走出误区(十)
2014-10-24曾克辉
曾克辉
1. 问:在It is necessary (important, natural, strange, a pity...) that sb should do sth句式中,从句的谓语为什么用should?
答:不用should是直陈语气,表示的是客观的一般性陈述;用should是虚拟语气,含个人情感和态度,强调“应当”“惊讶”“意外”“遗憾”等含义。例如:
Its strange that she dislikes our head teacher. 她不喜欢班主任是奇怪的。(直陈语气,陈述客观事实,不带个人情感)
Its strange that she should dislike our head teacher. 真奇怪,她竟然讨厌班主任。(虚拟语气,“惊讶”,带个人情感)
Its a pity that she should live in an unreal world. 可惜,她生活在一个虚幻的世界里。(遗憾)
Its important that children should be honest. 孩子们诚实很重要。(应当、必须)
Its a shame that he should have forgotten me. 真可惜,他居然把我忘了。(意外、遗憾)
2. 问:有这样一道高考题:Shortly after the accident, two police were sent to the spot to keep order. (A. dozen of B. dozens C. dozen D. dozens of) 答案是C。为什么不选D呢?
答:这是1992年高考(全国卷)第29小题。其实有不少同学对dozen和score这两个词感到头疼,解答如下:
①作数量词时,dozen表示“十二个”,score表示“二十个”。用法与hundred, thousand等类似。如:a dozen apples“十二个苹果(一打苹果)”,two score chairs“四十张椅子”,three hundred people“三百个人”。所以,你问的这道题选C项是正确的。
②作单位词时,score后可接of,但dozen后接of很罕见。如:five score (of) fish 一百尾鱼(省略of则score为数量词),three dozen eggs 三打鸡蛋。
③在表示“几十个”不确定的泛指数时用dozens of或scores of,用法同tens of, hundreds of, thousands of...。如:dozens of/scores of students“好几十个学生”。
④dozens of和scores of前若用some, several, a few, many等词时,dozen和score可去掉s(很少保留)和of。如:several dozens/scores of people=several dozen/score people。
⑤当后面有人称代词(you, us, them)时,名词前有定冠词(the)、物主代词(my, your, his, her, their, its)以及指示代词(these, those)限定时,要用“数词+dozen/score+of”,dozen和score均不加s。如:a dozen of them, two score of the books, three score of my sheep, four dozen of those children。
⑥有三个惯用词组需特别记忆:three score (years) and ten“七十岁,古稀之年”;three score of people“六十人”;three score and ten people“七十人”。
3. 问:“He left here half an hour ago.”这个句子中的half an hour能不能用a half hour?
答:可以,但前者更为常见。这个问题涉及到英美人的不同的表达习惯。
①英国人表达“一半”的数量一般用half an hour, half a dozen...,不定冠词a/an放在half之后;表达一个数量单位时,不定冠词放在half之前而且在half与数量单位词之间加连字符“-”,如:a half-dozen 半打, a half-year 半年, a half-apple 半个苹果。
②但在美国英语中,无论是表示数量还是单位都不加连字符。如:a half year, a half dozen, a half apple,在意思上与英国人的表达并无区别。
③“一个半小时”是an/one hour and a half或one and a half hours;“两年半”为two years and a half或two and a half years,但前一种说法更为常见。
④与介词in搭配用half,与介词into搭配用halves(in halves的搭配非常少见)。例如:
I cut the cake in half (或into halves). 我把蛋糕切成了两半。
⑤half与all和both类同(前位限定词),位于定冠词、物主代词或指示代词前修饰名词(如half the year, half my work, half those apples),也可作不定代词与of短语搭配(如half of the work, half of the year, half of the fruit)。这两种表达在意思上没有明显区别。如:endprint
Half (of) the migrant workers are from Sichuan. 这些农民工有一半是来自于四川。
Half (of) the fruit was bad. 这些水果有一半是坏的。
4. 问:It was the first time she had ever left her motherland.(《选修七》Unit 5)究竟是什么句式?
答:这个句式可以有五种理解(仅供参考):
①理解为固定句型(最佳托辞,使人不再深究)。从句的谓语常用现在完成时或过去完成时(也有人用一般过去时),连词that常可省略。
It/This is the first time (that) Ive visited the museum. 我第一次参观这个博物馆。
②理解为主语从句。It (this除外)为形式主语,that引导主语从句。
It was the second time that I had seen the film. 我是第二次看那部电影了。
③理解为同位语从句。that从句说明前面“the first, second...time”的内涵。
It/This is the first time that Ive asked you for help. 我这可是第一次求你帮忙。
④理解为强调句式“It is/was + 强调部分+that从句”。如:
Ive called her (for) the third time.
It is the third time that Ive called her.
我是第三次给她打电话了。
⑤理解为定语从句。that有时可以代替关系副词when, where, why引导定语从句,表时间、地点、原因”(见《新编英语语法》或《大学英语语法·讲座与测试》),但建议慎用。
This/It was the last time that I had seen her. 这是我最后一次见到她。
5. 问:请问The heavy rain lasted for all night long. 这个句子正确吗?
答:不正确,应该去掉介词for。在表持续性时间时,时间段前并不都是可以用for的。注意以下几种情况:
①在以“all+时间”的短语前,不能加介词for。如:
He had the light burning all night long. 他让灯亮了一整夜。
②“for+时间段”位于句尾时,如果谓语是持续性动词,介词for可省可不省。如:
He studied in London (for) three years. 他在伦敦学习过三年。
He will go to London for three years. 他要到伦敦去三年。(谓语是非持续性动词, for不能省略,这里不表示时间,而是表示“目的”。)
③表示“多少次”不能用介词for,但表示“第几次”(the+序数词+time)介词for可省可不省。比较:
Ive been to the Great Wall three times. 我去过长城三次。
Ive come to the Great Wall (for) the third time. 我是第三次来长城了。
④与how long搭配时,介词for通常要省略。如:
How long have you studied English (for)? 你学英语有多久了?
⑤“for+时间段”位于句首时,介词for不能省略。如:
For seven years we lived in poverty. 我们在贫困中生活了七年。
⑥如果谓语是否定式(无论动词是持续性还是非持续性),介词for不能省略。
My father hasnt smoked for three months. 我父亲已有三个月没吸烟了。
We havent met each other for ten years. 我们彼此已十年没有见面了。
6. 问:2012年高考英语(湖北卷)第71小题:With , some animals are facing the danger of dying out. (cut) 由于越来越多的森林被砍伐,一些动物正面临着灭绝的危险。答案是:more and more forests/trees (being) cut down。请问being cut down与cut down一样吗?
答:本题考查介词with的复合结构(with+宾语+宾补)作原因状语,若将with去掉便是自带主语的“分词短语”(独立主格结构)作状语。其实,你的问题就是:being done与done作状语的区别。诚然,being done表示动作的进行,done表示完成的动作或完成的动作所表示的状态。但在具体运用时要注意以下几点:
①一般情况下,原因状语用过去分词或现在分词的被动式均可,但直接用过去分词更常见,也更简洁。如:
Scolded (Being scolded) by the teacher, he felt depressed. 由于受到老师的训斥,他的情绪十分低落。
His son (being) bullied, Tom got annoyed. 由于儿子遭人欺负,汤姆很恼火。(独立主格)
▲ 但要注意两种情况:
a) 若分词与主句谓语的动作同时或几乎同时发生用being done,因为being done有“进行”的意思。如:
Being disturbed by my little brother, I couldnt read. 由于小弟弟的打扰,我无法看书。
b) 源于系表结构的过去分词表示完成的状态而不强调被动或暂时性概念时,不用being done。如:
Lost in thought, he didnt hear the bell. 由于陷入沉思之中,他没有听到铃声。
②作方式状语、伴随状语或让步状语时,通常只用过去分词。如:
Followed by his dog, the old man went into the mountain. 身后跟着狗,老人进山了。
Encouraged by the teacher, he still lacks confidence. 虽然受到老师的鼓励,但他仍缺乏信心。
③条件或时间状语通常直接用过去分词,但如果分词的“被动动作”发生在谓语动词的动作之前,也可以用having been done。如:
Given more time, Ill do it better. 如果多给点时间,我会做得更好。
Having been revised several times, my composition was rated as an excellent one. 经过几次修改,我的作文被评为优秀。endprint