such thing / such a thing
NHK実践ビジネス英語2019年6月Lesson 6(2)のPat McMillanさんの台詞で,
there really is no such thing as a stupid question ― only stupid answers.
という決まり文句clichéがでてきます。
この講座では、何度も出てくる定型表現ですが、 “no such thing”と表現されています。
Pat McMillan: You were lucky to have such a wise teacher, Steve. I'm very much of the same mind. Not being afraid to ask questions is a crucial part of the learning process. It may be a cliché, but there really is no such thing as a stupid question ― only stupid answers. @ 2019年6月 L6(2)
一方、 “such a thing”と表現されるケースもあります。
Goto Yoko: Hey, Jack and Tony. Help me out here. Is there such a thing as umbrella etiquette here in America? @ 2010年11月L15(1)
Umemura: I know there's such a thing as impulse buying. But I always try to keep a cool head and think logically about the pros and cons of a given product. @ 2013年2月L22(5)
こうしてみると、否定形では、 “no such thing”で、そうでない場合は、 “such a thing”でしょうか？
最も、次のような変化球もあります。
McMillan: Very true. There's no longer such a thing as “off the record” in today's hyper-connected, hyper-transparent world. @ 2015年3月L24(3)
このnoは、 “no longer”で、内容は否定的でも、構文としては、肯定文というとらえ方でいいのでしょうか？
ついでながら、 “such things”という言い方も当然検索されます。
Lyonsさんの場合は、主節の “Their perspective on work and their consumer behavior”を受けており、Uedaさんの場合は、 “these kinds of personal questions at work or in social settings”を受けているためだと思いますが…
Lyons: The coolest thing about that generation is how its members try to focus on value. Their perspective on work and their consumer behavior is based on how such things will add value to their lives and to society as a whole. And that’s a question that never goes out of date. @ 2014年6月L6(5)
Ueda: That’s not something I have to worry about. I have a very modest lifestyle. But all this begs the question: what should I say if people ask me these kinds of personal questions at work or in social settings? I don’t want to seem rude, but I'm not usually comfortable talking about such things. @ 2017年11月L16(3)
今気が付いたのですが、副詞 “really”の位置は、一般動詞の前、助動詞およびbe動詞の後が一般的かと思っていました。しかし、Pat McMillanさんの台詞では、
there really is no such thing as a stupid question ― only stupid answers.
と “there really is”となっています。
調べてみると、次の例 “there certainly is”も見つかりました。
Lyons: Sure. But that could be because the Internet is a new medium, and people haven’t yet developed the critical skills needed to sort the wheat from the chaff on the Web. And there certainly is an awful lot of chaff out there in cyberspace. @ 2015年1月L20(4)
“there is”構文では、be動詞の前に副詞が入るんですね。
お礼
お答えいただきありがとうございます！ なぜだか後ろに来る名詞が複数であってもsuchの後ろには絶対aをつけないと思い込んでしまっていたので、気づきませんでした（＾＾;） ありがとうございました。