又有一些读者问到一些有关句子分析的问题,现在让我们试图解答如下:
问一: 下面两句中的划线部分是什么结构:
(1)The thought of winter suggests skating.
(2)The sight of the birds suggests a new idea for flying machines.
上述两句中的划线部分,即the thought of与the sight of,都不能说是什么句子成分。我们只能说the thought和the sight是其所属句的主语;of是介词,它和它后面的名词winter或the birds构成介词短语,用作定语,分别修饰它们前面的the thought和the sight。也可以将of winter和of the birds看作名词所有格或名词生格(这种生格叫做of生格),在逻辑上分别作thought和sight的宾语。在学习过程中,记住thought和sight这两个动作名词后面常可跟of却是很重要的。你如果在这个意义上把the thought of或the sight of后加名词看作一种语法结构,我们认为也未尝不可。
问二: 新编高一英语课本第132页上有这样两句话:
(3)There aren't enough rooms for so many of us in the house. My parents and I have to share the same room.
在词典里,so只能作副词用,它怎能用来修饰代词many呢?
是的,从词法观点看,so在此的确是一个表示程度的副词,many在此也的确是一个不定式代词。但在句子里,副词so除可起人们所熟悉的状语作用外,还可以起表语、定语、宾语等作用。例(3)中的程度副词so即起定语的作用,修饰不定代词many。有些表示数量的不定代词,如many, few, much, little等,皆可被程度副词very, so, too, as等所修饰。再如:
(4)I don't need so many .
(5)There are too many to enumerate.
(6)Take as many as you want.
(7)I have very little left.
(8)I have not so much as you think.
(9)They are very few in number.
(10)There are only a very few left.
下面一些句子中的how, this, that, but等副词亦可修饰表示数量的不定代词:
(11)How many do you want?
(12)I will buy this much .
(13)I can only do that much a day.
(14)I have but little for myself but I will try to give you a little.
饶有趣味的是:有些程度副词还可以修饰并不表示数量的不定代词,如:
(15)Nearly everybody came to our party.
(16)Almost all came.
问三: 有这样两个句子:
(17)There are fifty students in this class, most of whom are League members.
(18)China has thousands of islands, the largest of which is Taiwan.
两句中的most of whom are League members和the largest of which is Taiwan是不是定语从句? 若是定语从句,most of whom与the largest of which应怎样分析?
两个句子中的most of whom are League members与the largest of which is Taiwan都是非限制性定语从句。在这两个从句中,most(不定代词)与the largest(后省去了one)是主语,of whom(关系代词)与of which(关系代词)是介词短语,用作定语,分别修饰主语most和the largest (one)。你可能要问可不可以把上述两个定语从句改写作of whom most are League members和of which the largest is Taiwan? 第一个从句中的most of whom最好不要改作of whom most,因为of whom(或which)用作部分所有格(或生格)即强调“其中一部分”概念时,一般多置于它所修饰的名词或代词之后。第二个从句中的the largest of which则可改作of which the largest而意义不变。
问四: 许国璋编的《英语》第三册有这样一句话:
(19)It was like seeing him as he used to look before his heart trouble.
应如何分析seeing him和as从句?
seeing him是动名词短语,用作介词like的宾语。as he used to look...是一定语从句,修饰him。
问五: 我遇到这样一个句子:
(20)Search as they would, they could find nothing in the house.
as起什么作用? would是否是助动词,与search一起构成过去将来一般时?
as在此是连词,相当于though,表示让步。would在此不是助动词,而是情态动词,表意愿。再如:
(21)Try as he would, he could not keep calm.
最后有两个需要和读者商榷的问题。有一位读者认为《英语语法手册》说may可在感叹句:
(22)May you succeed.
(23)May you have a pleasant journey.
中表示祝愿是不妥的。他说上述两个句子不是感叹句,因为它们并不表示喜怒哀乐等强烈感情。
我们的意见是:如果上述两句表示强烈的愿望,也可叫做感叹句。最普通的感叹句是由how与why所引导的,如:
(24)How kind of you!
(25)What an idea!
但也可以具有其他句子形式,如:
(26)He's such a fine teacher! (陈述句形式)
(27)What are you doing! (疑问句形式)
(28)Take care you don't catch cold! (祈使句形式)
虚拟语气亦可用来表示强烈感情,如:
(29)If only I were ten years younger!
同样,含有虚拟语气的例(22)与(23)也可用作感叹句,不是吗?
还有一读者认为《英语语法手册》说:
(30)Laughing and talking, the students went out into the fields.
中的laughing and talking是方式状语不妥,应该说是伴随情况状语。
伴随情况状语与方式状语往往很难分辨,所以有的语法书把它们列在一起,叫做“方式或伴随状语”。我们也赞成这样做,尤其对我国广大学生而言,细分这两种状语似乎没有多大实际意义。但你如果是一位英语教师,弄清这两个状语的区别,也许是必要的。我们认为二者的区别在于其基本概念或基本观点不同。伴随情况状语表示一种伴随着谓语动词的动作的附带情况,起一种以其本身的动作去伴随谓语动词动作的作用。所谓伴随,应该说有两层含义: 一是其动作与谓语动词的动作有主次之分,自然是以谓语动词为主。二是两个动作有平行相伴的含义,而这正是伴随情况状语与方式状语之不同处。如从这一观点来看上述例(30),句中的现在分词短语laughing and talking似乎还是看作方式状语较好。因为laughing and talking所表的动作并不强调其与谓语动词went平行相伴的概念,而如果作方式状语,表示那些学生是谈笑着到田里去的,似更符合句子的本意。就我们所知,有的语法家对类似的句子也是这样分析的。
