請教您這個句子：

The elephant would be a much better animal to use to describe the person.

請問可以寫成這樣嗎？

The elephant would be a much better animal to be used to describe the person.

不定詞當形容詞後面接主動或被動如何判斷？

感謝您的說明。

我簡單回答你的問題

1. 英文在敘事或講述故事時，常用過去式表達，此時歐美的讀者的思緒會被帶到過去，感覺故事非常有臨場感。

在這種情況下，所有故事當下的時態都是平常使用的現在時態往回(過去)退一格。

2. However, when Romeo learned that Juliet was a Capulet and therefore his enemy, he wished that it had not been true.

這句話使用的時態並無不妥之處。想像自己搭乘時光機回到當時，這句話就變成:

When Romeo learns that Juliet is a Capulet and therefore his enemy, he wishes that it were not true.

When - 是指’當下 / 一…就’ 所以 learn 和 wish 幾乎是同時發生，沒有必要區分發生的時間先後

再者，wish 這邊是指希望 (不可能的事實)，常見的例句有

I wish I had a yacht. / I wish I spoke French. (用過去式)

wish 如果是指非事實的過去，時態還要再往前一步

I wish you hadn’t done that. (用過去完成式)

Now he wishes he had gone to university. (用過去完成式)

這句話可以改成:
When Romeo learns that Juliet is a Capulet and therefore his enemy, he wishes that she were not a Capulet.

這樣就可以看清楚來龍去脈，wish 後面講的就是”不可能的事實”

因此，整句返回到過去式之後就變成 (所有時態都要退一格)
When Romeo learned that Juliet was a Capulet and therefore his enemy, he wished that it had not been true.

感謝您的答覆。

想再向您請教以下問題，節錄文章一段如下：
One day, Romeo, the son of the Montagues, saw Juliet, the beautiful daughter of the Capulets, at a party. Immediately, he fell madly in love with her. However, when Romeo learned that Juliet was a Capulet and therefore his enemy, he wished that it had not been true.

最後一句是否應改為：
…when Romeo had learned that Juliet was a Capulet and therefore his enemy, he wished that it were not true.

我認為learn早於wish，理應用had learned，還是不需要？
另外，一般人都以為現在式就用現在事實相反假設句，句子為過去式就用過去事實相反假設句，但Romeo wished…的「當下」，兩家仍為宿敵的事實仍存在，理應用it were not true而不是 it had not been true，請問版主的看法為何？

感謝您的答覆。

1. in recent months/years - “in”在此表示 “在某段時間內 (during a period of time)”，因此只能使用(過去/現在)完成式

2. recently - 表示過去的一個時間點，因此可用過去式或完成式 (強調事情的結果)

下面是 Greenspan 在他自傳中的例句

Based on what we’d learned in recent years about inflation expectations, I said, “if the Federal Reserve waits until actual inflation worsens before taking countermeasures, it would have
waited too long.

Japan in recent years has had to struggle back from the stock-market and real estate crash of 1990.

In recent decades, as urbanization has encroached on rural China, local authorities have seized enormous expanses, granting as compensation only a small fraction of what the land would be worth as part of an urban enclave.

3. The boys have done very well, winning applause, building self-confidence, and developing a love of gymnastics.
英文中這種分詞構句很常見，主要是連接兩個句子，讓句子更精簡，目的是要隱約表示 “原因或結果”。

所以你舉的句子其實可寫成

The boys have done very well. They won applause, built self-confidence, and developed a love of gymnastics.

The boys have done very well because they won applause, built self-confidence, and developed a love of gymnastics.

學會使用這種句型，你的英文寫作能力會大幅提升。

瀏覽您的網站讓我受益匪淺。想向您請教以下問題：

1.recently依過去學習經驗告訴我們可用於過去式或現在完成式。請問in recent months, in recent years是否只能用於現在完成式？
2.可否分析以下句子：
The boys have done very well, winning applause, building self-confidence, and developing a love of gymnastics.
此句後半用用分詞結構，如果不要用分詞原句應為何？

煩請撥冗答覆。Thanks for your help.

listen = pay attention to what someone is saying or a sound you can hear

所以 listen 是’注意聽’ 的意思

我們會說 listen to music / listen to the radio (注意： listen 後面都會接 to + 受詞)

listen 沒有接任何東西的情況有兩種：

1. 叫對方注意

Listen, we must get out of here. They’re trying to kill us.

2. (某人不願意聽 / 接受意見)

I told him not to go, but he just wouldn’t listen.

“Thanks for your listening.” 版主不清楚你要說什麼

1. your 根本是多於 (Thanks = Thank you)

2. 空中英語教室的老師常說：Thanks for joining us today.

其他例句還有
Thanks for being here today.
Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule.
Thank you for your patronage. (台北捷運終站的廣播)

建議你多看多聽多背頌文章去培養英文的語感，這是學習英文的不二法則。

另外我想請教一個問題….
”thanks for your listening”這句話到底正不正確?
我的外籍老師說不對可是並沒有解釋

不好意思麻煩您了~^^

I am really glad to know you and thank you for sharing those information to everybody who really want to learn a better English skill !!!

Wish you and your family are happiness everyday ….

Best regards
Jason