23 January 2013

双双对对


During class a few days ago, I introduced the quantifier (量词) – “一双” to a group of preschoolers. This quantifier is used when we have a pair of identical items, like:


A pair of shoes
一双鞋子
A pair of gloves
一双手套
A pair of chopsticks
一双筷子
A pair of eyes
一双眼睛
A pair of hands
一双手


What about “一对”? What is the difference between “一双” and “一对”?
 
Like “一双” , “一对” is used when there are 2 items. But the difference is that in “一对”, the 2 items are matching pair, not identical pair. What do I mean? For example, a couple (husband and wife), they are not the same person, but they are a pair. So we say 一对夫妇.  If there are 2 socks of different patterns, they are referred to as 一对袜子 instead of 一双袜子.


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Welcome to Happy Cottage!


I started 开心屋 - Happy Cottage because I have 凯 and 欣 in the house. Together they are the 开心 (sounds like) team.

Mommy loves Chinese language and is a big fan of Chinese story books. Thus the kids often receive interesting children Chinese story books from mommy. Many of the children Chinese story books are so beautifully drawn and well written that I like to read them myself.

Learning and loving the language is not an easy task in Singapore as our environment is not condusive enough for such learning. Thus I believe I have to create such an environment at home. Through daily communication in Mandarin and regular reading of the Chinese materials, I hope to cultivate their likings for the language. You can find many of the books in the Book Store.

Besides introducing children Chinese story books to you, I would also like to share some learning resources and tips on the usage of the language here. I've met some parents, in their best attempt to communicate with their kids in Mandarin, misread some words or used an incorrect sentence structure. You can find the information in the tabs above.

So, why is this blog written in English? I know of many parents who have kinda lost touch with the language. If I were to share in Chinese, then it may not be as effective.

Do come back often for more updates.

Cheers!