有一次外籍顧問說,台灣學生說話不客氣,她經常受到傷害。You'd better 的真正含義是什麼呢?
"You'd better help me more with presentation skills."
其實學生不是有意傷害,而是不瞭解You'd better的真正含義。
Had better中文是「更好」。「更好」聽起來很婉轉,是一種客氣的建議。不過You'd better 的真正含義是什麼呢?
You had better mind your own business.
你最好只管你自己的事(別多管閒事)。
不難看出,you'd better一點都不禮貌,而是帶有命令口吻,表示你應該做某事;我們在使用時應注意語境,通常是上司對下屬或年長者對年輕人才用"You'd better"。
Had better有時會縮寫為'd better,我們來看一些例句和用法:
1. had better後面必須跟動詞原形。這裡的had不能用have來替換。如:
Tom, you'd better go there today.
湯姆,你最好今天去那兒。
2. 主詞不論是第幾人稱,句子不論是什麼時態,都要用had better的形式。如:
Now you (he,we) had better listen to the teacher.
你(他,我們)現在最好聽老師講話。
3. 可用的時態:
(1) 用於指現在,如
Now you had better listen to your boss.
你現在最好聽老闆說什麼。
(2) 用於指將來,如
You had better start tomorrow.
你最好明天動身。
(3) 用於進行式,表示講話人提出建議時,動作正在進行。如:
We had better be starting back now.
我們最好現在就動身回去。
(4) had better + have + V-ed 可表示「本該做而沒有做的事」。如:
You had better have done it.
如果你把那件事辦妥就好了。(但實際上你沒有那樣做)
4. had better的否定式。Not直接放在had better的後面。如:
You had better not miss the last bus.
你最好不要錯過末班公共汽車。
*Not不能放在had的後面。如:不能說:You hadn’t better go. 而應該說:
You had better not go.
5. 在祈使句中,had有時可以省略。如:
Better not wait for them. 最好不要等他們。
6. had better在表示對別人勸告、建議時,不宜用於與陌生人、長輩及上級的交談中。比較有禮貌的說法是:It might be better for you...