曾克輝
1. 問:as...as結構能表示最高級嗎?
答:可以,但是用as...as表達最高級必須符合以下兩個條件:
①as...as any后接名詞(名詞常被省略)表最高級。
He is as clever as any (student) in our class. 他是我們班最聰明的同學。
②as...as ever后接動詞的過去式,也表最高級。
He was as brave a soldier as ever lived. 他是最勇敢的士兵。
2. 問:much too和too much都可以作狀語嗎?如果是,有什么不同?
答:都可以作狀語,但much too作狀語修飾形容詞或副詞,而too much 作狀語修飾動詞。如:
He is much too tired. 他實在是太累了。(作狀語,修飾形容詞)
He walked much too slow. 他走得實在是太慢了。(作狀語,修飾副詞)
I miss you too much. 我實在是太想你了。(作狀語,修飾動詞)
注:too much還可以作代詞或形容詞用,分別擔當主語、賓語、定語和表語。例如:
Too much will be done. 要做的事太多了。(作主語)
He ate too much. 他吃的太多了。 (作賓語)
He wasted too much time. 他浪費了太多的時間。(作定語).
The rubbish in the room is too much. 屋子里的垃圾太多了。(作表語)
3. 問:我看到這樣一句話“He had the bravery to save the child from the flood.”,請問如何理解?
答:句意:“他非常勇敢,結果從洪水中救出了那個孩子?!边@是“have + the + 抽象名詞 + 不定式”表示“如此......以至于……;非常……結果……”的句式。又如:
He had the luck to find a satisfactory job.
= He was so lucky that he found a satisfactory job.
= He was lucky enough to find a satisfactory job.
= He luckily found a satisfactory job. 他非常幸運,找到稱心如意的工作。
注:這種結構中的不定式to do也可以用of doing。如:
He had the carelessness to fail / of failing in the exam. 他是如此地粗心大意,以至于他沒有通過這次考試。
4. 問:在“He came up to see what was the matter.”這句話中,what was the matter是否應該寫成what the matter was?
答:這里的what was the matter與 what was wrong是一樣的。wrong是形容詞,the matter是名詞,但在表示“問題;毛病”時,the matter常被當作形容詞來用。例如:
Is anything the matter? 怎么了?
Theres nothing the matter with it. 這沒有問題。
當然也有人將the matter直接用作名詞“毛?。宦闊┦隆薄H纾?/p>
Every time he peeps, she jumps to see what the matter is. 每次他一發出尖細的叫聲,她就跳起來看是怎么一回事。
但這在英語中,尤其在口語中是不常見的,因為它有時會產生歧義,如:
I dont know what is the matter. 我不知道出了什么問題。
I dont know what the matter is. ① 我不知道出了什么問題。② 我不知道這個物質是什么。