表示“一日三餐”名詞的用法
1. 在通常情況下,表示一日三餐的 breakfast, lunch, supper前不用冠詞。如:
Breakfast is served until 9 a.m. 早餐一直供應到上午9點。
Can you manage lunch on Tuesday? 你星期二能來吃午飯嗎?
與介詞after, at, before, for, over, since, without等搭配時,通常也不用冠詞。如:
I often nod off for a little while after lunch. 我在午飯后常睡一小覺。
At breakfast this morning he said that he would be very busy today. 今天早餐時,他說他今天會很忙。
Please make your beds before breakfast. 請在早飯前把床鋪好。
I nearly always go home for lunch. 我差不多總是回家吃午飯。
She scanned the newspaper over breakfast. 她吃著早飯把報紙大略看了一遍。
I haven’t eaten since breakfast. 我吃了早飯后到現(xiàn)在還什么都沒吃呢。
I had to go without breakfast this morning as I was in a hurry. 我今早很匆忙,只好不吃早飯了。
有時介詞at與介詞during意思相同。如:
It happened at [during] lunch. 此事發(fā)生在吃午飯的時候。
2. 若是特指某一頓早、中、晚餐,則可在其前加定冠詞或甚至其他限定詞。如:
Thank you for the breakfast. 謝謝你的這頓早餐。
Let’s get the supper ready. 咱們把晚飯準備好。
After that breakfast, I never saw her again. 吃了那頓早餐后,我就再沒有看到過她。
3. 若受到描繪性定語的修飾且表示非特指,其前通常要用不定冠詞。如:
We had a working lunch. 我們吃了一頓工作午餐。
I only want a small supper. 晚飯我只想吃一點東西。
He takes a packed lunch to work every day. 他每天帶(盒裝)午飯上班。
After a quick breakfast, he hurried to the station. 匆匆忙忙吃完早餐,他就趕到車站去了。
The walk is expected to last all day so bring a packed lunch. 預計要走一天,所以要帶份準備好的午飯。
We were well primed for the journey with a large breakfast. 為了去旅行,我們早餐都吃得飽飽的。
4. 表示一日三餐的名詞通常是不可數(shù)的,所以當要表示一日三餐具體的“量”時,可用some, much, little等修飾。如:
She doesn’t eat much breakfast. 她早點吃得不多。
She always eats very little supper. 她晚飯總是吃得很少。
We made ourselves some breakfast. 我們自己做了點早飯。
當然,也可不直接用 much, little 等修飾,而換用其他表達。如:
She never eats much for breakfast. 她早點從不多吃。
5. 雖然表示一日三餐的名詞不可數(shù),但有時為了強調(diào)不同種類的飯餐或不同人食用的飯餐時,也可使用復數(shù)形式。如:
Does this pub provide lunches? 這家酒館供應午餐嗎?
Free school lunches are given to children who qualify. 符合條件的兒童可享受免費的午餐。
如果受到these, those等的修飾,自然也要用復數(shù)。如:
I’m used to wine with my meals, so I find these lunches rather unsatisfying. 我習慣于吃飯時喝葡萄酒,因此我覺得這些午飯相當不令人滿意。