VOA慢速：语法专家纽约街头传道解惑

燕山大学 刘立军 编写

u TRANSCRIPT

New Yorkers Enjoy a Little Help with Grammar

The New York City train system has a new unofficial stop - for people who love grammar... or even just have questions about it.

English language expert Ellen Jovin has put together an unusual "classroom." There is a foldable table, books, a smile and a deep knowledge of grammar. She calls it Grammar Table. Jovin sits at the table in the subway and on city streets.

She smiles and waits for people to come by with grammar questions. Usually, she catches the interest of a lot of people.

"Hello! Welcome to Grammar Table!"

"Grammar Table! I love it. I love it! It's hot."

More than one billion people in the world speak English. Another two billion are in the process of learning it - or trying to.

But English grammar rules frighten many - even native English speakers. Jovin's mission is to help people who find themselves afraid of or confused by the world of English.

Jovin is a linguist. She has worked to spread her love for the English language for a long time. She has taught grammar to business professionals and writing at universities. She is also a published writer.

Jovin also owns a business communication training company with her husband. Online and traditional classes are her life. But she decided to make things interesting and take her knowledge to the streets and subways of New York.

"I put the sign up and it took 30 seconds for someone to come up and ask me a question: How many words do I think Donald Trump knows?" Though that is more of a political question, Jovin believes understanding language structure rules will help people around the world understand each other better.

On one recent day, a man came up to Jovin's Grammar Table with a question about nouns.

"But I have read that it's a collective noun. Is that what you're calling it?"

"Yeah. So, it's a special case. We can make special cases, right? Or do you want everything to be consistent?"

The Grammar Table appeals to all kinds of people for whom English is filled with mysteries: students and older people, engineers and house cleaners, actors and even other language experts. Some of the most popular questions, Jovin says, are about commas. "For example, if I say, ‘He ordered salad, spaghetti and soda,' right before the ‘and,' you can put a comma if you want in English. And it's called the Oxford comma or sometimes the serial comma."

New York subway riders have accepted Jovin with warmth and interest. Musicians, policemen and even English teachers often stop by for a friendly chat.

Walter Skrepnick is a teacher of English literature. He recently shared his thoughts about Grammar Table.

"Things like that - that deal with language, that deal with culture - it's refreshing from some of the other things that go on."

But not all questions are about English - or even in English. Jovin can speak and understand several languages: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, French, Chinese, Korean and Japanese. And she is trying to learn a few others, too.

I'm Alice Bryant.

Adapted from http://www.kekenet.com/broadcast/201901/576566.shtml

u VOCABULARY

1. foldable adj. 可折叠的； 可合拢的。例如：The foldable powered cycle is one safe and light riding tool. 一种可折叠动力车, 是非常安全、轻便、实用的代步工具, 方便出行。

2. consistent adj. (approving) always behaving in the same way, or having the same opinions, standards, etc. 一致的；始终如一的。例如：

l She's not very consistent in the way she treats her children. 她对待孩子反复无常。

l He has been Milan's most consistent player this season. 他是米兰队这个赛季状态最稳定的队员。

l We must be consistent in applying the rules. 我们在实施这些规则时必须保持一致。

l a consistent approach to the problem解决问题的一贯方法

3. stop by: stop by (sth.) to make a short visit somewhere 过去坐坐；顺路造访。例如：

l I'll stop by this evening for a chat. 今晚我想过去聊聊。

l Could you stop by the store on the way home for some bread? 回家时你能不能顺路进那家店里买点面包？

u QUESTIONS

Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.

What’s the purpose of Jovin’s Grammar Table?

 To help people who are confused by the world of English.

 To help people who are poor in English.

 To help people who are planning to do business with English people.  

 To help people who wants to be a writer in English.

Which of the following statements about Jovin is FALSE?

 She owns a business communication training company with her husband

 She has taught grammar to business professionals and writing at universities.

 She is a published writer.

 She is a linguist, and she can speak several languages besides Russian.

Why did Jovin take her knowledge to the streets and subways of New York?

 To make money for charity.

 To become famous.

 To make things interesting.

 To advertise for her company.

What are the most popular questions about?

 The usage of English period.

 The usage of English commas.

 The usage of English quotation marks.

 The usage of English hyphen.

u KEY

A。细节题。命题出处：But English grammar rules frighten many - even native English speakers. Jovin's mission is to help people who find themselves afraid of or confused by the world of English.

D。推断题。命题出处： Jovin is a linguist. She has worked to spread her love for the English language for a long time. She has taught grammar to business professionals and writing at universities.  She is also a published writer.  Jovin also owns a business communication training company with her husband. Online and traditional classes are her life. … But not all questions are about English - or even in English. Jovin can speak and understand several languages: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, French, Chinese, Korean and Japanese.  And she is trying to learn a few others, too.

C。细节题。命题出处：But she decided to make things interesting and take her knowledge to the streets and subways of New York.

B。细节题。命题出处：The Grammar Table appeals to all kinds of people for whom English is filled with mysteries: students and older people, engineers and house cleaners, actors and even other language experts. Some of the most popular questions, Jovin says, are about commas. "For example, if I say, ‘He ordered salad, spaghetti and soda,' right before the ‘and,' you can put a comma if you want in English. And it's called the Oxford comma or sometimes the serial comma."