both的指代问题（both books是指两本书一共还是两本书分别）
问两个简单的问题：
1. Both books cost me twenty dollars.
是指买两本书一共花费了20元，还是两本书各花了20元？
2. The Yangtze River is China's longest river.
也可以说The Yangtze River is the longest river of China吗？
最佳答案 2016-10-19 19:49
看了几位老师的回答后，我发现这个问题可能是中国语法教学的盲点。我的理解和几位老师不同。
关于第一个问题：我觉得both的这种用法是模糊的，在规范英语中，指每一个个体，Both books cost me twenty dollars. 即这本书花了我20元，那本书也花了我20元，实际总共40元。请看American Heritage Dictionary给了很清楚的解释：“ Both” indicates that the action or state denoted by the verb applies individually to each of two entities. “Both books weigh more than five pounds”, for example, means that each book weighs more than five pounds by itself, not that the two books weighed together come to more than five pounds.
但是在日常运用中，有时人们也会混乱。所以国外的商家在做广告时有时使用both的模糊概念来诱导人们购物。对问题中的句子而言，为了避免模糊，人们一般会改为Both books cost me twenty dollars each.
关于第二个问题：The Yangtze River is the longest river of China.不符合英语惯用，因为最高级后接地点时，不能用of, 要用in. 例如：The largest canyon in the world is the Brahmaputra grand canyon. 这里不能说of the world. 但可以说The world's largest canyon.
这个问题看似很简单，看来中国的语法教学没有讲清楚这个语言点。
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其它 3 个回答
问两个简单的问题：Both books cost me twenty dollars. 是指买两本书一共花费了20元，还是两本书各花了20元？
【答】前者。
The Yangtze River is China's longest river. 也可以说The Yangtze River is the longest river of China.吗？
【答】都对。此外，还可说：The Yangtze River is the longest river in China.
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Both books cost me twenty dollars. 是指买两本书一共花费了20元.
回答如下：
Both books cost me twenty dollars
=2本书共计花费我20元(wrong)
=2本书都花费了我20元（right)
=2本书共计花费我40元(right)
The Yangtze River is the longest river in China(better)
The Yangtze River is China's longest river(better).
=The Yangtze River is the longest river of China(good)
补充回答，非常赞同王老师的解答，王老师解答属于正确的解答
both:两个；两个都
英语解释如下:
You use both when you are referring to two people or things and saying that something is true about each of them.
(1)both +名词复数 表示：2个人或者2个物，都怎么样，
Both pens cost me five yuan.
意思:这2只钢笔都花了我5元，即一只花了我5元，另一只也花了我5元，共计10元.
(1)both +名词复数 表示：2个人或者2个物，都怎么样，
"Both girls are beautiful " means"one girl is beautiful and the other (girl) is also beautiful"
中文：“2个女孩子都漂亮意思是说，1个女孩子漂亮，另外一个女孩子也漂亮”
"Both girls have two books " means"one girl has two books and the other (girl) also have two book"
(意思:They totall have four books)
中文：2个女孩子都有2本书，意思是1个女孩子有2本书，另外一个女孩子也有2本书，因此他们共计4本书.
(The total number of the books owned by them is 4 books.即他们2人一共有4本书.)
She cried out in fear and flung both arms up to protect her face.
她吓得大叫，并且抡起双臂护住了自己的脸。
Put both vegetables into a bowl and crush with a potato masher.
把这两样蔬菜都放进一个碗里，然后用捣土豆器把它们捣碎。
Both his eyes are hurt.
他的两眼都受伤了。
She kissed him on both cheeks.
她吻了他的双颊。
There are trees on both sides of the street.
这条街两侧都是树。
Both these flowers are beautiful.
这两朵花都好看。
Both my parents are kind.
我的父母都很亲切。
Both (the) students were excellent.
这两个学生都很优秀。
(建议提问者把王老师解答作为最佳答案采纳)
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