問:敝公司文件上有以下一句:The special team is tasked to conducting research on the concerned situation(專職小組負責研究有關情況)。Tasked之後,為什麼用to conducting?
答:Task作動詞,是「指派工作」的意思,一般用被動語態(passive voice),其後可接「to+原形動詞(infinitive)」或「with+名詞/動名詞(gerund)」,例如:(1)The committee is tasked to develop a public housing policy(這個委員會負責制定公共房屋政策)。(2)We were tasked with handling customer complaints(我們負責處理顧客投訴)。讀者示下那一句,to conducting宜改為to conduct或with conducting。
此外,句末的concerned situation假如刪去concerned一字,讀者應該也知道所說的是什麼situation。而即使保留concerned一字,調到situation之後也會較好。說「有關的」,concerned多用在名詞之後;說「關懷的」,concerned則多用在名詞之前,例如:(1)We wrote to the parents concerned(我們致函受影響的家長)。(2)We reassured the concerned parents that everything was okay(我們向那些憂心忡忡的家長保證說,一切都很好)。
問:We are way too busy to take a holiday(我們忙得不能放假)這一句,不用way字,意思有分別嗎?
答:這個way是副詞(adverb),等於far,例如to be way / far ahead of someone即「遠在某人前面」。Way too busy是too busy的強調說法,意思則沒有什麼分別。