fifty dollars in notes,a fifty-dollar note
Fifty dollars in notes的意思是“钞票数张,共计五十元”。dollars是可数名词,故在词尾加-s.a fifty-dollar note 是“一张五十元的钞票”,这里的dollar作定语用,故其后不加-s.
通过下列句子的比较,可以进一步看出它们的差别:
I gave him a twenty-dollar note.
我给他一张二十元的钞票。
I gave him twenty dollars in notes.
我给他钞票若干张,共计二十元。
There are ten fifty-dollar notes on the desk.
桌上有十张五十元的钞票。
There are five hundred dollars in notes on the desk.
桌上有共值五百元的钞票若干张。
请注意,“He has changed his note.”的意思是“他已改变语调”,不是“他已换了钞票”,如要表达此意,应该说:
He has changed the banknotes.
在“change one’s note”中,note作“态度”或“口气”解;在“change one’s banknotes”中,note作“钞票”解。在下面一语中,我们也要注意note的涵义:to compare notes是“交换意见”,不是“对比钞票”或“核对笔记”。