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谓语在形式上和主语协调的十四种情况 | 新编英语阅读手册

谓语在形式上和主语协调的十四种情况

谓语在形式上和主语协调的十四种情况

一般说来,英语的谓语形式是随主语的人称、单复数以及动作的时态、语态而变的。这里结合中国人学英语的特点,介绍英语的主语和谓语在下列十四种非一般的情况下如何协调的问题。

一、两个作主语用的名词或代词由 either… or, neither… nor, not only… but… 等连接时,谓语动词应按后一个主语的人称和数而变

  1. Either he or I am to get online. 不是他就是我要去上网。
  2. Neither the students nor the teacher knows anything about this matter. 学生们和教师都不知道这件事。
  3. Neither rain not snow nor sleet keeps the postman from delivering our letters. 雨雪,和冰雹都不能阻挡邮递员给我们送信。
  4. Not only air, but natural gas consists of some substances. 不仅空气,而且天然气也是由若干种物质组成的。

注:注意疑问句中有点例外。例如:Are either you or he to go on-line? 是你还是他去上网呢?

二、主语是单数,而后面跟有 as well as, with, together with. along with, besides, in addition to, but(作介词用),like, unlike, including, except, rather than 等词或短语连用时,谓语动词仍用单数形式

  1. Air as well as water is matter. 空气和水(一样)都是物质。
  2. She as well as the other students has learned how to use an internet protocol phone. 她和其他学生一样,也学会了如何使用网络电话(或 IP 电话)。
  3. Our chemical works, with some few factories, was built in 1979. 我们的化工厂和少数几个工厂是建于 1979 年。
  4. A professor, together (或 along) with some students, was moved into a new laboratory. 一位教授和几个学生搬到新实验室里去了。
  5. a. Nobody but (或 except) the students is in the classroom. 只有学生在教室里。
    b. None but the teachers are having a meeting in the room. 只有老师在房间里开着会。(用 are 为宜。)
    c. There are nothing but boy-students playing chess in the classroom. 只有男生在教室里下棋。(同上)
  6. Fuel like oil and coal gives out much heat. 像石油和煤那样的燃料能放出许多热。
  7. In addition to Joy, his mother is going to the software development company. 除了乔以外,他的母亲也打算去软件开发公司。
  8. His mother, rather than his friends, comes and sees the test tube baby everyday. 是他的母亲而不是他的朋友每天来看望这个试管婴儿。
  9. No one, besides you and Jessica, is going to the cinema together with us. 除了你和杰西卡以外,无人打算和我们一起去看电影。

三、把作主语用的集合名词作为一个整体看待时,谓语可用单数,若就其中各个成员来考虑,则谓语可用复数

  1. a. The committee was made up of ten members. (那时)委员会由十人组成。
    b. The committee were in the room. (当时)委员们都在室内。
  2. The majority of our class is(或are)going to AT&T. 我班大多数人准备去美国电话电报公司。
  3. a. The team is entirely composed of women. 这个队全部由妇女组成。
    b. The team were taken to the theater in four automobiles. 队员们分乘四辆汽车被送往剧场。
  4. The public are interested in the information technology. 公众对信息技术感兴趣。

注 1:像 the rich(富人),the poor(穷人)等作主语时,可理解为表示这类或那类人,其谓语要用复数形式。

注 2:注意根据上下文考虑具体情况。例如:

1)Of those two men the former is dead, but the latter is still alive. 这两人中前者已死,但后者还活着。
2)Television, like other things, has both advantages and disadvantages. Do the former out weigh the latter? 像其它东西那样,电视既有优点也有缺点。前者是否超过后者?

四、表示数字、时间、钱额、重量、公里等的名词复数作主语时,谓语仍可用单数

  1. Two hours is enough for us to perform this experiment. 由我们做完这个实验,两小时就够了。
  2. Twice three makes (或 equals, is equal to) six. 二三得六。
  3. Two yuan is too cheap for this book. 这本书两元钱太便宜。
  4. There is ten kilograms of rice in the kitchen. 厨房里有十公斤米。
  5. Three metres is a short distance. 三米是个短距离。

五、不可数名词前面有表示种类等复数含义的词或“a large number 等 + of“修饰时,其谓语常用复数形式

  1. There are many kinds of water in nature. 自然界内有许多种水。(这里显然指雨水、井水、河水、海水、地下水……而言。若用 there is five tons of water,则指水的数量有五吨,而没指出它的种类多。)
  2. A great many (或 A large number) of compounds do exist in nature. 许多(或大量)化合物确实存在于自然界中。

六、虽用 and 连接两个主语,但指的是同一人、物或同一概念时,谓语仍用单数形式

  1. A states man and poet was present at the meeting. 有一个政治家兼诗人出席了会议。
  2. Bread and butter is a healthy food. 白脱面包是一种有营养的食品。
  3. The wheel and axle is a rotating lever. 轮和轴是一个转动杠杆。
  4. When the block and tackle was used, a force of 250 grams lifted a 1000 gram weight. 当时使用了滑车组, 250 克的力举起了重 1000 克的东西。

七、用“every, each, no, many a (或 a great deal of) 或 more than one + 单数名词“作主语时,谓语用单数,而用“a great many (或 a great number of 等)+ 复数名词”时,谓语则用复数

  1. Every man and (every) woman attends the meeting. 男的、女的都参加这个会。(句中还可用 each 代替 every,但谓语形式仍不变。)
  2. Many a student and teacher is having practice in this plant. 许多学生和教师正在该厂实习。
  3. A great deal of our time was spent on this test. 我们很多时间花费在这项试验上。(a great deal of 后常接不可数名词,其谓语相应形式必然为单数形式。)
  4. No sulfur and no phosphorus is present in this product. 该产物中不存在硫和磷。
  5. There are a great many (或 a large number of) animals in nature. 自然界中有许多动物。
  6. Every change of season, every change of weather makes some change in the wonderful colors and shapes of these mountains. 每次季节的变化,每次天气的变化都在使这些山脉的奇异色彩和形状发生某种变化。(这里 makes 原义是“产生”、“造成”。)
  7. Each proton and each neutron has almost the same mass as any other proton or neutron. 每一个质子和申子所具有的质量与任何其它的质子和中子几乎相同。
  8. More than one student is learning to operate different types of computers. 不止一个学生在学习操作各种型式的计算机。

注 1:注意与 many a student, each student and teacher 等相应的代词也要用第三人称单数。例如:

1)Many a girl-student studies diligently. I think she will get good marks in the exams. 许多女生学习勤奋。我认为她们将获得很好的考试成绩。
2)Each student and teacher must sign his name on the grade sheet before submitting it. 每个学生和教师必须在送交成绩单之前在单子上签字。

注 2:each 作前面主语复数名词的同位语时,后面的谓语仍按复数形式表示。

例如:These steel works each produce ten million tons of steel a year. 这些钢厂每年各生产 1000 万吨钢。

注 3:指代“every + 名词”的代词,在比较正式的英语文体中,常用第三人称单数的代词或物主代词表示,但在口语中却常用相应的第三人称复数形式表示。这种用法常可推广到 anyone, anybody, somebody, someone, nobody, noone, a person, whoever 等。

1)In these eases everybody has their right to stop you from smoking. 在这些情况下,每个人都有权制止你吸烟。
2)If anybody calls, tell them I’m out. 如果有人来电话,就告诉他,我外出了。
3)Whoever comes, tell them to keep off the grass. 不论谁来,都告诉他勿踏草地。(意译)
4)When a person doesn't want to live on, they are often difficult to listen to such advice. 当一个人不想活下去时,常很难听从这样的劝告。
5)Nobody came here while I was out,did they?当我外出时,没有人来这里吧?

八、有些名词只有复数形式,可根据谓语单复数、上下文等来判别其主语所表示的事物的实际单复数

  1. a. The cement works was set up in 1958. 这个水泥厂建于 1958 年。
    b. The cement works are near the station. 这些水泥厂在火车站附近。
  2. a. In our country, the working people are living a happy life. 在我国,劳动人民过着幸福的生活。
    b. The peoples of the world are at peace. 这是一个勤劳的民族。
    c. The peoples of the world at peace. 世界各国人民和睦相处。
  3. a. All possible means have been tried. 一切可能用的方法(或手段)都已试过。
    b. This means to an end is very good. 这种达到目的的方法是很好的。
  4. The Canterbury Tales was an interesting book. 《坎特伯雷故事集》是一本有趣的书。(虽然书名用复数,但书毕竟是一本,故谓语仍用单数形式。)

注 1:有些名词只有复数形式,无相应单数形式,其谓语也只能用复数形式。例如:clothes(衣服),cattle(牲口),savings(存款),thanks(感谢),police(警察),valuables(贵重物品,财物),vermin(害虫)等。

注 2:属于以-s结尾的学科或病名,其谓语也只能用单数形式。例如 physics(物理),mathematics(数学)。Politics(政治),statistics(统计学),mechanics(力学,机械学),electronics(电子学),measles(麻疹),shingles(带状疤疹)等。

九、由两个对称部分组成的 scissors(剪子),shorts(运动短裤),glasses(眼镜),compasses(圆规),scales(天平)等为复数名词,其相应谓语用复数形式。注意 shoe(鞋),sock(短袜),stocking(长袜)具有单复数形式。其单数用谓语单数形式,而其复数名词前加 a pair of 时,则谓语应该用单数形式

  1. The pincers are very nice. 这把(或这些)钳子很好。(只能根据上下文判断实际上是一把还是两把以上钳子。)
  2. a. My glasses were bought here last week. 我的眼镜是上周在这里买的。
    b. There is a pair of glasses beside the bottle of ink on the table. 在桌上那瓶墨水旁边有一副眼镜。
    c. There are two glasses on the table. 桌上有两只玻璃杯。
    d. There is a sheet of glass on the table. 桌上有一块玻璃。

注:本项内有些词和 glasses 一样,使用其单数名词时,其词义有变化。例如 a compass 一个指南针,a scale 一个秤盘或一个刻度等。

十、“there be + 并列主语”和“here be + 并列主语”结构中的谓语形式,也可随并列主语中的第一个主语的单数形式来变,当然更可用复数形式

  1. There is a pen and a pager on the desk. 桌上有一枝钢笔和一个寻呼机。(当然更可用 there are 代之。)
  2. At that time there was only a teacher and a student in the room. 那时房间里只有一个教师和一个学生。(当然更可用 there were 代之。)
  3. Here is a letter and an electronic dictionary for you. 这里有一封信和一本电子辞典是给你的。(也可用 are 代替 is。)

十一、none 作主语时,谓语可用单数或复数。若与可数名词有关,谓语多半用复数形式,若与不可数名词连用,则谓语用单数形式

  1. None knows (或 know) a great deal about this new theory. 没有一个人对这种新的理论知道很多。
  2. None has (或 have) been found. 一个都没有找到。
  3. Three guests are expected, but none have arrived. 期待三位客人光临,但无一个到场。
  4. There are faults from which none of us are free. 有些错误我们任何人都不能避免。
  5. None of this money is mine. 这笔钱没有一点是我的。
  6. I wanted some string but there was none in the classroom. 当时我想要一些绳子,但教室里一点也没有。

十二、根据实际情况采用相应的谓语单复数形式

  1. There are 30 students in your class. Part of you are studying Japanese while the rest(或 the remainderare working at other foreign languages. 你们班有 30 个学生:其中一部分在学日语,其余学生则在学其它一些外语。
  2. Sure enough, the majority of teachers were caught in the rain and became wet through and through. 果然,多数教师遇雨而被浇湿全身。
  3. a. A great variety (或 A great quantity) of products were made by our factory last year. 我厂去年生产了很多品种(或大量)的产品。(句中 quantity 也可用 number 代替)
    b. A large quantity of distilled water is produced here every day. 每天在这里生产大量的蒸馏水。(由于 water 是不可数名词,不可用 number 代替 quantity。)
    c. There are not a few kinds of water in nature. 自然界有不少种水。(在不可数名词前常加多个种类的词以体现其复数,这时其谓语要用复数。)
  4. The number of books in the reading-room is not very great. 阅览室内的图书数量不是很大。
  5. The United States of America is an economic superpower. 美利坚合众国是一个经济超级大国。(由 50 个州组成的美国仍然只是一个国家。)

十三、注意 when, if 等的省略句中所省略的主语有时不是主句中的主语(试与第 145节第二项中的省略句比较)

  1. According to the molecular theory the speed of the molecules is increased when (the molecules are) heated. 根据分子理论,当(分子)受热时,分子速度就增加。
  2. The color of the copper oxide changes if(the copper oxide is)heated in hydrogen. 若在氢气中加热氧化铜,氧化铜的颜色就变。
  3. This became apparent when(we were)studying Fig.2. 学习图 2 时这点就明白了。

十四、在极少数情况下,分词短语作状语时,其逻辑主语(一般都不表示出来)却不是主句中的主语

  1. Having overcome all the difficulties on the way of improving the performance of the engine, there is a very reason to believe it to replace the old one. 克服了在改进发动机性能的过程中的困难以后,就有真正理由确信它能代替旧的发动机。(主语 reason 显然不能作“克服困难”的逻辑主语,但却和后面不定式 to believe 的逻辑主语是一致的。)
  2. Dealing with the physical sciences, we must deal with matter and energy. 研究物理学时,我们必须与物质和能量打交道。(与上句不同,这里现在分词短语作状语,其逻辑主语和句中主语是一致的。这是一般情况。)

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