no matter能否直接后跟名词（没有wh-词）
■蒋学文
一、问题的提出
有网友在本站问及no matter…的省略问题。如下：
I wonder if parents should always tell the truth no matter the
consequences.
这个句子的no matter the consequences从句没有动词吧，是省略了吗？如果是，有什么规律吗？
另外，no matter后面为什么没有wh-词呢？也省略了吗？
原题见：https://www.cpsenglish.com/question/47000
首先要肯定是，网友的这个句子是没有问题的，查了一下该句出自2020全国卷Ⅰ完形填空题。原句上下文为：
I wonder if parents should always tell
the truth no matter the consequences. I have a very strong fear
that the lie we’re telling is doing spiritual damage to our children. Windows
and doors have important metaphorical meanings. I’m telling them they can’t
open what they absolutely know is a door. What if later in life they come to a
metaphorical door, like an opportunity of some sort, and instead of opening the
door and taking the opportunity, they just stare at it and wonder, “What if it
isn’t a door?” That is, “What if it isn’t a real opportunity?”
二、语法的发展
关于no matter后面能否接名词，这有一个语言的发展过程问题。
1.传统观点
根据传统语法，no matter后面确实是不能否接名词的，许多原版的用法词典都有说明。比如《柯林斯高级英语用法词典》（外研社翻译出版）就认为：一旦 no matter 后跟名词，则改用 in spite of。该书还给出了正误例句：
尽管下雨，我们仍继续比赛。
误：No matter the rain, we carried on with the game.
正：In spite of the rain, we carried on with the game.
又如英语版的Longman Dictionary of Common Errors也有类似说明：
× No matter the recession, sales remained
high.
√ In spite of the recession, sales
remained high.
No matter is always followed by a wh- clause:
No matter what
they did, they couldn’t put the fire out.
No matter how
cold it gets, we’ll keep warm somehow.
In front of a
noun phrase, use in spite of / despite:
In spite of
the temperature outside, we managed to keep warm.
2.新的观点
(1)《朗文当代英语大词典》matter 词条例句：
He visited her every day no matter the weather. 无论天气如何，他每天都去看她。
(2) 更多来自权威词典的例句以及相关用法说明：
