句子it is too early to tell if…的指代问题

讨论的句子:

it is too early to tell if the calves will make good candidates to be returned to protected areas of the wild.

语境:

The adorable female calf is the second black rhino born this year at the reserve, but it is too early to tell if the calves will make good candidates to be returned to protected areas of the wild.The first rhino to be born at Port Lympne arrived on January 5 to first-time mother Kisima and weighed about 32kg. His mother, grandmother and great grandmother were all born at the reserve and still live there.

思路:

有一种便捷的理解，是认为it是形式主语，原句可以改写成:

to tell if the calves will make good candidates to be returned to protected areas of the wild is too early.

但这样似乎破坏了too…to结构。如果不是形式主语，那么it就是虚指/泛指。

另: I would appreciate it if you could help.

这里的it也不是形式宾语吧，因为it无法与if you could help等价。

问题:

如何理解这个it?

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分类：代词用法

最佳答案 2022-05-07 14:48

1 我认为第一句中的 it 是表示时间、天气、温度等意义的非人称代词it。在这个句子中 it 指时间，由于系词是is，it 就可以翻译为现在。现在要说...还是为时过早。

2 这个句子通常语法书的解释是，appreciate是及物动词，必须有宾语。在表示to be grateful for something that somebody has done; to welcome something 这个意义时，appreciate是不能后接从句的，只能接名词、代词或动名词作宾语。所以，我们可以说 I would appreciate your help. 不过这种说法会让听话人觉得你已经认为别人会帮你，会给听话人一种压力，不够礼貌。于是，我们可以委婉地把别人的帮助放在虚拟条件句中，if you could help. 字面意思是我觉得你不大可能会帮我的。既然我已经这么认为了，别人如果真的有事没法帮你时，说no时就不会尴尬。虚拟语气起到了委婉的作用。由于if 从句不能作宾语，而appreciate又必须有宾语，于是用虚拟it占据宾语的位置，if从句为条件状语。这是通常的语法书的解释。

我和刘永科老师都认为可以把这个it理解为人称代词，属于前照应指代，即指代后面if 从句的内容 —— you could help. 如果我们把if从句移至句首，it的指代作用就更明显了：If you could help, I would appreciate it. 从语义上讲，appreciate的宾语也应该是your help 或者 your helping me.

个人观点，仅供参考。

3 条评论

曹荣禄 -

擅长：动词用法,句法问题 | 采纳率 82% | 回答于 2022-04-25 20:33

句子it is too early to tell if…的指代问题

最佳答案 2022-05-07 14:48

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