Chinese Grammar Core Course — Unit 22
Unit 22
Writing a controlled paragraph
Draft from a skeleton: topic, time/place, action, result, and reason. Check measure words, negation, and aspect before you add more vocabulary.
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
我昨天没去。她说得很快。
Meaning in context: I did not go yesterday. She speaks very quickly.
How to use it
Draft from a skeleton: topic, time/place, action, result, and reason. Check measure words, negation, and aspect before you add more vocabulary.
我明天想跟朋友去图书馆学习。
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: Writing a controlled paragraph
More examples to read aloud
- 不喝咖啡。
- 我买的书。
- 他比我高。
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
Write four linked sentences about a recent plan or outing.
按时间、同伴、地点、动作写一个四成分句。
Check the answer only after you have said or written your version.
Self-check
Model and reason
Draft from a skeleton: topic, time/place, action, result, and reason. Check measure words, negation, and aspect before you add more vocabulary.
我周末想跟同学去公园散步。
Read the pattern, cover the translation, and rebuild the sentence from its meaning. Return to the detailed articles for exceptions and nuance.