"his mother is very old" "a ripe old age" "how old are you?"
"old tradition" "old house" "old wine" "old country" "old friendships" "old money"
"good old boy" "same old story"
"an old offender" "the older soldiers"
"erstwhile friend" "our former glory" "the once capital of the state" "her quondam lover"
"a real honest-to-god live cowboy" "had us a high old time" "went upriver to look at a sure-enough fish wheel"
"Old English is also called Anglo Saxon" "Old High German is High German from the middle of the 9th to the end of the 11th century"
"the previous owner" "my old house was larger"
误 The three years old boy can dress himself.
正 The three-year-old boy can dress himself.
正 The boy three years old can dress himself.
析 当“1以上的基数词+表时间〔年龄〕的名词+old”结构用作前置定语时,其名词一般用单数形式,且词与词之间需用连字符。
得奖的学生是一个19岁的女孩。误 The student who won the prize was a girl of nineteen years old.
正 The student who won the prize was a girl of nineteen.
析 用“of+数字”表达年龄时,数字后不接years old。
最大的女儿干所有的活。误 The oldest daughter does all the housework.
正 The eldest daughter does all the housework.
析 在家庭成员中的同一辈中“长幼”关系应该用elder和eldest,而不用older和oldest。
作为一个政界元老,他很受尊敬。误 An older statesman, he is held in great respect.
正 An elder statesman, he is held in great respect.
析 表示“资格老,地位高”,不能用older,而要用elder。
我比我弟弟大三岁。误 I'm elder than my younger brother by three years.
正 I'm older than my younger brother by three years.
析 就年龄的大小进行比较时,应该用older,而不是elder。elder不能用作表语。
他太老了,不能做太多的工作。误 He is too aged to do so much work.
正 He is too old to do so much work.
析 aged作“年老的”解时常用作定语,如an aged man,不能用作表语。
太极拳是一项老少皆宜的运动。误 Taijiquan is an activity for the old and young.
正 Taijiquan is an activity for the young and old.
析 汉语习惯说“老幼”,英语则习惯说“幼老”。
