今回の英語学習コラムは「文法」についてお話します。皆さんは英語の文法は好きですか。文法は苦手、理解できない、頭が混乱してしまう、という印象を持っている学習者が多いですね。でも正しく文法を学ぶと英語が理解できるのです。文法シリーズ1回目は、前置詞について考えてみましょう。
In this English learning column, I would like to talk about grammar. Do you like English grammar? Many learners feel that grammar is difficult, hard to understand, or simply confusing. However, when grammar is studied properly, it actually helps you understand English more clearly.
In the first installment of this grammar series, let us think about prepositions.
□ Across と through はどう違うか？ What is the Difference between "across" and "through"?
"Across" も "Through" も「〜を通って」という意味があります。後に名詞を伴うので、こうした語は「前置詞」と呼ばれます。つまり、「名詞」の前に置く単語です。それでは、次の文はどちらが正しいのでしょうか。
- 1a) Jane walked across / through the street.
- 1b) Jane walked across / though the woods.
（1）は「ジェーンは通りを横切った」、（2）は「ジェーンは森の中を歩いた」という意味です。基本的な用法なので暗記している人も多いでしょう。（1）は across、（2）は through が答えです。でもなぜなのでしょう？状況を想像すると答えが見えてきます。一般的に across は「平面」に対して使われます。一方、through は「立体」に対して使われるのです。つまり、状況を二次元的（平面）に捉えるか、それとも三次元的（立方体）に捉えるかで、前置詞を使い分けるのです。それでは、前置詞の目的語が同じ次の例はどうでしょうか。
- 2a) I walked across the grass.
- 2b) I walked through the grass.
今度は前置詞の目的語が同じ（the grass）です。（1）の例では「道」と「森」だったので、もともとのイメージが異なります。でも（2）ではどちらも「草」です。（1）で勉強したことを思いだして下さい。"across" は「平面」、"through" は「立体」でしたね。そうすると、（2）の場合は「草」の丈が違うことがわかります。つまり、（2a）は芝生のようなイメージ、（2b）は丈の高い草（草むら）のイメージです。
このように文法が分かると言葉が表すイメージが理解できるようになります。最近は "drive-through" できるレストランも多くなりました。なぜ "drive-across" ではないか、分かったのではないでしょうか。これからも文法についてお話していきます。
Both across and through can mean “to go through” or “to pass through.” Because they are followed by nouns, they are called prepositions—words that are placed before nouns.
Now, which is correct in the following sentences?
1a) Jane walked across / through the street.
1b) Jane walked across / through the woods.
Sentence (1a) means “Jane crossed the street,” and (1b) means “Jane walked in the woods.” These are basic usages, so many of you may already know the answers. In (1a), the correct answer is across, and in (1b), it is through. But why?
If you imagine the situations carefully, the answer becomes clear. In general, across is used for something understood as a flat surface. In contrast, through is used for something understood as a three-dimensional space. In other words, we choose the preposition depending on whether we see the situation as two-dimensional (a surface) or three-dimensional (a space with depth).
Now consider the following examples, where the object of the preposition is the same:
2a) I walked across the grass.
2b) I walked through the grass.
This time, the object is the same—the grass. In the first set of examples, the images of “street” and “woods” were naturally different. However, in this second set, both refer to grass.
Remember what we learned: across is for a surface, and through is for a three-dimensional space. The difference here suggests the height of the grass. Sentence (2a) gives the image of a lawn or short grass. Sentence (2b), on the other hand, suggests tall grass or thick vegetation.
When you understand grammar in this way, you begin to see the images behind the words. Recently, there have been more restaurants with a “drive-through.” Now you can probably understand why we do not say “drive-across.”
I will continue talking about grammar in future columns.
国際英語学科は、英語の「分からない」を「分かる」に変えていく学科です。AI に負けないように英語学習を楽しみましょう！
The Department of English as a Global Language (EAGL) is a place where your “I don’t understand” in English is transformed into “Now I understand.”
Let’s enjoy learning English—and make sure we stay ahead of AI!
