(ZT) what is what; which is which; and who is who 的用法

                   what is what; which is which; and who is who

 

       這三個表達在口語中非常常用，由於其結構相同，用法相似，所以經常被弄混。本文擬對其用法區別作一歸納。

 

一、what is what

what’s what在口語中通常與動詞know, learn, show, tell, perceive等連用，其主要用法有：

 

1. 表示“哪個是哪個”。如：

The weeds and the flowers are coming up together, and we can’t tell what is what. 雜草和花長在一起，我們都沒法區別哪是草哪是花。

It will take you a few weeks to learn what’s what in the job. 你要花幾個星期的工夫才能熟悉這項工作。

 

2. 表示“好東西與壞東西”“有用的東西與無用的東西”“青紅皂白”。如：

He can’t tell what’s what. 他好醜不分(from www.hxen.com)。

You’re old enough now to know what’s what. 你已經不小了，應該知道好歹了。

 

3. 表示“什麽事情有用”“什麽事情重要”。如：

She certainly knows what’s what. 她當然知道輕重緩急。

 

4. 表示“事情的真相”“事情的究竟”。如：

I keep my ears open and I know what’s what around the office. 我一直在注意聽，知道辦公室發生的情況。

If he gets angry enough, he’ll tell you what’s what. 假如他生氣到一定的程度，他會告訴你到底是怎麽一回事。

 

5. 表示“事情的訣竅”。如(from www.hxen.com)：

When it comes to cooking, Jenny knows what’s what. 談到烹飪，詹妮是內行。

Linda’s been in the business for thirty years—she knows what’s what. 琳達在這一行當裏幹了30年，很老練了。

 

二、which is which

which is which的意思“哪個是哪個”，通常用於區分兩個十分相似的人或事物，一般與動詞tell, know等連用。如：

You don’t know which is which, do you? 你不知道哪個是哪個，對嗎？

These kittens look exactly alike—how can you tell which is which? 這些小貓看上去一模一樣，你怎麽能分出哪個是哪個?

The twins are so much alike that I can’t tell which is which. 這對雙胞胎長得可真像，我都分不出誰是誰了。

Tag the bottles now or we’ll forget which is which. 把這些瓶子加上標簽，否則的話，我們就忘了哪個是哪個了。

注：有時可用which…is which這樣的形式。如(from www.hxen.com)：

It took three months before we knew which end of the ship was which. 我們花了三個月時間才弄清楚哪是船頭哪是船尾。

 

三、who is who

who is who的意思是“誰是誰”“人們的情況(姓名、工作、身份等)”，通常與動詞know, learn, remember等連用。如：

It was so dark I couldn’t tell who was who. 光線很暗，我分不清哪個是哪個。

I don’t know anyone at this party; you must tell me who’s who. 這晚會上我一個人也不認識，你要告訴我哪個是哪個(即給我作介紹)。

You’ll soon find out who’s who in this department. 你很快就能弄清楚這個部門每個人的情況。

When I go to those family reunions, I can never remember who’s who. 我去參加那些家庭團圓聚會時，從來記不住誰是誰。

注：大寫的Who’s Who意為“名人錄”“名人詞典”。如：

Who’s Who states he retired in 1980. 《名人錄》上說他於1980年退休了。

The guest list reads like a Who’s Who of top American businessmen. 賓客名單讀起來像是美國頂級商人的名人錄。

 

From: http://www.hxen.com/grammar/jiaoxue/2009-08-21/87533.html