什么是“two-year-old”?
“two-year-old”是一个带有连字符的复合形容词,用于描述年龄为两岁的人或物。它通常放在名词前作定语,例如:
- a two-year-old child(一个两岁的孩子)
- a two-year-old dog(一只两岁的狗)
何时使用连字符?
当多个词组合起来修饰一个名词,并且位于该名词之前时,需要用连字符连接,构成一个整体形容词。例如:
- ✅ She has a two-year-old son.
- ❌ She has a two year old son.(缺少连字符,不符合规范)
但若这些词出现在名词之后作表语,则不需要连字符:
- ✅ Her son is two years old.
- ❌ Her son is two-years-old.(错误用法)
常见错误与注意事项
- 数词变化:作定语时,“year”用单数;作表语时,“year”用复数(如 two years old)。
- 不可拆分:“two-year-old”作为一个整体,不能随意去掉连字符或改变词序。
- 泛指 vs 特指:可作名词使用,如 “The two-year-old cried.”(那个两岁的小孩哭了。)
更多示例
- They adopted a three-year-old girl.
- The car is only one year old.
- As a five-year-old, he could already read.