Teachers in Hong Kong always ask their students to follow the strict rules of grammar. It is up to the schools, teachers, parents, and students to decide if the emphasis should be on learning English or the rules of English grammar. Many English expressions, especially slang expressions, do not follow grammar rules but are commonly used by native English speakers. I hope teachers remember this too when they force their students to follow the strict rules of grammar. In my column last week I pointed out that Li Wei-ling, the sacked Commercial Radio host who now does an internet radio show for Apple Daily, had made serious allegations against TVB without any proof. I wrote that Li Wei-ling is not a hero of media freedom, as the pan-democrats claim, but a joke.
T
he headline of last week's column was: "She's no hero, she's a joke". Some readers e-mailed to ask me if the expression "She's no hero" is grammatically correct. People who follow the strict rules of grammar would probably say the expression is grammatically incorrect and that it should be "She's not a hero". But they are wrong. Although it is grammatically correct to say "She's not a hero", the expression "She's no hero" is also grammatically correct. In fact, "She's no hero" is more commonly used than "She's not a hero". The Oxford Dictionary lists three definitions for the word "no". In one definition, the word "no" is used to indicate that something is the opposite of what is being specified. The Oxford Dictionary gave this example: "Toby is no fool". This means Toby is a smart person and the opposite of a fool.
A headline last year in the Washington Post said: "Edward Snowden is no hero". The New Yorker magazine also had a headline that said: "Edward Snowden is no hero". Some readers also asked why I did not say "heroine" instead of "hero" since Li Wei-ling is a woman. It is also correct to say "heroine" but the word "hero" can also be gender neutral in casual English. This means it can be used for males and females.
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香港的老師常常要求學生遵守嚴格的文法規則。到底重點應放在學習英語之上，抑或學習英語文法規則，就取決於學校、老師、家長和學生。許多英文習語，尤其是俚語的說法，並不遵從文法規則，卻廣泛為以英語為母語的人所使用。我希望老師在強迫學生緊守文法規則的同時，也能牢記此點。
我在上星期的專欄中指出，那位被商台炒掉、現在為《蘋果日報》做網台節目的主持李慧玲，在沒有證據下向無綫作出嚴重指控。我寫道，李慧玲並非泛民所稱譽的新聞自由英雄，而是個笑話。
上星期專欄的標題是"She's no hero, she's a joke"。有些讀者傳電郵來問我，She's no hero這個說法在文法上正確嗎？那些遵從嚴格文法規則的人，大概會說這個習語在文法上是錯誤的，它應是"She's not a hero"——但他們錯了。雖然"She's not a hero"在文法上是對的，但習語She's no hero也同樣沒有文法上的錯誤。事實上，She's no hero比She's not a hero更常用。牛津詞典就no這個字列出了三個釋義。在其中一個釋義中，no這個字會被用作表示某項被具體指明的事情的相反，牛津詞典就舉了這個例子："Toby is no fool"。意思就是Toby是個精明的人，是傻瓜的相反。
《華盛頓郵報》上年的一個標題是："Edward Snowden is no hero"。《紐約客》雜誌也同樣有着這個標題："Edward Snowden is no hero"。也有些讀者問道，為何我不說"heroine"（英雌）而說"hero"，因為李慧玲是女人。說heroine當然是對的，但在非正式的英語中，hero這個字本身是中性的。即是說，這個字用諸男女皆可。
mickchug@gmail.com
中譯:七刻
Michael Chugani 褚簡寧
Source: http://news.stheadline.com/dailynews/headline_news_detail_columnist.asp?id=298823§ion_name=wtt&kw=126
