近日在图书馆偶遇薄冰先生的《薄冰英语用法问答1144例》一书,书中有读者问了这么一个句子:
(1)The boy told him his story and also that of the girl upstairs, who was his sister, and of
the terrible wrongs that had been done them by the two noblemen.
(这个句子出自狄更斯的一篇小说;我国上世纪的高中英语教材课文中也有出现)
关于为什么这个句子中的 that had been done之后为什么没有to,先生作出了如下解释:
“不少语法书认为这里的done之后省去了介词to。但也有的语法家认为done之后没有to是英国英语,有to则为英美两国所共用。我们倾向于后一种说法。具体到引文中的that had been done them,则令人觉得有一种正式而古旧的风味。这种不用to的用法常出现在被动结构中”。
随后,薄冰先生又给出了一些例句:
(2) The reception accorded the book since it first appeared in 1925 has been very gratifying.
(accorded之后无to)
(3) A severe blow was dealt scalpers of train tickets in Beijing this week, when 52 persons
were arrested in the capital's four offices selling train tickets. (dealt之后无to)
(4) There were only few days left him of his vacation. (left之后无to)
(5) Serious attention was paid the matter by Witnerf and by Smoel,his red-headed henchman. (paid之后无to)
(6) Since prosodic devices are acquired naturally by native speakers, they do not have to be taught them formally. (taught之后无to)
(7) She felt utterly crushed by the terrible thing which had been told her.(told之后无to)
我的问题是:①to的这种省略用法是我从来不曾遇见过的,这种用法目前普遍吗?可以运用到英语写作中吗?
②薄冰先生说:“不少语法书认为这里的done之后省去了介词to。但也有的语法家认为done之后没有to是英国英语,有to则为英美两国所共用”。请问他提到的“不少语法书”和“语法家”是具体指哪些书和语法家呢?我想继续深入学习一下。
最后感谢各位老师百忙之中答疑解惑。
双宾语及物动词通常都可以改为单宾语结构,间接宾语由介词to或者for引出,作为必具性状语。例如:
My father gave me this watch.
My father gave this watch to me.
当将主动句改为被动句时,第二句很简单,因为只有一个宾语
This watch was given to me by my father. 英式英语和美式英语在这一点上是一致的。
问题在于第一句中有二个宾语:间接宾语和直接宾语。究竟应该用哪个宾语作主语,而另一个作保留宾语呢?
I was given this watch by my father. 第一被动句
This watch was given me by his father. 第二被动句
以上间接宾语作主语称为第一被动句,直接宾语作主语称为第二被动句(根据二个宾语在主动句中的顺序命名)。
第一被动句是美式英语和英式英语的常见结构。第二被动句(即直接宾语作主语,间接宾语作保留宾语)在美式英语是几乎是不可能的。即美式英语如果用直接宾语作主语,则使用单宾语结构,间接宾语由介词to或for引出,作为状语。换句话说,第二被动句只见于英式英语,即使如此,也比较少见,仅用于有限的结构中,例如关系分句、感叹句、宾语前置等结构中。
狄更斯使用的是典型的英式英语,被动语态的句子。定语从句为被动语态,省略了的关系代词作直接宾语,间接宾语作保留宾语。这是英式英语,并不是省略了介词to.
美式英语不能用间接宾语作保留宾语,而需要to介词短语作为必具性状语。这是美式英语和英式英语的差别,不是介词to的省略。
关于这部分内容,网友可参读Huddleston的 The Combridge Grammar of the English Language. P 1432.
中国英语教学中,没有涉及双宾语动词改为被动语态时保留宾语如何处理的问题。所以很多学生和老师误以为随便哪个宾语作主语,另一个作保留宾语即可。所以我们需要补上这一课。
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