- 比我大個是阿哥 ’pí ’ngú dú‘ kú‘ ’zz á kú, he who is older than I is called elder brother.
- 赦免小過失好個 só‘ ’míen ’siau kú‘ seh ’hau kú‘, to forgive little faults readily is good.
- 戲咾戲法咾啥勿看 h’í‘ lau h’í‘ fah lau sá‘ veh k’ön‘, plays, jugglery and such things, I do not go to see.
- 價錢最大個是珍珠八寶 ká‘ díen tsúe‘ dú‘ kú‘ ’zz tsun tsû pah ’pau, things of the highest price are pearls and the eight precious stones.
Obs. The final expletives are usually appended to the predicate. 說話 好個 seh wó‘ ’hau kú‘, your words are good.
380. In very many sentences, the predicate is a transitive verb with an object, which in its simplest form is a substantive, monosyllabic or consisting of a group.
- 做好事就是周濟窮人 tsú‘ ’hau zz‘ dzieu‘ ’zz tseu tsí‘ gióng niun, charity consists in giving to the poor.
- 伊勿能辦事體 í veh nung pan‘ zz‘ ’t’í, he cannot transact business.
- 有銅錢個人要吃燕窩咾魚翅, ’yeu dóng díen kú‘ niun yau‘ k’iuh íen‘ ú lau ng t’sz‘, those who are rich eat birds’ nests and sharks’ fins.
381. Great variety is introduced into sentences, without the addition of separate clauses, by applying qualifying words and groups to the parts just enumerated. Extension by the apposition of words, alike or contrasted in meaning, and in the same parts of speech, is also very common. The subject is extended:—
a. By prefixing an adjective.
- 聖人出世 sung‘ niun t’seh sz‘, a wise man was born.
- 窮苦個人多 kióng ’k’ú kú‘ niun tú, poor men are very many.
- 好老個讀書人少 ’hau ’lau kú‘ tók sû niun ’sau, really good scholars are rare.
b. By apposition of substantives with or without kú‘, whether in the relation of species and genus, or subject and attribute.
- 鄕下人告荒去者 h’iáng ’au niun kau‘ hwong k’í‘ ’tsé, the country people are gone to announce that there is a famine (or 哭荒).
- 上輩個好處要講拉子孫聽 ’záng pé‘ kú‘ ’hau t’sû‘ yau‘ ’kong ’lá ’tsz sun t’ing, the goodness of their forefathers, you should tell to their descendants.
c. By a transitive infinitive with its objective case.