2. 是否可以分析为what引导了一个wh分句在介词后面作宾语,这样一来就有:research indicate what to be。可是我对此出indicate的用法有些疑惑,平常我见到的indicate要么是接n作宾语要么是n性分句作宾语,少见后面接复合宾语的。于是我上COCA查找indicate sth to be的用法,只找到了4例indicate it to be的用法。
这个分析是对的,似乎是因为"4个"比较少,产生怀疑。其实COCA还有不少:
比如
Lumiya had earlier indicated this to be a sign of Sith Mastery
I think Roy Spencer may have indicated this to be the case as well in his earlier comment.
..., which indicates him to be a musical sort.
Survey Indicates Donors to be More Conservative in Future Giving
Indicate和to be,这两个限制条件之下,依然能找到不少于30个,说明这个用法是可行的。