1. It is not too late to mend.
2. He is too wise not to see that.
一个否定在不定式前,一个否定在不定式后,有何区别?
1. It is not too late to mend.
2. He is too wise not to see that.
一个否定在不定式前,一个否定在不定式后是有区别的。
第一句的意思是“只要肯改过,决不会嫌太迟的。”也就是:“亡羊补牢,犹未为晚。”句子当中的not可以改成never,意义较重。
第二句的意思是“以他的聪明,岂有不知那件事的道理。”第一句的not是用以否定is的,而第二句的not便是修饰不定式to see的。这两句英文的构造完全不同,如果不了解,把第一句中的not认为是修饰too的,翻译出来就会大错特错。
It is too late to mend. = It is so late that we cannot mend.
意即“时已太迟,无法改正。”再加上一个否定字,变成:
It is not too late to mend.
若译作“时不太迟,无法改正”,就不通了;应译成“你要改过,现在并不为迟。”或是“现在还来得及改。”
至于第二句中的not是只管to see的,换写so that时,即是:
He is so wise that he cannot but see that.
意即“他是那样聪明,必然会知道那事情的。”又如:
This was too great an honour not to excite the envy of his rivals.
= This was so great an honour that it excited the envy of his rivals.
(这是一种很大的荣誉,必然要惹起他对手们的嫉羡的。)
He is too angry not to say that.
(他盛怒之下也不免要说出那样的话。)
It is not too late to mend. 亡羊补牢,犹未为晚。
He is too wise not to see that. 他很聪明,不会看不出来的。
▲ not与too...to搭配常有以下几点:
1. cannot be too … to表示 “越……越好;无论如何……也不过分”
You cannot be too careful to cross the street. 你过街的时候越小心越好。(=cannot be careful enough to)
2. never / not too…to “不太……可以……; 再……也可以……”
One is never / not too old to learn. 活到老,学到老。(谚)
3. too…not to “很……不会不……”
She is too sensitive not to understand your intentions. 她很敏感,不会不明白你的意图。
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