短语动词产生于方言土语,主要源于盎格鲁-撒克逊语,是英语词汇重要的组成部分。它们大量出现在不及物动词结构(见2-22B)和单宾结构中。短语动词的优点是拼写和发音简单,以它们为基础的句子结构简单;不足是绝大多数没有名词化形式,而没有名词化形式就少了很多功能(见4-16)。
例词有agree on/to/with,ask for,attend to,care for,comment about/on,depend on,look after,lead to,listen for/to,look at/for,refer to,result in,talk about/to/with,think of,wait for,worry about等。这些动词后跟sth/sb和wh-从句,多数可用于被动结构。
2-22C的“不及物动词+介词”与2-26的“不及物动词+介词”有两个不同:
(一)前者的介词仅限于三个表原因的介词from,of,with;后者参与的介词较多,而且都不表原因。
(二)前者不能用于被动结构,后者多数可以用于被动结构。
例词有break down,carry out ,cross out,cut down,hand in,look through,look up,put off,put aside,put on,take away,take back,take in,take off 等。这些动词后跟sth/sb或wh-从句,多可用于被动结构。
注意宾语的位置:
(一)短宾语可以置于副词之后,也可以置于动词与副词之间。下面的A、B均正确。
1. A. He turned on all the lights.
B. He turned all the lights on.
(二)长宾语须置于副词之后,不可置于动词和副词之间。下面的A正确,B不正确。B不符合“先概括后细节”的表达习惯。
2. A. He turned on all the lights in the classrooms on the first floor.
B. He turned all the lights in the classrooms on the first floor on . (×)(主干部分被in the classrooms on the fi rst fl oor分隔得太远。)
(三)人称代词作宾语须置于动词和副词之间。如应说turn them on,不能说turn on them。
例词有do away with,carry on with,catch up with,keep up with,come down with,get along with,look back on,look down upon,look forward to,look up to,date back to,trace back to,talk down to等。这些动词后主要跟sth/sb。
其中,有些可以用于被动结构,有些不能,取决于语义。如do away with,look down upon,look forward to,look up to,trace back to可用于被动结构。
1. They look down upon him. ←→ He is looked down upon.他被人家看不起。
2. He should do away with the bad habit. ←→ The bad habit should be done away with. 应该改掉这个坏习惯。
3. Her father traced her fear of water back to a childhood accident. ←→ Her fear of water was traced back to a childhood accident. 她很怕水,起因归于儿时的一次事故。
例词有attach importance to,catch a glimpse of,do justice to,fi nd fault with,give voice to,have pity on,have control over,keep pace with,lose sight of,lose touch with,make a mess of,pay tribute to,play a role in,play a part in,take advantage of,take part in,take pride in,take a photo/picture of 等。这些动词后常跟sb/sth,有些可跟wh-从句。
少数可转成被动结构,如give priority/preference to,make a mess of,make use of,take advantage of,take care of。多以动词和介词之间的名词作主语。
1. A. We must attach more importance to environmental protection. 我们必须更加重视环境保护。
B. More importance must be attached to environmental protection. 必须更加重视环境保护。
2. A. They will give preference/priority to people with work experience.
B. Preference/Priority will be given to people with work experience. 将优先考虑有工作经验的人。
3. A. Someone took some pictures of you and Mary walking hand in hand in the park. 你和玛丽手拉手在公园散步时,有人给你们照了几张相。
B. Some pictures were taken of you and Mary walking hand in hand in the park.(译文同上。)
个别动词有两种被动结构。
4. A. She made a mess of the house. 她把房子弄得乱七八糟。
B. A mess was made of the house. 房子被弄得乱七八糟。
C. The house was made a mess of. 房子被弄得乱七八糟。
5. A. We should take full advantage of the good weather.
B. Full advantage should be taken of the good weather. 应充分利用好天气。
C. The good weather should be taken full advantage of.(译文同B。)
6. A. You must take good care of those precision instruments.
B. Good care must be taken of those precision instruments. 必须要好好照看这些精密仪器。
C. Those special precision instruments must be taken good care of. (译文同B。)
例7、8斜体部分的意思相同,只有在一定的语境中才能看出它们的差异和各自的优势。
7. 令人欣慰的是,在地震中失去父母的孩子都得到了很好的照顾。
A. To our great relief, good care is taken of the children . They lost their parents in the earthquake.(上句结尾的children与下句的they衔接。)
B. To our great relief,good care is taken of the children who lost their parents in the earthquake.
8. 那些无家可归的儿童很幸运,他们得到了政府和社会很好的照顾。
A. Lucky are those homeless children. They are taken good care of by the government and the society.(上句结尾的children与下句开头的they衔接。)
B. Lucky are those homeless children,who are taken good care of by the government and the society.