表倍数的times是复数名词,但是根据其修饰的成分不同,times名词词组也可以变成限定词或者副词。(以下例句均出自词典)
1. The area received three times the amount of rain it got last year.
three times修饰名词amount,此时是作为前位限定词使用的。
2. Sound travels four times faster in water than in air.
four times修饰副词比较级faster,此时是作为副词使用的。
以上两句比较简单,但下面几句我就没什么信心了,烦请老师们看下我分析的正不正确:
3. Young people were three times more likely to be out of work than older members of the workforce.
副词more修饰形容词likely,than比较分句作为more的补足语。three times作为副词也修饰more,"多"三倍,也就是年轻人失业的几率是年长者的四倍。
4. There were three times as many girls as boys.
副词as修饰many,比较分句as boys作为副词as的补足语。没有倍数时语义为女生和男生"一样多(as many)",three times as many即为"三个一样多",也就是女生数量是男生的三倍。那么这里three times也是副词。
5. You would have to spend two times as much at a regular department store.
同上一句类似,副词as修饰much,two times修饰副词as。不同的是,副词as没有补足成分了,后面并没有一个as比较分句。我的理解是副词as的对比含义隐含在语境中了,比如这句话是在一个服装批发市场说的,那么其实就是as much as here,所以可以不需要as比较分句来补足。
6. Their original investment has paid for itself three times over.
这里的副词over是指"used to express repetition of a process; again"。所以three times还是副词修饰over,指回本(pay for itself)这件事重复了三次,也就是总收益是初始投资的三倍,净利润是初始投资的两倍。