有一读者问: 问您在某期《英语沙龙》上所举的下面一例是什么意思:
(1)Bob didn't break the window and refuse to apologize for his action.
这里的refuse是否应改为refused,否则and怎样解释?
这句话中的didn't不单是否定动词break, 而同时也否定动词refuse,所以不可将refuse改为refused。请注意连词and在此应作“而且同时”解,因而全句的意思是:Bob并没有打破玻璃窗而同时又拒绝为此而道歉。这说明在这种句子中,否定词之后的并列成分之间须用and而不用or,再如:
(2)You cannot eat your cake and have it. (谚语,意谓“二者不可得兼”)
(3)It is impossible to see you and not love you.
(4)They do not sweat and whine about their condition.
(5)Don't be old and unfit for anything.
注意下面一句亦应用and:
(6)The family didn't have to worry about food and clothes. (food and clothes应看做不必分割开的一种事物,相当于汉语的“衣食”。如用or代替and,那就将food和clothes分割开了)
