不定代词有两类:
还有不能兼作代词的限定词(形容词)(主要是every, no)。
somebody和someone意思相同,表示“某人”——肯定句中用somebody和someone,否定句及疑问句中用anybody和anyone。它们在句中可用作:
a. 主语:
Somebody(Someone)said that you’d been ill. 有人说你病了。
Somebody(Someone)has turned off the light. 有人把灯关了。
Did anybody(anyone)ever hear of such a thing? 谁听说过这样的事?
Is anyone(anybody)here who can speak Japanese? 这儿有会说日语的人吗?
b. 宾语或介词宾语:
I didn’t know anybody at the party. 晚会上我谁也不认识。
I need somebody to help me in the work. 我需要有人帮忙一起干。
Did he leave any message for anyone? 他给谁留口信了吗?
有时它们的所有格可用作定语:
There’s no need to hurt anybody’s feelings. 没有必要伤害谁的感情。
anybody和anyone还可以表示“任何人”,在句中可作:
a. 主语:
Anybody can tell you how to get there. 任何人都能告诉你怎么到那里。
Anyone can do that. 任何人都可以做这件事。
b. 宾语或介词宾语:
I never discussed it with anybody. 我从未和任何人谈论过此事。
She felt that she could do it better than anyone. 她觉得这件事她能比任何人都做得好。
有时它们的所有格可用作定语:
I like his music more than anybody’s(music). 我喜欢他的音乐胜过任何人的。
everybody和everyone意思相同,表示“人人”,everything表示“一切”,这些代词都是单数,在句中都可以作:
a. 主语:
Everybody was glad to see Martin back. 看到马丁回来大家都很高兴。
Everyone laughed, me included. 大家都笑了,我也笑了。
b. 宾语:
The police questioned everybody(everyone)in the room. 警察盘问了屋里所有的人。
He told everybody to remain in their cars. 他叫大家都留在车里。
everything可用作表语:
Her son is everything to her. 儿子是她的一切。
Money isn’t everything. 金钱不是一切。
everybody和everyone可用于所有格:
Everybody’s business is nobody’s business. (谚语)人人都管,没人真管。
something和anything表示“某物(事)”,something用于肯定句,anything用于疑问句和否定句,nothing表示“没什么”。这几个代词都可用作:
a. 主语:
Something has happened. 出事了。
Anything is better than nothing. 有总比没有好。
But nothing could make him alter his views. 但什么都不能使他改变看法。
b. 宾语:
I want something to eat. 我想吃点东西。
If you remember anything at all, please let us know. 你要是想起什么来,就告诉我们。
He knew absolutely nothing. 他什么也不知道。
c. 表语(意思略有转折):
He thinks he’s something. 他认为自己很了不起。
I was cut a little, but it wasn’t anything. 我被割伤了,但没什么。
—What’s that strange noise? —Don’t worry, it isn’t anything. ——这奇怪的声音是什么?——别担心,没事。
It’s something to be home again without an accident. 能平安无事地回家真是幸运。
not anything和nothing的意思一样:
I know nothing about it. (I don’t know anything about it.) 我对此一无所知。
anything还可表示“任何东西(事情)”:
Don’t be dependent on anyone for anything. 什么事都不要依赖别人。
You can take anything you want. 你可以拿走任何你想要的东西。
nobody和no one意思一样,都表示“没有人”,在句中可用作:
a. 主语:
Nobody seems to notice. 似乎没有人注意。
Nobody stands on much ceremony with us. 没人跟我们讲客套。
No one dared speak of it. 没人敢谈及此事。
b. 宾语:
Apart from them, I had nobody to talk to. 除了他们,没人可以和我交谈。
nobody 还可表示“无关紧要的人”,用作表语或宾语:
He was just a nobody before he met her. 他认识她之前只是个小人物。
Don’t marry a nobody like him. 不要嫁给像他那样没地位的人。
some和any都表示“一些”,some用于肯定句,any用于否定句及疑问句。它们可以指人或其他可数的东西(a),也可指不可数的东西(b),在句中主要用作主语或宾语:
a. Some of the students are from the North. 有些学生是北方人。
Some smoke and some don’t. 有些人吸烟,有些人不吸。
Did any of your photos come out well? 你的照片洗出来都好吗?
b. Some of the meat has gone bad. 一些肉已经坏了。
I don’t need any more money—I’ve still got some. 我不需要再多的钱,我还有一些。
Did you give her any? 你给了她一些吗?
any还可表示“任何一个”:
He was just as hard up as any of us. 他和我们中的任何人都一样手头拮据。
Any is good enough for me. 随便哪个对我来说都是好的。
some, any, no都可用作定语,some和any表示“一些”,no表示“没有”,no=not any。这时它们都是限定词,也可说是形容词,可以用来修饰可数名词(a)或不可数名词(b):
a. Some mushrooms are poisonous. 有些蘑菇是有毒的。
She bought some biscuits. 她买了一些饼干。
Did he catch any fish? 他捕到鱼了吗?
b. I have some work to do this evening. 今晚我有些事要做。
Some French wine is quite sweet. 有些法国酒相当甜。
Have you any money on you? 你身上带钱了吗?
any可表示“任何(一个)”
He wanted a job, any sort of a job. 他需要一份工作,什么工作都行。
Any color will do. 什么颜色都行。
no可表示“没有任何……”(a)或“不是一个”(b):
a. No words can express my grief. 我的忧伤无法用语言表达。
Time and tide wait for no man. (谚语)时间不等人。
b. He’s no fool, he isn’t. 他不是傻瓜,他并不傻。
He’s no financial expert. 他并不是金融专家。
a. 用于请求中:
I have run out of envelope. Will you get me some? 我的信封用完了,你能给我一些吗?
Would you like some drink? 要来点儿喝的吗?
b. 用于反问句中:
—Where is the coffee? —Isn’t there some in that drawer? ——咖啡在哪儿?——那个抽屉里不是有一些吗?
—Lend me some money. —Didn’t he give you some? ——借点儿钱给我。——难道他没给你一点儿?
some有时和可数名词单数一起用,表示“某个”,相当于“a certain”:
Ask some typist to come here. 请一位打字员到这里来。
He’s living at some place in East Africa. 他住在东非的某个地方。
many可用作主语(a)或宾语(b):
a. Many of the mistakes were just careless. 有很多错误是粗心造成的。
Not many of us will pass the exam. 我们中不会有很多人通过这个考试。
b. How many do you need? 你需要多少?
They’ve given me too many. 他们给我太多了。
much也可用作主语(a)或宾语(b):
a. Much of the information has been inaccurate. 这些信息很多都不准确。
Much hangs on his decision. 许多事有赖于他的决定。
b. I haven’t time to do much. 我没有时间做很多事。
I have much to talk over with him. 我有很多事要和他谈。
few表示“很少”(有“不足”的意味),也可作主语(a)或宾语(b):
a. Few of the players played really well. 没几个球员真正打得好。
Very few of the books are easy enough for me. 这些书没几本容易到我能读。
b. We saw few of the sights as we had so little time. 我们只有那么一丁点时间,所看的景点寥寥无几。
I knew few of the people there. 那儿的人我认识的很少。
a few表示“有几个”,相当于several,也可作主语(a)或宾语(b):
a. Not a few of my friends are vegetarian. 我朋友中有不少人吃素。
Only a few of the people who applied were suitable. 只有少数几个申请者符合要求。
b. She’s written lots of books but I’ve only read a few. 她写了很多书,但我只看过几本。
I met a few of my friends in Paris. 我在巴黎碰见了几个朋友。
little表示“很少”“几乎没有”(意思接近nothing,有负面含义),可用作主语(a)或宾语(b):
a. The little that I have seen of his work is satisfactory. 他的工作就我所见的那一小部分而言是令人满意的。
Little is known about his childhood. 人们对他的童年知之甚少。
b. You have done very little for us. 你几乎没为我们做什么事。
He had little to tell us. 他没什么可告诉我们。
a little表示“有一点”(含义是正面的,相当于a few,也可以换作a bit或a little bit),在句中也可作主语(a)或宾语(b):
a. There is still a little left. 还剩一点儿。
A little will do. 一点儿就行。
b. Tell me a little about his illness. 告诉我一点儿他的病情。
Try and eat a little. 尽量吃一点儿吧。
many表示“许多”,用来修饰可数名词,多用在疑问句或否定句中(a),也可在肯定句中修饰主语(b),还可和too, so等词一起用(c):
a. Do you have many friends? 你有很多朋友吗?(对比I have a lot of friends.)
Not many people are interested in the activity. 没多少人对这个活动感兴趣。
b. Many people do not get enough to eat. 许多人没有足够的东西吃。
Many students supported the plan. 许多学生赞成这项计划。
c. There are too many mistakes in this essay. 这篇论文错误太多了。
I never saw so many swans on the lake. 我从未见过湖上有这么多天鹅。
much也表示“多”,用来修饰不可数名词,主要用于疑问句及否定句中(a),也可和too, so等词一起用在肯定句中(b):
a. Do you take much interest in it? 你对此兴趣大吗?
We don’t have much free time. 我们没有多少空余时间。
b. You’ve given me too much food. 你给我的食物太多了。
So much money has been spent on it. 这上面的花费太多了。
few表示“很少”,修饰可数名词:
We saw few students there. 我们在那儿几乎没看见学生。
They exchanged few words. 他们没交谈几句。
a few表示“几个”,修饰可数名词:
He has a few friends in this city. 他在这个城市里有几个朋友。
My time is precious; I can only give you a few minutes. 我的时间很宝贵,我只能见你几分钟。
little表示“很少”,修饰不可数名词(意思接近no,可译为“没有什么”):
We got little help from them. 我们没有从他们那儿得到什么帮助。
There is little hope that she will recover. 她痊愈的希望很小。
a little表示“一点”“有些”(意思接近some):
A little discipline would do him a world of good. 稍微处分他一下会对他大有好处。
Come in and have a little whisky. 进来喝点威士忌吧。
a. All enjoyed themselves. 每个人都玩得很尽兴。
All were pale and had dark ring under their eyes. 所有的人都脸色苍白,眼圈发黑。
b. Now all was changed. 现在一切都变了。
I know that all was well with her. 我知道她一切都好。
c. My children all can swim. 我的孩子们都会游泳。
She has read them all. 所有这些她全看了。
d. All that she lacked was training. 她唯一欠缺的就是训练。
All I desired was leisure for study. 我想得到的只是用于学习的空闲时间。
a. All these girls were anaemic. 这些姑娘都贫血。
All hope has gone. 一切希望都破灭了。
b. She spent all that year in London. 那一整年她都在伦敦。
The old man worked hard all his life. 那位老人一生都辛勤工作。
c. She was all sweetness. 她非常亲切。
That afternoon it seemed all disappointment. 那天下午的情况似乎很令人失望。
a. I asked all the children and each told a different story. 我问过所有的孩子,每个人的说法都不一样。
Each went his way. 各走各的路。
b. A gift was given to each of the boys. 每个男孩都收到了一份礼物。
He gave two to each. 他给了每人各两个。
c. They were each sentenced to thirty days. 他们各被判处三十天徒刑。
We had each said a few words. 我们每人讲了几句话。
each还可用作定语(这时也称限定词或形容词):
Each boy gets a present. 每个男孩得到了一份礼物。
He examined each piece of evidence in isolation. 他审查了每一个证据。
a. 主语:
None of us would have said such a thing. 我们谁也不会说出这种话。
None of us spoke English. 我们中没有一个人讲英语。
它的后面有时可跟单数动词(表示“其中一个也不”):
None of the telephones is working. 所有的电话都坏了。
None of my friends ever comes to see me. 我的朋友一个都没来看我。
b. 宾语或介词宾语:
I like none of these pictures. 这些画我都不喜欢。
A friend to all is a friend to none. (谚语)对所有人都是朋友,就意味着跟谁都不是朋友。
c. 同位语:
We none of us live round here. 我们谁都不住在附近。
They have none of them fulfilled their tasks. 他们谁也没完成任务。
a. None of the money is mine. 这些钱中没有我的。
b. He has none of his brother’s selfishness. 他完全没有他哥哥的那种自私。
这三个词都指两个人或两样东西。
a. He has two brothers; both live in Seattle. 他有两个兄弟,都住在西雅图。
Both of the women were French. 两个女人都是法国人。
b. Why not do both? 为什么两件事不都做?
I’ll borrow both of them. 两个我都要借。
c. His parents were both dead. 他的父母都去世了。
They have both seen the film. 他俩都看过这部电影。
both还可用作定语(这时也可叫限定词或形容词):
Both(her)children are at college. (她的)两个孩子都在上大学。
She held something in both(her)hands. 她的两只手都拿着东西。
a. Either of the plans is equally good. 这两个计划一样好。
She is younger than either of us. 她比我们俩都年轻。
b. I did not bring either with me. 两个我都没带。
I like either of these. 两个中哪一个我都喜欢。
它作主语时后面一般跟单数动词,在口语中后面如有复数名词,可跟复数动词:
Are(Is)either of the players ready? 两名选手都准备好了吗?
它也可用作定语(这时可称限定词):
Either proposal will have my support. 两个建议我都支持。
He could write with either hand. 他用哪只手写字都行。
a. I tried on two dresses, but neither fits me. 我试了两件套裙,两件都不合身。
Neither of them knew the way. 他俩谁都不知道路。
b. I’ve read neither of these books. 这两本书我都没看过。
I could answer neither of the questions. 两个问题我都答不上来。
c. They neither said anything. 他们谁也没说什么。
These two books neither are very good. 这两本书都不太好。
它作主语时,动词一般用单数形式(见上例),有时也可用复数形式:
Neither of us are much good. 我们两人谁也不太行。
a. One of the boy is named Tom, the other named David. 一个男孩叫汤姆,另外那个叫大卫。
I have two aunts; one lives in Tokyo and the other in Osaka. 我有两个姑妈 :一个住在东京,另一个住在大阪。
b. He raised one arm and then the other. 他举起一只手臂,然后举起另一只。
The two brothers often quarrel with each other; one is stubborn, and the other(is)selfish. 这两兄弟经常吵架。他们一个很固执,另一个则很自私。
others还可表示“别人”“其他人”:
I went swimming while the others played tennis. 我去游泳,别人则打网球。
Some people came by car, others came on foot. 有的人开车来,有的人走着来。
other还可用作定语(这时可说是限定词),表示“另外的”“别的”“其他的”。
The other students in my class are from Italy. 我们班其余同学都是意大利人。
Mr. Smith and Mrs. Jones and three other teachers were there. 史密斯先生和琼斯太太以及另外三位老师都在那儿。
a. We’ve had many letters like this, another of them came today. 我们收到过许多这样的信,今天又来了一封。
Then another put up his hand. 又有一个人举手了。
b. They’ve got three children already and they’re having another. 他们已经有三个孩子了,而且很快又将有一个。
I don’t like this room, let’s ask for another. 我不喜欢这个房间。咱们换一间吧。
它还可用作定语(这时可称限定词或形容词),表示“另一(个)”(a)、“又一(个),再”(b):
a. Now she was in another difficulty. 现在她碰到了另一个困难。
She’s got another boyfriend. 她还有一个男朋友。
b. She had another cup of tea. 她又喝了一杯茶。
Then another man rose to speak. 接着又有一个人起来发言。
它还可和某些数词一起用,表示“还”“再”等:
She’s still got another three questions to answer. 她还有三道题要答。
In another two weeks it’ll be finished. 再过两个星期这个工作就完成了。