- 27.4.bu in resultative and directional verbs -- 27.5. Literary markers of negation: wu and fei -- 28. Asking questions and replying to questions -- 28.1. Yes-no questions -- 28.2. Asking for agreement.;Machine generated contents note: pt. A Structures -- 1. Overview of pronunciation and Pinyin romanization -- 1.1. The Mandarin syllable -- 1.2. Pinyin romanization -- 2. Syllable, meaning, and word -- 2.1. The special status of the Mandarin syllable -- 2.2. Multi-syllable tendency in Mandarin words -- 2.3. Word-specific tone changes -- 2.4. Change to neutral tone -- 2.5. Incorporating foreign words and naming foreign objects -- 3. The Chinese writing system: an overview -- 3.1. Traditional and simplified characters -- 3.2. The structure of Chinese characters: the radical and the phonetic -- 3.3. The traditional classification of characters -- 3.4. Character stroke order: bishun -- 4. Phrase order in the Mandarin sentence -- 4.1. Basic phrase order -- 4.2. The position of direct and indirect objects -- 4.3. The position of prepositional phrases -- 4.4. The position of location phrases -- 4.5. The position of 'time when' phrases.;Contents note continued: 34. Talking about the present -- 34.1. Time expressions that indicate present time -- 34.2. Using zai and zhengzai to indicate ongoing actions in present time -- 34.3. Using the final particle ne to indicate ongoing situations in present time -- 34.4. Using zhe to emphasize ongoing duration or an ongoing state in the present time -- 34.5. Indicating present time by context -- 34.6. Negation in present time situations -- 34.7. Talking about actions that begin in the past and continue to the present -- 34.8. Describing situations that are generally true -- 35. Talking about habitual actions -- 35.1. Expressing habitual time with the word mei 'every/each' -- 35.2. Expressing habitual time with tiantian and niannian -- 35.3. Adverbs that describe habitual action -- 36. Talking about the future -- 36.1. Time words that refer to future time -- 36.2. Adverbs that refer to future time -- 36.3. Indicating future time with the modal verb hui.;Contents note continued: 7.4. Question words that correspond to specifiers -- 8. Classifiers -- 8.1. The structure of phrases involving classifiers -- 8.2. Choosing the classifier -- 8.3. Omission of the head noun -- 8.4. Classifiers that occur without a noun -- 8.5. Money and prices -- 9. Noun phrases -- 9.1. Modifying a noun with a specifier and/or number -- 9.2. Modifying a noun with all other modifiers: modification with de -- 9.3. Omission of the particle de -- 9.4. Noun modifiers in a series -- 9.5. Omission of the head noun -- 9.6. Modification with Z zhi -- 10. Adjectival verbs -- 10.1. Negation of adjectival verbs -- 10.2. Yes--no questions with adjectival verbs -- 10.3. Modification by intensifiers -- 10.4. Two-syllable preference -- 10.5.Comparative meaning -- 10.6. Superlative meaning -- 10.7. Adjectival verbs and comparison structures -- 10.8. Linking adjectival verbs -- 10.9. Adjectival verbs and expressions that indicate change over time -- 10.10. Adjectival verbs and sentence final le.;Contents note continued: 62.1. Invitations -- 62.2. Requests -- 62.3. Refusals -- 62.4. Abandoning a request -- 63. Expressing apologies, regrets, sympathy, and bad news -- 63.1. Apologies and regrets -- 63.2. Expressing sympathy -- 63.3. Conveying bad news -- 64. Expressing congratulations and good wishes -- 64.1. General expressions of congratulations and good wishes -- 64.2. Fixed phrases of congratulations and good wishes for special events -- 64.3. Replying to expressions of congratulations and good wishes.;Contents note continued: 31. Describing how actions are performed -- 31.1. Describing the general or past performance of an action with a manner adverbial phrase -- 31.2. Asking about the performance of an action -- 31.3. Describing the performance of an entire action with an adverbial modifier -- 32. Indicating result, conclusion, potential, and extent -- 32.1. Indicating the result or conclusion of an action with resultative verbs -- 32.2. Indicating the ability to reach a conclusion or result: the potential infixes de and bu -- 32.3. Summary of the functions of resultative verbs -- 32.4. Indicating the ability to perform the verb: the potential suffixes deliao and buliao -- 32.5. Resultative suffixes with special meanings or properties -- 32.6. Indicating the extent or result of a situation -- 33. Making comparisons -- 33.1. Similarity -- 33.2. Difference -- 33.3. More than -- 33.4. Less than -- 33.5.Comparative degree -- 33.6. Superlative degree -- 33.7. Relative degree.;Contents note continued: 4.6. The relative order of the 'time when' phrase and the location phrase -- 4.7. The position of adverbs -- 4.8. The position of negation -- 4.9. The position of duration phrases -- 4.10. Order within the noun phrase -- 4.11. Phrase order in questions -- 4.12. The position of aspect particles -- 5. Nouns -- 5.1.Common nouns -- 5.2. Pronouns -- 5.3. Proper nouns -- 6. Numbers -- 6.1. Mandarin numbers 0--99 -- 6.2. Number 100 and higher -- 6.3. Formal characters for numbers -- 6.4. Ordinal numbers -- 6.5. Estimates and approximations -- 6.6. Fractions, percentages, decimals, half, and multiples -- 6.7. Lucky and unlucky numbers -- 6.8. Numbers used in phrases and expressions -- 6.9.yi as a marker of sequence -- 6.10. Numbers that are used as words -- 7. Specifiers and demonstratives -- 7.1.zhe 'this' and na 'that' as demonstratives -- 7.2.zhe, zhei 'this/these' and na, nei 'that/those' as specifiers -- 7.3.zher and zheli 'here', nar and nail 'there';Contents note continued: 14.2. Basic functions of prepositions -- 14.3. Prepositions that also function as verbs -- 15. Adverbs -- 15.1. General properties of adverbs -- 15.2. Adverbs with logical function: ye, dou, hai, jiu, zhi, and cai -- 16. Conjunctions -- 16.1. Conjunctions that indicate an 'additive' or 'and' relationship -- 16.2. Conjunctions that indicate a disjunctive or 'or' relationship -- 17. Aspect -- 17.1. Perfective aspect -- 17.2. Durative aspect -- 17.3. Experiential aspect -- 17.4.A comparison of aspectual distinctions -- 18. Resultative verbs -- 18.1. Structure of resultative verbs -- 18.2. Action verb heads -- 18.3. Resultative suffixes -- 18.4. Resultative verbs in affirmative and negative sentences -- 18.5. Asking yes--no questions with resultative verbs -- 18.6. The potential form of resultative verbs -- 18.7. Resultative suffixes with figurative or idiomatic meaning -- 19. Directional verbs -- 19.1. Structure of directional verbs -- 19.2. Motion verbs.;Contents note continued: 22. Names, kinship terms, titles, and terms of address -- 22.1. Names: xingming -- 22.2. Kinship terms -- 22.3. Titles -- 22.4. Addressing others -- 22.5. Addressing new acquaintances and negotiating terms of address -- 22.6. Name cards and business cards -- 22.7. Addressing letters and envelopes -- 23. Introductions -- 23.1. The general format of introductions -- 23.2. Sample introductions -- 23.3.Common occupations and fields of study -- 24. Greetings and goodbyes -- 24.1. Greetings in conversations -- 24.2. Saying goodbye in conversations -- 24.3. Greetings and goodbyes in letters -- 25. Basic strategies for communication -- 25.1. Attracting someone's attention -- 25.2. Responding to a call for attention -- 25.3. Checking whether people have understood you -- 25.4. Indicating understanding or lack of understanding -- 25.5. Requesting repetition or clarification of spoken language -- 25.6. Asking for assistance in identifying a Chinese character.;Contents note continued: 36.4. Verbs that refer to the future -- 37. Indicating completion and talking about the past -- 37.1. Marking an action as complete: perfective aspect le -- 37.2. Talking about sequence with perfective le -- 37.3. Indicating that an action did not occur in the past -- 37.4. Asking whether an action has occurred -- 37.5. Indicating that an action occurred again in the past: you verb le -- 37.6. Talking about past experience: verb suffix guo -- 37.7.Comparing the aspect markers guo and le -- 37.8. Time words and adverbs that refer to past time -- 37.9. Focusing on a detail of a past event with shi ... de -- 38. Talking about change, new situations, and changing situations -- 38.1. Indicating that a situation represents a change -- 38.2.Comparing sentences with and without sentence final le -- 38.3. Indicating change over time -- 38.4. Nouns and verbs that express change -- 39. Talking about duration and frequency.;Contents note continued: 28.3. Choosing between alternatives with haishi 'either--or' questions -- 28.4. Rhetorical questions -- 28.5. Follow-up questions with ne -- 28.6. Content questions -- 29. Expressing identification, possession, and existence -- 29.1. Expressing identification -- 29.2. Expressing possession -- 29.3. Expressing existence -- 30. Describing people, places, and things -- 30.1. Equational sentences: identifying or describing the subject with a noun phrase in the predicate -- 30.2. Describing the subject with a predicate that is an adjectival verb -- 30.3. Identifying or describing a noun with a modifying phrase -- 30.4. Asking questions about the attributes of a person, place, or thing -- 30.5. Describing an item in terms of the material that it is made of -- 30.6. Describing nouns in terms of attributes that imply comparison -- 30.7. Describing people in terms of age -- 30.8. Describing the weather -- 30.9. Talking about illness and other medical conditions.;Contents note continued: 42.2. Expressing the relationship 'after' in a single sentence -- 42.3. Indicating that one event happens first and another event happens afterwards -- 42.4. Indicating 'afterwards' in a separate sentence -- 42.5.Comparing yiqian 'before' with yihou 'after' -- 43. Expressing simultaneous situations -- 43.1. Indicating that one situation is the background for another situation -- 43.2. Indicating that two actions occur at the same time -- 43.3. Indicating that two actions occur in the same time frame -- 43.4. Describing a subject in terms of two qualities that exist at the same time -- 43.5. Indicating that a situation is reached at a specific point in time -- 43.6. Presenting simultaneous situations -- 44. Expressing cause and effect or reason and result -- 44.1. Expressing cause and effect or reason and result in a single sentence -- 44.2. Introducing the cause or reason -- 44.3. Introducing the effect or result -- 44.4. Inquiring about cause or reason.;Contents note continued: 39.1. Specifying the length of an action with a duration phrase -- 39.2. Emphasizing ongoing duration -- 39.3. Indicating the ongoing duration of a background event -- 39.4. Indicating frequency -- 40. Expressing additional information -- 40.1.ye 'also' -- 40.2.hai 'in addition, also' -- 40.3.hai you 'in addition' -- 40.4.bingqie 'moreover' -- 40.5.zai shuo 'besides, moreover, to put it another way' -- 40.6.er 'and, but' -- 40.7.he and gen 'and' -- 40.8 ... budan ... erqie ... 'not only ... but also ... ' -- 40.9 ... you ... you ... 'both ... and ... ' -- 40.10 ... chule ... yiwai 'besides ... ' -- 40.11.lingwai 'in addition', '(an)other' -- 41. Expressing contrast -- 41.1. Expressing contrast with paired connecting words -- 41.2. Adverbs that indicate contrast -- 41.3. Qualifying a statement with an adjectival verb or stative verb -- 42. Expressing sequence -- 42.1. Expressing the relationship 'before';"Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar is an innovative reference guide to Mandarin Chinese, combining traditional and function-based grammar in a single volume. Divided into two sections closely linked by extensive cross-references, it covers:traditional grammatical categories such as phrase order, nouns, verbs and specifiers language functions and notions such as communication strategies, giving and seeking information, expressing apologies, regrets and sympathies. With all grammar points and functions richly illustrated with examples, and a strong emphasis on contemporary usage, the main features of this Grammar include examples in simplified characters, traditional characters, and romanization (Pinyin) as well as an emphasis on areas of particular difficulty for learners of Mandarin Chinese. This is the ideal reference grammar for learners of Mandarin Chinese at all levels, from elementary to advanced. No prior knowledge of grammatical terminology is assumed and a glossary of grammatical terms is provided. Featuring related exercises and activities, this Grammar is accompanied by the Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar Workbook"-;Contents note continued: 48.7. Asking for and giving directions: sample conversations -- 48.8. Talking about directional movement -- 49. Talking about clock time and calendar time -- 49.1. Clock time -- 49.2. Calendar time -- 50. Expressing obligations and prohibitions -- 50.1. Expressing obligations -- 50.2. Expressing prohibitions: must not, should not -- 51. Expressing commands and permission -- 51.1.Commands -- 51.2. Permission -- 52. Expressing ability and possibility -- 52.1. Expressing ability -- 52.2. Expressing possibility -- 53. Expressing desires, needs, preferences, and willingness -- 53.1. Expressing desires -- 53.2. Expressing needs -- 53.3. Expressing preferences -- 53.4. Expressing willingness -- 54. Expressing knowledge, advice, and opinions -- 54.1. Expressing knowledge -- 54.2. Advice and opinions -- 55. Expressing fear, worry, and anxiety -- 55.1. Expressing fear of something -- 55.2. Expressing nervousness or anxiety -- 55.3. Indicating that something is scary.;Contents note continued: 11. Stative verbs -- 11.1. Negation of stative verbs -- 11.2. Modification by intensifies -- 11.3. Indicating completion, past time, and change of state -- 11.4. The equational verb shi 'be' -- 11.5. The equational verb xing 'be family named' -- 11.6. The verb of possession and existence: you 'have', 'exist' -- 11.7. The location verb zai 'be located at' -- 12. Modal verbs -- 12.1. Expressing possibility: hui -- 12.2. Expressing ability -- 12.3. Expressing permission: keyi -- 12.4. Expressing obligations -- 12.5. Expressing prohibitions -- 12.6. Grammatical properties of modal verbs -- 13. Action verbs -- 13.1. Indicating that an action is complete -- 13.2. Indicating that an action has been experienced in the past -- 13.3. Negating actions -- 13.4. Asking about actions -- 13.5. Open-ended action verbs -- 13.6. Change-of-state action verbs -- 14. Prepositions and prepositional phrases -- 14.1. The grammar of the prepositional phrase in the Mandarin sentence.;Contents note continued: 45. Expressing conditions -- 45.1.'If ... then' conditional sentences -- 45.2.'even if' -- 45.3.'as long as' -- 45.4.'only if', 'unless' -- 45.5.'otherwise' -- 46. Expressing 'both', 'all', 'every', 'any', 'none', 'not any', and 'no matter how' -- 46.1. Expressing 'both' and 'all' -- 46.2. Expressing 'none' -- 46.3. Expressing 'every' -- 46.4. Expressing 'every', 'any', 'not any', and 'no matter how' with question words -- 47. Expressing location and distance -- 47.1. Location -- 47.2. Indicating that an object exists or does not exist at a location -- 47.3. Using location as a description -- 47.4. Talking about distance -- 47.5. Asking about distance -- 48. Talking about movement, directions, and means of transportation -- 48.1. Talking about 'going' and 'coming' -- 48.2. Talking about turning -- 48.3. Talking about crossing -- 48.4. Talking about arriving -- 48.5. Talking about means of transportation -- 48.6. Asking about locations and asking for directions.;Contents note continued: 19.3. Directional suffixes -- 19.4. Sentences with directional verbs -- 19.5. The potential form of directional verbs -- 19.6. Asking yes no questions with directional verbs -- 19.7. Directional verbs and directional suffixes with figurative or idiomatic meaning -- 20.ba sentences: The 'disposal' construction -- 20.1. The structure of ba sentences -- 20.2. Properties of the subject and object in ba sentences -- 20.3. Properties of the verb in ba sentences -- 20.4. Negation in ba sentences -- 20.5. Adverbs and modal verbs in ba sentences -- 21. The passive -- 21.1. The structure of the Mandarin passive -- 21.2. The passive and negation -- 21.3. Conditions for using the passive in Mandarin -- 21.4. Differences between the passive markers bei, jiao, and rang -- 21.5. Additional functions of rang, jiao, and gei -- 21.6. Other Mandarin structures that highlight the affected object and de-emphasize the agent -- pt. B Situations and functions.;Contents note continued: 55.4. Indicating that something scares someone -- 56. Expressing speaker attitudes and perspectives -- 56.1. Interjections -- 56.2. Sentence final particles -- 57. Topic, focus, and emphasis -- 57.1. Introducing a topic -- 57.2. Focus -- 57.3. Emphasis -- 58. Guest and host -- 58.1. Welcoming the guest -- 58.2. Offering food and drink -- 58.3. Inviting the guest to get comfortable -- 58.4. Saying goodbye and seeing the guest off -- 58.5. Additional expressions involving guest and host -- 59. Giving and responding to compliments -- 59.1. Cultural conventions regarding praise -- 59.2. Expressions used in deflecting praise -- 59.3.Compliments and appropriate responses -- 60. Expressing satisfaction and dissatisfaction -- 60.1. Expressing satisfaction -- 60.2. Expressing dissatisfaction -- 61. Expressing gratitude and responding to expressions of gratitude -- 61.1. Expressing gratitude -- 61.2. Replying to expressions of gratitude -- 62. Invitations, requests, and refusals.