英语比较状语从句㈧

 

取录自《英语自学参考系列·句法手册》 第五章  第六节  英语比较状语从句(简写本)

编者  川竹 樑翁

 

二、双重比较句及比较从句省略㈡

 

（续前：二、双重比较句及比较从句省略  1. 英语双重比较句与比较词重复）

2. 比较状语从句的省略与替代

英语中的比较状语从句，因存在相同性质的比较对象，所以常会出现表达的重复，为避免这种重复赘述情况的发生，在比较状语从句中便会经常使用替代和省略的手段，以使句子简洁明快。

例：詹姆士喜欢去剧院看戏超过苏珊。

译：James enjoys the theater more than Susan enjoys the theater.【无省略或替代】

James enjoys the theater more than Susan enjoys it.【代词替代】

James enjoys the theater more than Susan does.【动词替代】

James enjoys the theater more than Susan.【省略谓语】

James enjoys the theater more.【省略从句】

当然，从句省略是有条件的：①基本上是省略句中与主句重复的部分，而且多是省略的从句在后；②从句省略后必须句意清楚，不致引起歧义，即使是依靠上下文协助理解也成。如上述“James enjoys the theater more.”经省略后便没了比较对象，就得从上下文去参照而知James是和谁在相比。

 

⑴比较状语从句省略的一般情况

①当从句主语与主句主语所指相一致时，为避免重复而从句主语自然省略。相同的可数名词主语若不便省略，可用不定代词one【单数】或ones【复数】替代之；不可数名词则可用that替代。

例：Both houses are as elean as (any house) can be. 两所房子都是一样洁净。【主、从句主语皆house】

The winters in Hangzhou are not so mild as (they) are in Guangzhou. 杭州的冬天没有广州的冬天那么暖和。

They stood chattering together as easily and naturally as (they) could be. 他们站在一起十分轻松自如地交谈着。

This boat is almost twice as big as that one. 这只船差不多有那只船的两倍大。【one替代单数名词】

This new transformation is at least as consequential as that one was. 这一新的转变至少和那次一样重要。

I think these flowers are more good-looking than those ones. 我认为这些花比那些更好看。【ones替代复数名词】

Our national brands are not worse than those foreign ones! 与外货相比较，我们的国产品牌也并不差！

The price of the blue pants is far higher than that of the green pants. 蓝裤子价格远远高于绿色裤子。【that代price】

 

②省略从句谓语动词——主从句谓语都是相同的行为动词，从句谓语动词省略，或用代动词do的相应形式替代。——如若该谓语动词带有宾语，有的连同其宾语也一起省掉不用。

例：He works as hard as I (work). 他工作干得和我一样努力。【从句谓语动词直接省略】

I know you can do better than he (can do). 我知道你能比他做得更好。【带情态动词省略】

She plays with it as a cat (plays) with a mouse. 她玩那东西就象猫玩老鼠一样。

She can dance ballet just as wonderfully as you (dance). 她芭蕾舞跳得和你一样好。

Those villagers listened as carefully as the pupils (listened). 那些村民和小学生们听得一样认真。

You hate him as much as I (hate him). 我和你一样恨他。【从句谓语动词连同其宾语一并省略】

He does not run so fast as his brother (does). 他没有他哥哥跑得快。【此代动词do代行为动词run】

This car doesn’t run as fast as that one (does). 这辆小车不及那一辆跑得快。

I know you better than he (does／knows you). 我比他更了解你。【即此does = knows you】

She can play the piano just as wonderfully as you (do). 她钢琴弹的我你弹的一样好。

You play the guzheng better than your sister (does／plays it). 你古筝弹得比你妹妹好。

The boy spent as much time watching TV as he did studying.【该did=spent much time】

这个男孩看电视和学习花去的时间一样多。

 

③当从句的主语和谓语【非be动词】与主句中的主语和谓语相同时，从句的主、谓语通常都省略，只保留比较部分。

例：I know you better than (I know) him. 我对你比对他了解得更清楚。【比较部分是宾格代词】

Mother loves me as dearly as (I love) her. 母亲(深深地)爱我，我也(深深地)爱她。

He got up eralier today than (he got up) usually. 他今天比平时起得早。【比较部分是(副词)状语】

I have as much as confidence in you as (I have confidence) in him. 我对你的信赖就跟对他信赖一样。

They live a more pleasant life than they did before.【该did=lived a pleasant life】他们过着比以前更愉快的生活。

或：They live a more pleasant life than before.【因该比较从句主、谓语与主句相同,故还可省略they did,直接保留时间状语before】

 

④省略从句的宾语——有的是及物动词连同其宾语一起省略，或用代动词do一起取代。

例：I know you better than he (knows you). 我比他更了解你。【省略及物动词及其宾语】

She did it better than she expected (to do it) 她做的比她预期做的要好。【不定式作宾语】

That’s as good a place as I can find (a good one). 那是我所能找得到的一个好地方。

They usually have less money at the end of the month than they have (money) at the beginning.【省宾语】

或：They usually have less money at the end of the month than they (do) at the beginning. 【do=have money】

在月底的时候，他们的钱通常会比月初的时候少。【进一步省略】

 

⑤省略从句的主语和谓语主要动词，若有宾语也可能连带省略。

例：I know you better than (I know) him. 我了解你胜过了解他。

I like violin better than ever. 我比以前任何时候都更爱好小提琴。【经省略之句】

比较原句：I like violin better than I ever did. ＝I like violin better than I liked it before.

 

⑥省略从句主语、连系动词，或被动句助动词be；有的表语已先行自然省略，从句中就只剩下时间状语。

例：The exhibition is more interesting than (it was) expected. 这次展览比被预料的有趣的多。【省被动句助动词】

She has finished the work earlier than (it has been) expected. 她已早于预期完成了那工作。

It’s all part of the Wal-Mart way of life as (it is) laid down by Sam.【省去的it和前面的it是同一意义】

如同山姆所设计的那样，它完全是沃尔玛生活方式的一部分。

She is in better health now than (she was) last year. 她现在健康状况比去年好。【先行省略“in good health”】

When I spoke to him on the phone this morning, he was more agreeable than (he was) last night.

今天早晨我在电话里跟他讲话时，他比昨天随和些。

He is fonder of work than (he is fond) of play. 他爱好工作胜过游戏。【省却从句主语、系词和表语】

Work is as necessary for sound mind as (it is necessary) for sound body.

健全的精神需要工作，就像健全的身体需要工作一样。

Contrast may make something appear more beautiful than it is (beautiful) when seen alone.【省略从句表语】

对比或许会让事物看上去比单独存在时更美。

 

⑦省略从句系动词和表语或被动句谓语。

例：He is taller than his yonger brother. 他比他的弟弟长得高。【brother后省略is tall—惯常省略法】

Sometimes it is as hard as rock (is hard). 有时它和岩石一样硬。【主、从句主语不一致】

She is more beautiful than her elder sister (is). 她比她姐姐漂亮些。【is后还省了beautiful】

Mannchester is farther from London than Oxford (is). 曼切斯特离伦敦比牛津远。

The population of China is larger than that of America (is). 中国人口比美国人口多。

You look younger than you are (young). 你看上去比你的实际年龄要年轻。【从句只省略了表语】

I feel that he is better qualified to teach me than I (am qualified to teach) him. 我认为他教我比我教他更为胜任。

The speech of the street is incomparablly more forceful than the speech of the academy (is forceful).

街头语言不知比学院式语言要有力多少倍。

She is more highly regarded than he (is regarded).她比他受到更高(度)的重视。【从句省被动句谓语】

This kind of machine has never been used as widely in Japan as it has (been used) in the United States.

这种机器在日本不象在美国使用那么广泛.

There are other reasons in addition to a computer failure that the rocket did not take off as (it had been) scheduled.

火箭不能按预期发射，除了电脑故障还有一些其它方面原因。【省掉的it指代the rocket】

 

⑵比较状语从句省略的特别情况

①含“…more tham (what)…”结构的省略比较句——省略了双重性代词what。

该结构中的more为名词，比较连词than引导一个省略了双重性代词的what。所谓“双重性代词what”，是因这what兼具名词thing(s)【可用主句中相应的单复名词替换】和关系代词that的意义，即what＝the thing(s) that【名词+ that所…的(东西)】。如果将省掉的what还原到than后，我们将看到比较连词than引导的是一个含定语从句的比较状语从句。即than what＝than the thing(s) that，此the thing成为than后定语从句的先行词，其后的that就引导一个修饰该先行词的定语从句。

例：This multi-storied building is grandre than what I imagine. 这座大楼比我想象的更宏伟。

＝This multi-storied building is grandre than the multi-storied building that I imagine.

The story that she told was more interesting than what I spoke. 她讲的故事比我讲的更有趣。

＝The story that she told was more interesting than the story that I spoke.

通过上述例解，我们已经明白了“…more tham (what)…”结构的意义。现在就切入正题说说它的作用：当比较状语从句与主句的主语不一致时，从句略去的主语就可理解为是双重性代词what。

例：There is more than (what) meets the eye. 现象背后有文章。【谚语】

You have talked more than (what) is necessary. 你(已)讲得太多了。

He eats more than (what) is good for him. 他吃的太多，对身体没好处。

Don’t eats more than (what) is good for you. 吃东西适可而止，不可过量。

I have done more than (what) is required. 我做了比要求还要多的工作。

There were more casualties than (what) was reported. 伤亡人数比所报道的要多。

There were not so many tickets available as (what) was expected. 弄到的票没有预料的多。

特别提示：也可视这样的than为关系代词

A. 有的语法家认为，than与前面的形容词、副词比较级连用，可以用作关系代词：既引导定语从句又兼作定语从句的主语、宾语或表语。

例：You make more money than is intended to make. 你挣得的钱比预计的要多。【主语】

The truth is quite other than you think. 事实真相和你想的完全不同。【宾语】

He got to know a famous writer who knew much more knowledge than his own knowledge was.

他认识了一位比他自己有更多知识的优秀作家。【表语】

B.这样省去的than后what，有时也可能是than从句省略的宾语。

例：That was more than (what) he expected. 那比他期望的还要多。【该what是he expected的宾语】

He got more than (what) he asked for. 他获得的比他需要的多。【该what是he asked for的宾语】

 

②当比较状语从句与主句的主语不一致时，还有一种情况可判断所略去的从句主语：从主句中理解到从句主语所指概念为单数或复数，而知略去的主语是代词it或they。这尤其从某些省略主语和系词的比较从句中更可看出。

例：She has finished the work earlier than (it has been) expected. 她已早于预期时限完成了那工作。【it指finish work】

I read as many pages as (they) are required (to be read) 我读了我该读的页数。【they=many pages; 从句省主语和主语补足语】

They said the situation there was not so bad as (it) had been painted. 他们说那里的情况不象原来所描述的那样糟。

As (it is) with all new high technology, while the West concerns itself with the “how”, the question of “for whom” is put aside once again.【被省“it is”中的it指代后面的主句内容】

就像对待所有的高新技术一样，西方在致力于如何做的时候，再一次忽略了为谁做这一问题。

 

③在引导比较从句的than后面，跟用第三人称代词的主格或宾格，有时表意有别，有时无异，需要注意区分。

例：I know you better than he. 我比他更了解你。

I know you better than him. 我对你比对他更了解。

I like you more than she. 我比她更喜欢你。

I like you more than her. 我喜欢你胜过喜欢她。

He works harder than I／me. 他工作比我努力。【现代英语也允许用宾格】

His brother is taller than him／he. 他弟比他高。

His wife is shorter than him. 他的妻子比他的矮。

 

上面介绍的比较状语从句时常使用省略或替代的一些知识，目的是让初学者了解并明白，所见之比较状语从句多是经过简化而非原貌。比较状语从句中被省略的部分是不需要还原的，如硬行添加还原，反而画蛇添足。也就是说，使用中的比较状语从句，十之八九都是简化句。

（英语状语从句续完）