消防處吉祥物「任何仁」(Anyone)在本港大受歡迎,近日甚至紅到海外,獲外國媒體報道,證明香港人創意無限,消防處成功地帶出了任何人也可以救人的正面訊息。
「任何仁」是Anyone(任何人)的諧音,有學生問可以把Anyone分開寫變Any one嗎?又為什麼不用Anybody?
Anyone這個「one」字可以含有多重意思,這種修辭手法叫做pun,即雙關語。「one」有單一及獨特的意思,也有集於一體 (all in one)的意思:每一個人也可以救人;另一方面,若每個人也動起來,便成為一股強大的救人力量。
基本上,Anyone跟Anybody都是indefinite pronoun,是可以交替使用的,主要用在疑問句和否定句。當中些微的差異是:Anyone主要在正式(formal)文章中出現;Anybody稍為非正式(informal),而Any one 泛指在句中周邊的名詞,試舉例子說明:
●Peter is a bit nervous about moving to Zurich where he doesn't know anybody.
●This is a comprehensive career guide for anyone who is serious about passing the selection tests for becoming a firefighter.
●Any one of his books is very well-written.(「one」在這裏是指他其中一本書。)
●Saving lives, whether through carrying out an emergency evacuation or educating people about personal safety, is the most fulfilling task anyone can do.
Miss Carol 大專院校語文講師、企業培訓講師及國際英文公開試主考官。