(一)大家都知道英文的动词(verb)不像中文那般单纯。比如说"帮助"一词,虽可做动词,也可做名词用;可是就没有时间性。而英文动词的变化可就多了,它可变成名词、形容词、副词等,而且还有所谓"Tenses"(时态)。比如"help",就有下列各种时态:
Simple Present 现在时态 -- help, helps
Simple Past 过去时态 -- helped
Simple Future 将来时态 -- shall help, will help ...
Present Continuous 现在进行时态 -- be helping
Present Perfect 现在完成时态 -- have helped, has helped...
Present Perfect Continuous 现在完成进行时态 -- have been helped...
Past Continuous 过去进行时态 -- was helping...
Past Perfect 过去完成时态 -- had helped...
Past Perfect Continuous 过去完成进行时态 -- had been helping...
Future Continuous 将来进行时态 -- shall be helping...
Future Perfect 将来完成时态 -- shall have helped...
Future Perfect Continuous 将来完成进行时态 -- shall have been helping...
Present Participle 现在式分词 -- helping
Past Participle 过去式分词 -- helped
Perfect Participle 完成式分词 -- having helped...
实际上,上面所举的那个help,看来只有下列几种"变形"而已:
help, helping, helped
但是好多动词它的Past和Perfect时态的拼写法就不太相同,如:
write: wrote(Past), written(Perfect)
sing: sang(Past), sung(Perfect)
而有些动词则"始终如一",各种时态(除了各类进行式)都是一样的拼写,如:
cut,hit, hurt, let, put, read, shut ...
上面所谈都是一些动词的基础知识。言归正传,基本上分词分为下列两种(第三种的Perfect Participle拼入 Past Participle):
1. 现在式分词(Present Participle)
2. 过去式分词(Past Participle)
注意:过去式分词所用的动词都属于"完成时态"(Perfect)。