形容词的位置
形容词的位置及其在句中的排列次序,都有语法准则可遁,不可随心所欲,恣意安插。
在每个英语句子中,如果
形容词位置错了或一句中几个连续性的形容词排列不正确的话,便会有错误,甚至意思也跟着改变。
一般上说,
形容词的位置是紧贴在被修饰的名词前面;不然的话,就跟在接系动词(linking verb)后面充当补足语(complement)。例如:
① Sam is an
industrious professional
designer.
② What is it that bulky box? May I know?
③ Homeless cats are seen wandering about the field.
④ David looks cheerful
everyday.
⑤ Janet is being nasty today.
⑥ The sky suddenly turned dark.
①-③里的
形容词修饰它们后头的名词;④-⑥里的
形容词是补足语。
下面要讨论的不是
形容词的正常位置,而是在各种特殊情况下所处的特殊位置。这些特殊情况,主要有下列七种:
㈠
形容词被其他词语修饰时,便要跟在所修饰的名词后面,如:
⑦ This hole←large←enough for a dog to pass through must be blocked up.
⑧ Don't throw away that filing cabinet←big←enough to keep all the old documents.
㈡两个意思相反的
形容词并用时,也是要跟在被修饰的名词后面,如:
⑨ We should be fair to all people, big and small, young and old.
㈢
形容词修饰"anything, something, nothing, everything" 等代名词时,也要在后头出现,如:
⑩ There is nothing funny about it.
11. Something important has been found.
㈣在某些固定的词语中,
形容词在名词后头出现,如:
12. Military offenders will be sued in the court-martial. (军事法庭)
13. The sum total (总数) of his teaching experience is two years as a relief teacher in a secondary school.
14. Since time
immemorial (太古时代), human beings have fought for survival.
㈤在某些口语中,
形容词也跟在被修饰的名词之后,如:
15. On Sunday last (上星期日);16. On Monday next (下星期一);17. Volume one (第一卷);18. Chaper two (第二章); 19. Page three (第三页)。
㈥有时,为了加强句子语气,
形容词可以放在句首,如:
20. Brave he may be, but he is not a good soldier.
21. Old though Jane is, she is healthy and
energetic.
㈦另一种强调方法,是把意义相吸的几个
形容词贯串起来,放在名词之后,如:
22. Once upon a time, there lived a grey-haired king, hale and
hearty.
23. The editor was a scientiest, original, sagacious and inventive.
关键字:
英语讲义生词表: