学好too...to...句式应掌握的六个要点
2015-06-18刘青沅
刘青沅
too...to...句式是初中英语中的常用句式,无论在中考英语的语法考题中,还是书面表达考题中,too...to...都大有用武之地,所以同学们在平时的学习中必须引起高度重视。具体说来,对该句式的用法,同学们应该掌握以下六个方面。
在too...to...句式中,too是副词,意思是“太”,其后应接形容词或副词的原级,表示“太……”;其中的to是不定式符号,后接动词原形,所以该句式的基本形式为“too+形容词或副词原级+to+动词原形”,意思是“太……以至于不能……”。如:
She was too excited to go to sleep. 她兴奋得睡不着了。
The ice is too thin to bear your weight. 冰太薄,承受不住你的重量。
She works too slowly to be of much use to me. 她干活太慢,对我不会有多大帮助。
注意,如果too修饰的形容词同时还修饰单数可数名词,则要按“too+形容词+a+名词+to”安排词序:
It is too good a chance to miss. 那机会真好,不容错过。
She is too polite a person to refuse. 她非常客气,不好意思回绝。
Hes too clever a man to say a thing like that in public. 他是个很聪明的人,绝不会在公开场合说那种话的。
在too...to...句式中,不定式的逻辑主语有时就是句子的主语。如:
Youre too small to be a policeman. 你个子太小,不能当警察。
但有时不定式并没有逻辑主语,如下面一句中不定式短语to swim across easily的逻辑主语就不清楚:
The river is too wide to swim across easily. 这条河太宽了,很难轻松地游过去。
如果要具体指明不定式的逻辑主语,可在不定式前用for sb来表示。如:
The river is too wide for me to swim across easily. 这条河太宽了,我很难轻松地游过去。
The river is too wide for the children to swim across easily. 这条河太宽了,孩子们很难轻松地游过去。
The river is too wide for old people to swim across easily. 这条河太宽了,老年人很难轻松地游过去。
1. 如果不定式是不及物动词,自然不需要后接宾语。如:
Jim is too busy to come. 吉姆太忙,来不了。
He was too drunk to drive. 他喝得太醉了,不能开车。
2. 如果不定式是及物动词,原则上要后接宾语。如:
He is too old to do any work. 他太老了,不能做任何工作了。
He is too wise not see that. 他是那样聪明,不会看不到这一点。
但是,当不定式为及物动词时,如果句子主语就是不定式的逻辑宾语,则此时不定式不能带宾语。如:
This coffee is too hot to drink. 这咖啡太烫,不能喝。(不能在drink后加it)
The wood was too wet to burn. 这些木头是湿的,烧不着。(不能在burn后加it)
如果句子主语与其后不定式具有被动关系,那这个不定式表示被动意义,通常用主动式。如:
The suitcase was too heavy to lift. 手提箱太重,提不起来。
The type is too small to read. 印出来的字体小得看不清楚。
但有时不定式也可以用被动式来表示被动意义。如:
This parcel is too heavy to send / to be sent by post. 这个包裹太重了,不能邮寄。
注意,有些情况必须要用被动式,否则,意思不同。比较:
She is too ill to move. 她病得很厉害,动弹不得。
She is too ill to be moved. 她病得很厉害,经不住转移。
The road was too narrow for cars to pass. 路很窄,汽车过不去。
→The road was so narrow that cars cant pass.
He spoke too fast for me to understand. 他说得太快了,我听不懂。
→He spoke so fast that I cant understand.
注:有时还可与 not...enough to…转换,但此时要注意把原句型中的形容词改为相对应的反义词。如:
The child is too young to dress himself. 这小孩太小,不会自己穿衣。
→The child is not old enough to dress himself.
too...to...通常表示“太……以至于不能……”,它形式上是肯定的,但意义是否定的。但在某些特殊情况下,它在意义上也是肯定的,此类用法主要见于当too修饰happy, glad, pleased等形容词时。如:
Im only too glad to be of help. 我非常乐意帮忙。
He wont be too pleased to see you. 他见到你不会很高兴的。
I am only too happy to drive you to the store. 我非常乐意开车送你去商场。
(编辑 陈根花)