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MC Emma: Sentence question 1


gena0411

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Hello,

 

I am reading now Mandarin Companion graded reader "Emma".

 

Could you please help with the following sentence?

 

这样做对吗?

 

I guessed it to mean something like "What's the right thing to do in this situation?" Is it correct?

I don't understand the structure though.

这样 - such, this way

做 - to do

对 - correct

 

Thanks

     Genady

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(我、你、他、人们)这样做 <-- this is the TOPIC, or what is  being talked about, "to do like this"

很对/不对 <-- this is the COMMENT, or what is being said about the topic, "it is right/wrong"

Topic-comment structure is very common in Chinese. Chinese is a topic-prominent language.

There should be a pause, either audible or psychological, between the topic and the comment.

And 吗 simply turns the whole sentence into a yes-no question.

 

 

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