“短暂性动词”与“段时间状语”的搭配

                  原载《英语画刊》1992.12期

初学英语的人，特别是中学生，常常说出这样的英语：His uncle has died for three years.其实，这些都是典型的错句，因为“短暂性动词”不能与表示一段时间的状语连用。这种英语语言表达的特殊规律，对于母语为汉语的人来说，是很容易忽视的。从逻辑思维的角度来分析，“短暂性动词”不能延伸，而“段时间状语”都表示“一段”，两者之间的区别显而易见。我们要想说出准确而地道的英语，必须在这方面引起高度重视。下面就如何避免这类错误谈几种方法。

一. 动词修正法

动词修正法就是将这种“短暂性动词”改成意义相近的其它词语，句子的“段时间状语”不变，其“短暂性动词”的变化有下列几种：

（一）将“短暂性动词”改为相应的“持续性动词”。如：

1. 我买这本书已一年了。

I have bought the book for a year. (误)

I have had the book for a year. (正)

2. 他伤风已一周了。

He has caught a cold for a week. （误）

He has had a cold for a week. （正）

3. 我们成为朋友已多年了。

We have made friends for years. （误）

We have been friends for years. （正）

（二）“短暂性动词”改成“be +副词”。如：

1. 电影开始放映已五分钟了。

The film has begun for five minutes. (误)

The film has been on for five minutes. (正)

2. 此项工作完成一小时了。

The work has been finished for an hour. （误）

The work has been over for an hour. （正）

（三）谓语是“短暂性动词+副词”，可将“短暂性动词”改为be。如：

1. 他起床已十分钟了。

He has got up for ten minutes.（误）

He has been up for ten minutes.（正）

2.他进来已一小时了。

He has come in for an hour. (误)

He has been in for an hour. (正)

（四）将“短暂性动词”改为“be + 介词短语”。如：

1. 他入党已两年了。

He has joined the Party for two years. (误)

He has been a Party member for two years. (正)

2. 她到达这房间已半小时了。

She has arrived in the room for half an hour. (误)

She has been in the room for half an hour. (正)

（五）谓语是“短暂性动词+副词”的被动式，则去掉这个“短暂性动词”即可。如：

1. 这话剧上演已一小时了。

The play has been put on for an hour. （误）

The play has been on for an hour. （正）

2. 燃气被切断已两天了。

The supply of gas has been cut off for two days. （误）

The supply of gas has been off for two days. （正）

（六）将“短暂性动词”改为“be +形容词”。如：

1.那老人逝世已一年了。

The old has died for a year. (误)

The old has been dead for a year. (正)

2. 他们结婚已五年了。

They have married for five years. （误）

They have been married for five years. （正）

3.这门已开了一天了。

The door has been opened for a day. (误)

The door has been open for a day. (正)

（七）谓语是“come/get/begin to + 延续性动词”时，要去掉表示“短暂性动词”的come, get, begin等词。如：

1. 他已睡了两小时了。

He has gone to sleep for two hours. （误）

He has slept for two hours. （正）

2. 我们认识他已经五年了。

We have come to know him for five years. （误）

We have known him for five years. （正）

二. 时间状语修正法

时间状语修正法就是将“段时间状语”改为“点时间状语”，句中的动词时态也须作相应的调整。如：

I have joined the League for two years. (误)

I joined the League two years ago. (正)

It is two years since I joined the League. (正)

在英语语言实践中，我们也常常遇见“短暂性动词”与“段时间状语”连用的情况，这类现象仅限于如下方面：

一. go, come, leave, move等“倾向性动词”可与“段时间状语”连用，但它们并非说明谓语动词所表示的动作本身的延续，而是表示该动作发生后还要“stay”一段时间。如：

1. Tom has gone to England for a year. (=Tom has gone to England and will stay there for a year.)

2. He has come here for two days. (=He has come here and will stay here for two days.)

二. “短暂性动词”在否定句中可与“段时间状语”连用，因为否定的“短暂性动词”实际上就成了一种可延续的状态。如：

1. I haven’t come here for a year.

2. I haven’t written a letter to my parents for a month.

三. 由since引导的“段时间状语”，句中可用“短暂性动词”作谓语，它表示某一动作反复发生的延续状态。如：

1. I have written letters to him since he left.

Great changes have taken place in our home town since I left.

四. “短暂性动词”若与always, often, every day, many times等连用时，其后也可接“段时间状语”，表示某动作发生的反复性或经常性。如：

1. He has come here many times since 1985.

2. We have often seen him on the way to school for two years.