有关more than 的用法

解答:  

所谓 more than从文法上来说，是more than one 的意思，它后面到底应该接单数动词还是复数动词，颇有讨论的余地。在《袖珍牛律辞典》上，特别注明要按单数动词，而文法权威Jeapersen 也说 more than one writer，意思上很明显的是复数(the idea is clearly plural)，不过动词常易为其靠近的名词所吸引而说成单数，如 More than one woman has been known to like her. (喜欢她的据说不只一个女人。)

美国文法家Curme就说，在这种情形，动词用单数是很普通的，不过用复数也可以，因为more可认为是一个 plural indefinite pronoun。(复数不定代名同。）他举例说：More than one has (or have) found it so.(觉得这样的不止一个人，）作“多”解的 more，要给我们一个plural的观念是当然的；所以接在其后面用的代名词常为they，their，而不用单数的字样。不过如把 more than 看成一个phrase，而用作副词时，便有not merely 的意思，而其动词便要与one一致而成为单数了。

《英文习语大全》上说，more than 与形容词连用时，作“非但…尤有甚焉；更加，大大的” (not only..., but more than this) 解，如It is more than probable that he will fail. (十有八九他将失败。）至于与动词连用时，就作“深为”，“岂止” (to do more

than to) 解，如 He more than hesitated to promise that. (他对答应那件事岂止是踌躇而已。）有简直是拒绝之意。

把 more than 用于形容词，动词或名词的前面，原是文法上一种破格的用法，尤其是用在动词前值得留意，以免译错。现就这些特殊的用法，举例如下：

You have already more than repaid me.--Stevenson (你对我的报答已经绰绰有余了。)

He more than satisfied me. (他不只是使我盛到满足而已。）

He is more than pleased with the result.(他对那结果深为满意。)

Rooe's cheeks were more than touched by he sun.-- Gising《露丝的面颊深受太阳的伤害。）

He has more than 10,000 dollar --- more than enough.

(他有万元以上——钱多得绰有余裕。）

He more than smiled, he laughed outright. --Rowe (他岂止是微笑，简直是大笑了。)

He has more than repaid my kindness.(他岂只是报答了我的帮助而已。）

She was dressed more than simply. (她穿得岂只是朴素而已.）简直近乎破烂了。

I prayed to heaven in my heart that my boy, my more than son, might live.-- Haggard (我私自心里将告，求上苍让我的孩子，我那心肝的儿子，活下去吧。）

Oh, great Sciolto! Oh, my more than father. (啊，伟大的西奥图!  啊，我那单说是父亲还嫌不足的亲爱的人。）

这个more than 又可置于to 和 infinitive 之间，如 to more than hint their knowledge in surmise (超过暗示他们她臆测的知识。) 

在现代文中 more than 用的非常普遍，无非是要加强它所修饰的字。