Page:Adapting and Writing Language Lessons.pdf/263

CHAPTER 5 27. (d) Most English nouns must show by their form whether they are singular or plural. They must do so even if the matter is obvious or not important in a particular context:   ,. In Thai, there is no singular-plural indication in the nouns themselves, though the concept can be put across in other ways when the need arises.

The temptation for English speakers here as in the other examples is to overuse the available mechanisms in Thai for specifying plurality and to specify in Thai what Thai speakers leave unspecified.

28. (e) Corresponding to English sentences with he as the main verb, Thai has at least six different constructions. The choice among these constructions depends partly on the subject and partly on the expression that follows be.