威威學長｜英文文法系列
"I want a latte, a mocha, and two coffees."
點餐時聽到 "two coffees"，先別急著判錯。這裡可以指兩杯咖啡；如果只是在談咖啡這種飲料，coffee 通常又是不可數的。
差別在於你數的是什麼。同一份菜單，coffee、tea、milk 可以是在說飲料本身，cup、bottle、can 則把杯數或瓶數說出來。先分清楚物質和份數，後面的用法就比較好理解。
什麼是不可數名詞
| 可數 (Countable) | 不可數 (Uncountable) | |
|---|---|---|
| 能不能加 -s | 可以 | 不行 |
| 能不能用 a/an | 可以 | 不行 |
| 搭配的量詞 | many, few, a few | much, little, a little |
| 例子 | cup, apple, book | water, rice, information |
中文會說「一杯水」「一瓶水」，可以拿來幫忙理解量詞。不過英文的可數、不可數要看這個字在句子裡的用法：把 water 當成水這種物質時，不直接加 a/an 或複數 -s。
菜單本身就是一堂文法課
咖啡廳菜單上，這些字有的是飲品名稱，有的是配料。談它們的成分或物質時，會用到不可數用法；點幾份飲品時，則可能轉成可數：
- espresso：濃縮咖啡
- latte：拿鐵
- mocha：摩卡
- frappuccino：星冰樂
- matcha：抹茶
- caramel：焦糖
- vanilla：香草
- milk：牛奶
- sugar：糖
- ice：冰
- water：水
- cream：奶油
所以 "two milks" 或 "three sugars" 要連情境看：是在點兩份牛奶、三包糖，還是在談牛奶和糖本身？菜單上的尺寸也能幫忙交代份量：
Tall Latte Grande Mocha Venti Iced Americano
"a latte" 可以直接指一杯拿鐵。理解時可以聯想到 "a cup of latte"，但不用硬說它只能是某個完整句子的縮寫。點餐的份數，常由情境交代。
那 "two coffees" 到底對不對
指兩杯或兩份咖啡時可以。想把單位講明白，就說：
- two cups of coffee
- two lattes（直接數兩杯拿鐵）
- two coffees（點餐情境裡可以指兩杯咖啡）
這種把物質當成可數份量的用法，可以用 countification 來理解。作答時看題目的情境，不要只看到 coffee 就把複數一律判錯。
飲料、食物和配料怎麼說
把飲料本身和容器分開看，點餐時就有不同選擇。
Coffee（咖啡）："I'd like some coffee" 談的是要一點咖啡；"a coffee" 在點餐時可以指一杯。要明說杯數就用 "two cups of coffee"。直接點品項時，"a latte" 通常比 "a cup of latte" 簡短。
Tea（茶）："Some hot tea, please" 和 "a tea" 可以依情境選。要冰的說 "iced tea"，去糖說 "without sugar"；Earl Grey、sweet tea 則是在交代喝哪一種茶。
Water（水）：餐廳可能問 "sparkling or still?"。你可以說 "Some sparkling water, please"，或 "a bottle of still water"。"a water" 在點餐時也可能指一份水，不是每個情境都錯。
Juice（果汁）："Orange juice" 裡的 orange 是名詞作修飾語，說明果汁的種類，不能因為放在前面就把它也當成不可數名詞。"a glass of orange juice" 把份量說清楚；換成 apple juice，量詞的用法一樣。
Bread（麵包）："Some bread" 不說明多少；"a slice of bread" 或 "a piece of bread" 則交代一片或一塊。點 banana bread 時，可以看看菜單是不是按 slice 賣。
Rice（飯）："a bowl of rice" 指一碗，"with rice" 或 "with some rice on the side" 表示搭配飯。要數幾碗時，不直接用 "a rice"。
Soup（湯）："A bowl of soup" 和 "a cup of soup" 都用容器說份量。"two soups" 在點餐時可以指兩份；想明確表示兩碗，就說 "two bowls of soup"。
Sugar（糖）：聽到 "Any sugar?"，可以回答 "Just a packet, thanks" 或 "No sugar, thanks"。a packet 是一包，數的是包數。
Milk（牛奶）：加在咖啡裡可以說 "with milk" 或 "with a splash of milk"。要算杯數就說 "two glasses of milk"。
Ice（冰）："I'd like some ice in my drink" 沒有指定顆數；"extra ice" 或 "light on the ice" 則是在調整冰量。冰塊當然可以數，只是要把數的單位說清楚。
讓不可數名詞變可數：加量詞
| 量詞 | 搭配 | 中文 |
|---|---|---|
| a cup of | coffee, tea, water | 一杯 |
| a glass of | juice, milk, wine | 一杯（玻璃杯） |
| a bottle of | water, wine, oil | 一瓶 |
| a piece of | bread, cake, advice | 一片／一條／一個 |
| a slice of | pizza, cheese, cake | 一片（切片的） |
| a bowl of | rice, soup, cereal | 一碗 |
| a can of | soda, beer | 一罐 |
| a scoop of | ice cream | 一球 |
量詞放進句子裡，就長這樣：
- I'd like a cup of coffee, please.
- Can I have two glasses of orange juice?
- She ate three slices of pizza.
- He gave me a piece of advice.
最後的 advice 也要留意。一般說一則建議，用 a piece of advice，不寫 "an advice" 或 "two advices"。
點餐時的判斷流程
還來不及想一整套文法時，先抓一件事：你要的是一些飲料，還是幾杯、幾瓶？
想把份量說清楚，就選 a cup of、a piece of、a slice of 這類量詞。數量加在單位前面。
不指定份量時，下面的肯定句用 some，問句和否定句用 any。這是常見搭配，不代表所有問句都只能用 any。
- I'd like some water.（肯定）
- Do you have any sugar?（問句）
- I don't want any milk.（否定）
問數量：不可數用 how much，可數用 how many。
- How much sugar do you want?
- How many cups do we need?
表達份量：少量用 a little / a few，幾乎沒有用 little / few。
- A little milk, please.（一點點）
- Little milk is left.（快沒了）
把飲料和份量接起來，可以說："Some iced tea with a slice of lemon, thanks."
菜單以外，也要留意的八個字
information、advice 這類字在中文可以說「一個」，到了英文就要換個數法。
| 字 | 別這樣寫 | 這樣才對 |
|---|---|---|
| information | I need some information about the flight. / I have a piece of information for you. | |
| advice | She gave me a lot of advice. / Can I give you a piece of advice? | |
| furniture | We need to buy some new furniture. / The room has three pieces of furniture. | |
| luggage | Please check your luggage. / I have two pieces of luggage.（或 two suitcases） | |
| homework | I have a lot of homework. / The teacher gave us three homework assignments. | |
| money | I don't have much money. / She earns a lot of money. | |
| traffic | There's a lot of traffic today. / The traffic is heavy. | |
| news | I have some good news. / That's a piece of good news. |
news 結尾雖然有 s，這裡仍用不可數名詞的方式搭配。別只看字尾就當成複數。
much / many、a little / a few
| 用在 | 例子 |
|---|---|
| much + 不可數 | much water, much time, much money |
| many + 可數（複數） | many cups, many people, many books |
- How much sugar do you want?（糖不可數）
- How many sugars do you need?（糖包可數，這裡 sugar 被當成「一包糖」的單位了）
- There isn't much milk left.
- There aren't many bottles left.
| 用在 | 語氣 |
|---|---|
| a little + 不可數 | 有一點，著重仍有一些 |
| a few + 可數（複數） | 有幾個，著重仍有一些 |
| little + 不可數 | 幾乎沒有，強調少 |
| few + 可數（複數） | 幾乎沒有，強調少 |
有沒有 a，強調的方向不同，但「有一些」不保證夠用，還是要看情境。
- I have a little money. → 我還有一點錢。
- I have little money. → 我幾乎沒錢了。
- There are a few cookies left. → 還剩幾片餅乾。
- There are few cookies left. → 幾乎沒餅乾了。
練習
一、改寫與改錯
第 1、3 題的點餐說法可以成立，這裡練習改成份量更明確的版本；第 2 題假設要的是切片麵包。第 4、5 題則要修正名詞或量詞搭配。
- "I want a coffee." → "I want some coffee." 或 "I want a cup of coffee."
"Give me two breads."→ "Give me two slices of bread."- "Can I have a water?" → "Can I have a bottle of water?" 或 "Can I have some water?"
"I need an information."→ "I need some information.""How many sugar do you want?"→ "How much sugar do you want?"
對答案時，分清楚是句子本身有錯，還是改寫後把份量說得更清楚。這兩種情況不要混在一起。
二、角色扮演：你在咖啡廳點餐
Barista: Hi! What can I get for you?
You: Hi, can I have a grande latte with a little extra foam?
Barista: Sure. Anything else?
You: Yeah, my friend wants a cup of iced Americano. And can I also get two slices of banana bread?
Barista: Of course. Would you like any sugar with the latte?
You: Just a packet of brown sugar, thanks.
Barista: Anything else? We have a lot of new pastries today.
You: Hmm, how much is the chocolate cake?
Barista: It's $4.50 a slice.
You: I'll take a piece. That's all, thanks.
這段的 a cup of iced Americano、two slices of banana bread 和 a packet of sugar 都在說份量；a lot of new pastries 表示很多糕點。how much is the cake 問的是價格，和蛋糕可不可數無關；最後的 a piece 則省略了已經知道的食物名稱。
三、中翻英
- 我需要一些關於航班的資訊。
- 他給了我一個很好的建議。
- 房間裡沒有多少家具。
- 你想要多少糖？
- 我只剩下一點點時間了。
- 她帶了很多行李。
- 今天路上交通很順暢。
- 這是一個好消息。
參考答案：
- I need some information about the flight.
- He gave me a piece of good advice.
- There isn't much furniture in the room. / There are few pieces of furniture in the room.
- How much sugar do you want?
- I only have a little time left.
- She brought a lot of luggage. / She brought many pieces of luggage.
- There isn't much traffic today. / The traffic is light today.
- This is good news.（news 不可數，不加 a）／a piece of good news
想把 "I want a coffee" 說得更具體，可以加上品項、配料和份量：
"Can I have a tall latte with a little extra foam and two shots of espresso?"
下次練點餐，聽聽對方問的是 "Anything to drink?" 還是 "Would you like any sugar?"。回答後，圈出自己說的名詞：飲料本身、糖的份量，還是幾杯飲料？拿不準時，先把杯、瓶、包這些單位說出來。
