有一读者问:高中英语第一册有这样一句话:
(1)In the years that followed, Marx kept on studying English and using it.
我们这里有一位长者说 keep on 后既可接动名词,也可接不定式。但
我在某些参考书中却看到: keep on 可当作一个及物动词使用,后面接表示动作的动名词。请问究竟哪种看法正确?
上述两种说法都欠妥。第一种说法将 keep on 与 go on 相混淆了。 go on 之后是既可接不定式,如上述《高中英语》第一册第一课即有一例:
(2)However, he went on to explain that he was not too sure about two things — the grammar and some of the idioms.
亦可后接-ing 形式,如:
(3)He made up his mind to go on working at the wireless pictures. (亦摘自《高中英语》第一册)
但 keep on 之后则须后接-ing 形式。
第二种说法错认为 keep on 之后只可接动态动词的-ing 形式。事实上,keep on 亦可后接静态动词的-ing 形式,如:
(4)Isn't it best to keep on hoping ?
最后,尚须指出,keep on doing 结构中的 keep 是不及物动词,on 是副词,-ing形式是现在分词而不是动名词。
