Chinese Grammar Core Course — Unit 21
Unit 21
Reading by grammatical blocks
Find the main predicate before translating. Then bracket time, place, coverb phrases, modifiers, and complements; a long sentence becomes several manageable blocks.
Reading and writing are the transfer test. Parse a sentence before translating it, and revise your own sentence by checking one grammatical decision at a time.
Do not translate word by word. First identify the main verb, then attach time, place, negation, or aspect in the order shown by the pattern.
Pattern to hear
我明天想跟朋友去图书馆学习。
Meaning in context: Tomorrow I want to go to the library with a friend to study.
How to use it
Find the main predicate before translating. Then bracket time, place, coverb phrases, modifiers, and complements; a long sentence becomes several manageable blocks.
我昨天在书店买的那本书很好看。
Reading and writing are the transfer test. Parse a sentence before translating it, and revise your own sentence by checking one grammatical decision at a time.
Do not translate word by word. First identify the main verb, then attach time, place, negation, or aspect in the order shown by the pattern.
Self-check
- How to use it
- Read by blocks, not by isolated dictionary words. In writing, revise word order before choosing more impressive vocabulary.
- Build it yourself
- Annotate one sentence, write a four-sentence paragraph, then correct it with a single checklist pass.
- Self-check
- Can you name the next unit you will revisit and the evidence for that choice?
Contrast and decision
For English speakers, the main adjustment is not basic SVO order but keeping time, place, aspect markers, and complements in their Chinese positions.
What to notice: Reading by grammatical blocks
More examples to read aloud
- 先写主干。
- 检查时间和否定。
- 朗读并修改。
Read the pattern, cover the translation, and rebuild the sentence from its meaning. Return to the detailed articles for exceptions and nuance.
Build it yourself
Mark the predicate and every modifier in the three reading examples.
先找主语和主要谓语，再圈出修饰「书」的部分。
Check the answer only after you have said or written your version.
Self-check
Model and reason
Find the main predicate before translating. Then bracket time, place, coverb phrases, modifiers, and complements; a long sentence becomes several manageable blocks.
主语：那本书；主要谓语：很好看；修饰：我昨天在书店买的。
Read the pattern, cover the translation, and rebuild the sentence from its meaning. Return to the detailed articles for exceptions and nuance.