在《词序不同,句义有异》一文里,谈到“形似义异”的句子。这里要从句型的变化来看句义的不同。最后还要看看同一个句子,却有两个意思。
先看句型不同,句义有别的句子。
① We/watched/ the sunset.
② We/watched/the sun/set.
①里的句型是“主语+动词+宾语”。②里的句型是“主语+动词+ 宾语+不带’to’的不定式动词”。①的意思是“某人看某事”;② 的意思是“某人看某事发生”。
③ Tom/ is/ going to play.
④ Tom/ is going/ to school.
③的句型是“主语+动词+补足语”。④里的句型是“主语+动词+ 副词短语”。③的意思是“汤姆将要去玩耍”。④的意思是“汤姆在去学校途中”。
⑤ The cow/ is used/ to do the farm work.
⑥ The cow/ is/ used to doing the farm work.
⑤是被动语态(the passive voice);⑥是主动语态(the active voice)。⑤的句型是“主语+助动词+过去分词+不定式动词短语”。
⑥的句型是“主语+动词+补足语”。注意⑥的补足语(the complement)是个形容词短语“used to”,意思是“习惯于”,如:
⑦ Are you used to eating in a canteen?
⑧ Some people are not used to living in a foreign land.
最后来看看一些“一句二义”的句子:
⑨ All schools here have trained teachers.
a. All schools here HAVE TRAINED teachers.
b. All schools here have TRAINED teachers.
(a)指的是“在训练教师”;(b)指的是“有受过训练的教师”。
⑩ Mr Li is a Chinese dress tailor.
a. Mr Li is a CHINESE dress tailor.
b. Mr Li is a CHINESE DRESS tailor.
(a)里的“李先生是个华籍裁缝师”;(b)里的“李先生是个华人服装的裁缝师”。
(11) Jenny doesn’t have a single companion.
a. Jenny doesn’t have A SINGLE companion.
b. Jenny doesn’t have a SINGLE companion.
(a)里的“珍妮连一个同伴都没有”;(b)里的“珍妮没有未婚的同伴”。
(12) It is good news that his wife is expecting.
这句话蕴涵着两个意思:
(a)“他太太在等待的是个好消息”;(b)“有个好消息,就是他太太快生产了”。
(a)和(b)的不同根源于“that his wife is expecting”这句话。它可以是形容词从句(the adjective clause),也可以是名词从句(the noun clause)。
根据(a)的语义,所需的是个形容词从句。根据(b)的意思,需要的是充当同位语的名词从句(the noun clause as the noun in apposition)。
下面这个“that…… small”名词从句也是名词“The fact”的同位语;
(13) The fact that our country is small is undeniable.