Difference between revisions of "The "shi... de" construction for emphasizing details"
| Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
Subject + 是 + <strong>information to emphasized</strong> + Verb + 的 | Subject + 是 + <strong>information to emphasized</strong> + Verb + 的 | ||
| + | |||
| + | </div> | ||
| + | |||
| + | This structure can be used to emphasise any detail, but most commonly it emphasises time, manner, or place. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Some examples: | ||
| + | |||
| + | <div class="liju"> | ||
| + | |||
| + | * 我们 <em>是</em> ''昨天'' 来 <em>的</em>。 <span class="expl">This sentence emphasizes that it was ''yesterday'' that we arrived.</span> | ||
| + | * 他 <em>是</em> ''去年'' 到 北京 去 <em>的</em>。 <span class="expl">The emphasis here is on ''last year''</span> | ||
| + | |||
| + | * 她 <em>是</em> ''坐 飞机'' 去 美国 <em>的</em>。 <span class="expl">This sentence emphasis the fact that she went to America ''by plane''.</span> | ||
| + | * 他 <em>是</em> ''跟 他 朋友'' 唱歌 <em>的</em>。 <span class="expl">That he sang ''with his friends'' is emphasized.</span> | ||
| + | |||
| + | * 我 <em>是</em> ''在 英国'' 学 英文 <em>的</em>。 <span class="expl">''In Britain'' is emphasized here.</span> | ||
| + | * 你 <em>是</em> ''在 中国'' 出生 <em>的</em>。 <span class="expl">''In China'' is emphasized here.</span> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
Revision as of 09:36, 8 August 2011
| This article is a stub. Editors can help the Chinese Grammar Wiki by expanding it. |
- Also known as: 是⋯⋯的结构 (shì ... de jiégòu), 是 ... 的 sentence and 是 ... 的 pattern.
The 是 ... 的 construction appears commonly in Chinese and is used to draw particular attention to certain information in a sentence. It's often used to respond to questions that seek specific information, or to explain a situation by emphasising a particular detail.
Contents
Basic 是 ... 的 structure
A 是 ... 的 sentence is formed with this structure:
Subject + 是 + information to emphasized + Verb + 的
This structure can be used to emphasise any detail, but most commonly it emphasises time, manner, or place.
Some examples:
- 我们 是 昨天 来 的。 This sentence emphasizes that it was yesterday that we arrived.
- 他 是 去年 到 北京 去 的。 The emphasis here is on last year
- 她 是 坐 飞机 去 美国 的。 This sentence emphasis the fact that she went to America by plane.
- 他 是 跟 他 朋友 唱歌 的。 That he sang with his friends is emphasized.
- 我 是 在 英国 学 英文 的。 In Britain is emphasized here.
- 你 是 在 中国 出生 的。 In China is emphasized here.
Picking out different details with 是 ... 的
When to use 是 ... 的
"The situation is that"
"It was ... that ..."
Negating 是 ... 的
是 ... 的 and questions
是 is often optional
Where to put 的 in a 是 ... 的 construction
Sources and further reading
Books
- Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 587 - 594)
Websites
- University website: The shi ... de construction
- East Asia Student: The 是 … 的 construction in Mandarin
