Grammar, the Olympics: Ordinal Numbers, Expressions of Surprise
2022-02-11
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The Winter Olympic games are currently taking place in Beijing, China.
2In celebration of the event, we will explore a couple areas of connection between the Olympic games and grammar.
3You will learn how subjects such as ordinal numbers and sentence fragments help describe the events and results of the competitions.
4When you first learn numbers in English, you generally start with numbers such as one, two, three.
5These are known as cardinal numbers.
6But in the Olympic games, ordinal numbers are of central importance.
7Ordinal numbers suggest an order of things - think the order of winners in the Olympics.
8The three most important ordinal numbers in the Olympics are first, second, and third.
9In other words, gold, silver, and bronze.
10Ordinal numbers can act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
11And when we talk about the Olympics, we use ordinal numbers for all of these purposes.
12Let's explore the noun form first.
13Imagine you hear two English speakers discussing the Olympic games. One might ask:
14"When do the Olympics start?"
15The second person might say:
16"They start on the third."
17Or
18"They start on the second."
19In both cases, the ordinal number is acting like a noun. It means the order of the day in the month.
20You can tell the number is acting like a noun because of the word "the" in front of it. In English, words such as "the" are markers of nouns.
21Ordinal numbers also can act as adverbs.
22In discussions before, during, and after the Olympics, you might hear a person say,
23"That team ranked third in the world last year."
24In this case, the word "third" gives more information about the past tense verb, ranked.
25You might also hear ordinal numbers used to modify adjectives, as in "second largest team..." or "third winningest team...."
26Here is an example of this idea during the opening ceremony.
27The broadcaster describes the "second-largest" delegation.
28"...second-largest Winter delegation in Team U.S. history."
29Finally, you might also hear ordinal numbers used as an adjective.
30In this video, the broadcaster says "...first gold medal ..." and ".... second time Sweden have won the gold..."
31"...And she wins Sweden's first gold medal..."
32"...The second time Sweden have won the gold..."
33Ordinal numbers are one important area of grammar that connects with the Olympics.
34But another area of connection is expressions of surprise with "What..."
35In many cases, these expressions take the form of a sentence fragment.
36A fragment is a kind of sentence that is not complete.
37A complete sentence has a subject and predicate that consists of a verb, objects, and so on.
38An example of a complete sentence is this:
39I love the Olympic games.
40The subject is "I;" the predicate is "love the Olympic games."
41Sentence fragments leave out one of these parts - either the subject or the predicate.
42Fragments are common in everyday speaking, speeches, and news broadcasts about sports, among other situations.
43In the Olympics, these fragments often take the form of expressions of surprise during and after events.
44In the following video, the broadcaster says "What a hectic and unexpected result!"
45"Wow, what a hectic and unexpected result!"
46In this case, the statement does not have a verb.
47It begins with "what..." and continues with a noun phrase - "a hectic and unexpected result."
48You will hear all kinds of these statements during broadcasts of the Olympic games.
49For example, you might hear a person say "What a race!" or "What a beautiful finish!" or "What a finish!"
50The central idea in today's report was to explore an area of connection between an event -- the Olympics -- and an area of grammar.
51When you watch the Olympics - whether on live television or online - pay careful attention to how speakers use ordinal numbers and expressions of surprise.
52Make careful note of what you hear.
53Then, practice using the structures.
54You can also take any other event, celebration, or activity, and think of the areas of grammar that connect to it.
55Doing so will not only help your understanding of grammar, but also make your studies more enjoyable.
56I'm Jonathan
1The Winter Olympic games are currently taking place in Beijing, China. 2In celebration of the event, we will explore a couple areas of connection between the Olympic games and grammar. 3You will learn how subjects such as ordinal numbers and sentence fragments help describe the events and results of the competitions. 4Ordinal numbers 5When you first learn numbers in English, you generally start with numbers such as one, two, three. These are known as cardinal numbers. 6But in the Olympic games, ordinal numbers are of central importance. Ordinal numbers suggest an order of things - think the order of winners in the Olympics. 7The three most important ordinal numbers in the Olympics are first, second, and third. In other words, gold, silver, and bronze. 8Ordinal numbers can act as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. And when we talk about the Olympics, we use ordinal numbers for all of these purposes. 9Let's explore the noun form first. Imagine you hear two English speakers discussing the Olympic games. One might ask: 10"When do the Olympics start?" 11The second person might say: 12"They start on the third." 13Or 14"They start on the second." 15In both cases, the ordinal number is acting like a noun. It means the order of the day in the month. 16You can tell the number is acting like a noun because of the word "the" in front of it. In English, words such as "the" are markers of nouns. 17Ordinal numbers also can act as adverbs. In discussions before, during, and after the Olympics, you might hear a person say, "That team ranked third in the world last year." In this case, the word "third" gives more information about the past tense verb, ranked. 18You might also hear ordinal numbers used to modify adjectives, as in "second largest team..." or "third winningest team...." 19Here is an example of this idea during the opening ceremony. The broadcaster describes the "second-largest" delegation. 20"...second-largest Winter delegation in Team U.S. history." 21Finally, you might also hear ordinal numbers used as an adjective. 22In this video, the broadcaster says "...first gold medal ..." and ".... second time Sweden have won the gold..." 23"...And she wins Sweden's first gold medal..." 24"...The second time Sweden have won the gold..." 25Expressions of surprise 26Ordinal numbers are one important area of grammar that connects with the Olympics. But another area of connection is expressions of surprise with "What..." 27In many cases, these expressions take the form of a sentence fragment. 28A fragment is a kind of sentence that is not complete. A complete sentence has a subject and predicate that consists of a verb, objects, and so on. 29An example of a complete sentence is this: 30I love the Olympic games. 31The subject is "I;" the predicate is "love the Olympic games." 32Sentence fragments leave out one of these parts - either the subject or the predicate. Fragments are common in everyday speaking, speeches, and news broadcasts about sports, among other situations. 33In the Olympics, these fragments often take the form of expressions of surprise during and after events. 34In the following video, the broadcaster says "What a hectic and unexpected result!" 35"Wow, what a hectic and unexpected result!" 36In this case, the statement does not have a verb. It begins with "what..." and continues with a noun phrase - "a hectic and unexpected result." 37You will hear all kinds of these statements during broadcasts of the Olympic games. For example, you might hear a person say "What a race!" or "What a beautiful finish!" or "What a finish!" 38Closing Thoughts 39The central idea in today's report was to explore an area of connection between an event -- the Olympics -- and an area of grammar. 40When you watch the Olympics - whether on live television or online - pay careful attention to how speakers use ordinal numbers and expressions of surprise. Make careful note of what you hear. Then, practice using the structures. 41You can also take any other event, celebration, or activity, and think of the areas of grammar that connect to it. Doing so will not only help your understanding of grammar, but also make your studies more enjoyable. 42I'm Jonathan 43John Russell wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 44_______________________________ 45Words in This Story 46ordinal number - n. a number (such as first, fifth, or 22nd) that is used to show the position of someone or something in a series 47sentence fragment - n. grammar: a group of words that is written out as a sentence but that lacks a subject or verb 48delegation - n. : a group of people who are chosen to vote or act for someone else 49predicate - n. grammar: the part of a sentence that expresses what is said about the subject