我们把标题扩展开来,涉及两种名介搭配结构:
1E. 主句介词of表达同位语关系(the issue of + wh-)
2E. 从句介词of表达所属关系(the name of wh-)
上一节我们讲过of表达数量关系,下面我们来看of表达同位语关系和所属关系时所涉及的wh-从句结构。所谓 同位语关系 ,是指of前面的名词(如issue)与wh-从句是同位语关系,也即wh-从句是对名词内容的补充说明。所谓 所属关系 ,是指of前面的名词(比如name)与 wh-连词 (所指代的名词)是所属关系,其实也就是 of属格用法 。请看例句:
a. It also avoids the issue of which founder should become the boss.
b. He really loved that song, the name of which I can't recall right now.
两句中虽然都有“the+名词+of which”结构,但逻辑构造完全不同,断句如下:
a. It also avoids the issue of [ which founder should become the boss ]. (它还避免了哪个创始人当老板的问题。)
b. He really loved that song, [ the name of which I can't recall right now ]. (他真的很喜欢那首歌,我现在记不起歌名了。)
可见,the issue of是主句中的内容,而the name of则是从句中的内容。
一方面,从结构上来看,a句中的which从句是 宾语从句 ,作介词of的宾语。另一方面,从逻辑语义角度来看,该从句是对前面名词issue“问题”的内容进行补充说明,也即该which从句与名词issue是 同位语关系 (或者说这里介词of表达同位语关系),相当于说:
a1. The issue is which founder should become the boss .
该which从句是一个 名词性疑问句 ,来自下面特殊疑问句:
a2. Which founder should become the boss?
而b句括号中的从句是定语从句,可以改写成:
b1. He really loved that song, [ of which I can't recall the name right now].
其中关系词which指代song,它与name构成 所属关系 ——这个名字是属于那首歌的,the name of which等于the name of that song,定语从句对应的简单句是:
b2. I can't recall the name of that song .
可见,b句里的of表达所有关系,是 of属格 ,而a句里的of表达同位语关系。 这种逻辑关系的差异与of前面的名词(issue VS name)有关 ,所以 断句时我们要重点关注of之前名词的含义 。比如issue“问题”含义未出,需要一个完整句子来补充说明,而name“名字”一般对应的是具体事物。
注意,of表达所属关系还有另外一种结构,请把b句与下面c句进行比较:
c. They returned to their birthplace, their place of residence, the country of which they were citizens.
这里也有“the+名词+of which”结构,但逻辑构造与a、b句完全不同,断句如下:
c. They returned to their birthplace, their place of residence, the country [ of which they were citizens ]. (他们回到了出生地、居住地,也即他们的国籍所在地。)
括号中的从句是定语从句,其中关系词which指代先行词the country,然后整个名词短语the country of which they were citizens(与前面的名词短语their place of residence一起)作their birthplace的 同位语 ,相当于说:
c1. They returned to the country [ of which they were citizens ]. (他们回到了他们的国籍所在地。)
括号中的定语从句还原成简单句是:
c2. They were citizens of the country (=of which).
可见,这里的of也是表达 所属关系 的,比如citizens of the country意为“ 该国的公民 ”。请与b句比较:
b. He really loved that song , [ the name of which I can't recall right now ].
在b句中,整个“the+名词+of which”结构(即the name of which)都是定语从句中的内容,而在c句中,“the+名词”结构(即the country)是主句中的内容,只有“of which”结构是定语从句中的内容。在a句中,“the+名词+of”(即the issue of)结构是主句里的内容,只有which是宾语从句里的内容。三者区别如下表所示:
综上可见,c句里of which也属于2E型,即从句介词of表达所属关系,只是与b句结构有所不同。若是要区分,我们不妨把b句称为 2E-前置型 (因为定语从句中名词the name前置了),把c句称为 2E-后置型 (因为定语从句中名词citizens后置了,也即在原位,没有被前置)。
我们来看考研真题例句:
真题 Whether the Government should increase the financing of pure science at the expense of technology or vice versa often depends on the issue of which is seen as the driving force. (1994年翻译75题)
解析 断句如下:
… the issue of [ which is seen as the driving force ].
这里of which属于1E型,即主句介词of表达同位语关系,也就是说,在逻辑语义上,of后边括号中的which从句是对issue进行补充说明,相当于说:
The issue is which is seen as the driving force .
另一方面,从句法结构上来看,该which从句是作介词of的宾语,故为宾语从句。不要把the issue of which … 误判为定语从句。
另外,主语是Whether引导的主语从句Whether the Government should increase the financing of pure science at the expense of technology or vice versa,后接谓语动词depends。
译文 政府是应该增加对纯理论科学的资助而牺牲对技术的资助,还是应该增加对技术的资助而牺牲对纯理论科学的资助,这往往取决于哪一方被视为推动力的问题。
到目前为止,我们所说的介词搭配,介词都是在相关的动词(depend on )、形容词(conscious of )或名词(access to )的 后边 。但值得注意的是,对于介词与名词的搭配,既有介词在名词后——即“名词+介词”搭配(如access to ),又有介词在名词前——即“介词+名词”搭配(如 in the form或 to the extent)。前者是名介搭配,后者是介名搭配。
介名搭配 有1F/2F和1G/2G这两组情况、四种结构。也就是说,像in the form或to the extent 这样的介名搭配可以有四种不同的组合关系参与到wh-从句构造中 ,可见其用法之灵活,这也使得 这类从句中的介词搭配关系相对比较难理解和掌握,可谓是“介词+wh-”从句的深水区。 所以,大家对接下来的内容要有耐心,要仔细研读和体会,并灵活运用到考研难句解读(甚至是自己的写作造句)中。