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HSK 2.0 Level 6+ HSK 3.0 Level 6+ 6 min read

Scope Adverbs 净, 一同 and 大都

Use 净 to complain that someone does nothing but one thing, 一同 to say people act together, and 大都 to say “most of them”.

Pattern

subject + 净 / 一同 / 大都 + verb or adjective

净 complains about “nothing but”, 一同 is a formal “together”, and 大都 means most but not all.

来参加活动的大都是年轻人。

When to use Scope Adverbs 净, 一同 and 大都

All three are adverbs: they go after the subject and right before the verb or adjective. 净 means “nothing but, always”, is colloquial and usually complains (他净玩游戏). 一同 means “together”, a more formal 一起 (我们一同出发). 大都 means “mostly”: most of a group, but not all, which is the key difference from 都 “all”.

他这几天净玩游戏，作业一点也没写。

These past few days he’s done nothing but play games, and he hasn’t written any of his homework.

别净说别人，先看看自己。

Stop always criticizing others; take a look at yourself first.

明天我陪你一同去医院。

Tomorrow I’ll go to the hospital with you.

他的书包里净是零食。

His schoolbag is full of nothing but snacks.

Common traps

  • Say 我和他一同去, not 我一同他去: 一同 is an adverb, so the partner comes first with 和 or 与.
  • Say 我们住在一起, not 我们住在一同: only 一起 can follow 在 as a place word.
  • 大都 means “most”, not “all”: if everyone came, say 同学们都来了, not 同学们大都来了.

Targeted drill

Practice this exact pattern before moving on.

我 买了一张票，没买别的

I bought only one ticket and nothing else
Fill in the missing piece, then press Enter

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