起因:先前汉英尝有一贴云“It's you who deserve...”鄙人自作聪明改之为“It's you who deserveS...”。汉英见此,先是一怔,但又不知谁对谁错,只说凭第六感以为应是“deserve”,并求各方家在理论上予以释疑。及后,我找了好几本语法书,结果一无所获,只在《薄冰英语语法》4.6引词it的用法里找到一句:“It'snot I who am angry”,因而证明汉英“It's you who deserve...”是对的。
有汉英一例在此,加上诸位的贴间或亦有语法错误(或有争议之处),
窃以为有必要重新学习或温习。故不揣冒昧,专选了薄冰一书第十八章《数的一致》(选其容易出错之处),与各位方家共同学习,或曰温故知新。不当之处,欢迎指正。
数的一致
一、概说
数的一致涉及三个基本原则,即:
1、语法一致(grammatical concord),即形式上的一致。如:The
boy shows his mother much attention.
2、意义一致(notional concord),即意义或意念上的一致。如
1)The crew are paid to do all
the work on the ship.(单形名词主语要求复数谓语动词,the
crew表一个集体的成员)
2)Five minutes is enough.(复形主语要求单数谓语动词,five
minutes表一个数目)
3、邻近原则(principle of
proximity),即指谓语动词的形式与邻近的一致。如:
a man of abilities are needed.(动词are不与主语a
man一致,而与其邻近的复形名词abilities形式上一致)
二、单形名词与动词的一致
单形名词在句中作主语时用单数动词。
1、单形集体名词被视为一个整体时,用单数动词。如:
1)Our family has a reuion
every year.
2)The enemy is retreating.
被视为若干个体时,则要求复数动词。如:
3)His family are waiting for
him.
4)The enemy were encamped on
the hill side.
有些单形集体名词,即所谓的“群体名词”,如police,
militia, cattle等,则要求复数动词。如:
5)The police have caught the
murderer.
6)In that village the Wiltshire militia were
quartered.
【注】单形集体名词之后用什么动词形式,往往因人而异英国和美国的习惯也不完全一样.英国较多用复数动词,如The
government are determined to resist aggression,美国英语则多用单数动词.
2、“More than one+单形名词”结构虽有复念,习惯上多要求单数动词。如:
7)More than one question was asked.
8)More than one person is involved in
this.
但“more+复形名词+than one”结构一般却多要求复数动词。如:
9)More members than one have protested against
the proposal.
“a+单形名词+or two”结构多要求单数名词。如:
10)A day or two is enough.
11)A servant or two or three was to
accompany them.
“one or two+复形名词”结构则要求复数动词。如:
12)One or two reasons were suggested.
“many a+单形名词”结构要求单数动词,这种结构多用于正式文体。如:
13)Many a fine man has died in
that battle.
14)There's many a slip twixt
the cup and the lip.
3、在“两个形容词+一个单形名词”结构中,单数名词如有复念(即代表两个事物),则应用复数动词。如:
15)The red and the white rose are both
beautiful.
16)English and French grammar are not
very difficult to learn.