Grammar﹕Participial adjectives
【明報專訊】The Chinese New Year is coming. Pat and Dr Panda wonder what the firework display will look like.
Pat: I love the (1) dazzling fireworks! It is one of the things I look foward to in Chinese New Year.
Dr Panda: I'm sure many people share your fascination for fireworks or they won't be so (2) exicited every year at the harbour.
Pat: It's the Year of the Dog. Do you think the fireworks will have the dog pattern this time?
Dr Panda: Oh, I didn't expect you to say so. Aren't you afraid of dogs?
Pat: Well, not all dogs are (3) terrifying. I'm (4) scared only when they bark.
■English highway﹕
Many participles of verb can be used as adjectives. However, the present and the past participles of the same verb describe things differently. The present participles (examples 1 and 3) describe the thing that causes the emotion.
e.g. This rotten cake is disgusting.
The magic show is amazing!
On the other hand, the past participles (examples 2 and 4) describe emotions. They tell us how people feel about something.
e.g. I was surprised to see you here.
Tom was so bored by the book that he felt asleep.
■Now you try
(Answers on next text)
1. Mountain climbing may be ( exhausting / exhausted ), but when you finish, you will feel (satisfying / satisfied ).
2. I was so ( shocking / shocked ) by John's performance. He had never acted in such an ( aspired / aspiring ) way before.
■Glossary
wonder (v) 好奇
dazzling (adj) 炫目的
look forward to (phr v) 期待
expect (v) 預料
[Smarties' Power English 第208期]
