英语中独立主格结构的再分析

张颖秋

(大连海事大学 外国语学院,辽宁 大连 116026)

独立主格结构(nominative absolute construction)是英语学习中一个不可忽视的语法项目,也是经常出现在文学作品里的一种语言现象.但学习者对这一重要知识点的理解往往不透彻、不系统.各类语法书虽大都有讲解,但限于篇幅,很难做到详尽.而关于这方面的研究文章虽很多,但大部分出于应试目的,通过大量例句进行归纳总结,缺乏本质性的系统的研究.这容易导致学习者忙于机械记忆逐条分散的语法规则,知其然不知其所以然,而对于一些规则外的特例现象仍是茫然无措.本文力求从一个完整角度,对这一语法现象进行系统阐述,旨在使读者能对其有一个全面清晰的了解.

一、几个概念性问题

独立主格结构是目前比较通行的一种说法.此外,R.W.Zandvoord等人将其称为独立分词结构(absolute participle construction),B.A.Ilyish称之为独立主格分词结构(nominative absolute participle construction),M.Gashina等人又称之为独立结构(absolute construction)[1]2,Quirk则将其称为独立分句(absolute clause).[2]785《剑桥英语用法指南》中, Pam Peters用"独立结构或分句"(absolute constructions or clauses)来处理这一称谓问题.[3]

从称谓上,可以发现两个问题:独立主格是短语结构还是分句?为什么称谓中有的带"分词"字样,有的则没有?

关于第一个问题,可以选取两个有代表意义的定义进行比较:

(1)Longman Modern English Dictionary:nominative absolute:A grammatical independent construction consisting of a noun or nominative pronoun and a predicate without a finitive verb,used to modify the rest of the sentence,e.g.The key being lost,the box could not be opened.[4]

独立主格:由一个名词或主格代词和一个没有限定性动词的谓语组成的独立语法结构,用来修饰句子的其余部分.例如:钥匙丢了,箱子无法打开.

(2)A Comprehensive Grammar of the English L anguage:Nonfinite and verbless adverbial clauses that have an overt subject but are not introduced by a subordinator and are not the complement of a preposition are ABSOLUTE clauses,so termed because they are not explicitly bound to the matrix clause syntactically.Absolute clauses may be-ing,-ed,or verbless clause,but not infinitive clauses:

No further discussion arising,the meeting wasbrought to a close.

Lunch finished,the guests retired to the lounge.

Christmas then only days away,the family was pent up with excitement.[2]758

非限定性无动词状语分句,有明显主语但没有从属连词引导,不是介词补语,此类分句称为独立分句.如此称谓是因为它们在句法上并不明显依附于主句.独立分句可以是现在分词、过去分词,或者无动词分句,但不是非限定性从句.如:

无人再提异议,会议便结束了.

吃罢午餐,客人们到休息室休息了.

那时离圣诞节只有几天了,全家人都兴奋不已.

从以上定义和示例中可以看出,无论是短语结构还是分句,都只是见仁见智的称谓问题,讨论对象都是一个.而从句法上讲,因为无连词与其他部分相连,虽有自己的主语但谓语部分不完整,笔者更倾向于将其称为结构,而非分句.为了方便阐述,接下来本文将采用独立主格结构这一普遍说法.

关于第二个问题,仍然回到两个定义上.从这一结构的第二部分可以得出,定义(1)中的"没有限定性动词的谓语"---包括现在分词、过去分词以及动词不定式(尤其是前面两种分词形式)---对于现代英语用法来说已经难以完全概括.因为直接用形容词、副词、名词和介词(短语)作为此结构的第二部分在语言实践中已经普遍存在.如:

A young girl is walking towards me,her figure long and slim.(形容词)[5](一位年轻的姑娘正向我走来.她的身材高挑而苗条.)

Napoleon abdicated and went into exile,his empire at an end.(介词短语)[6](拿破仑退位去过流放生活,他缔造的帝国随之灭亡.)

His first shot a failure ,Dyke fired again and again at his enemy.(名词)[7](戴克第一枪没有打响,就朝他的对头继续一枪枪地打.)

Tea over and the tray removed,she again summoned us to the fire.(副词)[8](吃完茶点,端走了托盘后,她又招呼我们到火炉边去.)

而定义(2)中"可以是现在分词、过去分词,或者无动词分句"就扩大并涵盖了当前的普遍用法.再看功能相同的两个例句"The key being lost,the box could not be opened."和"Lunch finished,the guests retired to the lounge."可以说后句省略了现在分词being.由此可以看出,通格名词和主格代词加分词或分词短语(分词短语是指现在分词或过去分词与它的宾语或补足成分组成的结构,如"The boy lay on the grass,his eyes looking at the sky."中的looking at the sky)是这一结构的"标准"构成.只是在随后的实际运用中,分词 being(having been)被逐渐省略,做表语的形容词、副词、名词、介词(短语)及不定式"取而代之",才构成今天被人们所普遍接受的"独立主格结构"的主要构成形式.这种演化意在言简意赅,突出关键词语,增强表现力.

因此,关于独立主格结构的概念,可以总结为:是由通格名词或主格代词与非谓语结构组成的具有逻辑上的主谓关系的独立语法结构,在句子中做状语,用来修饰整个句子的其他成分.

二、独立主格结构的语法功能

独立主格结构的特点是有自己的通格名词或主格代词做逻辑主语,并且和整个句子的主语不一致.后加7类非谓语结构,包括名词、形容词、副词、介词(短语)、现在分词、过去分词以及动词不定式等词或短语,在句子中并不明显依附于主干句而相对独立,在整个句子中起修饰作用.功能相当于一个原因状语从句、时间状语从句、条件状语从句、伴随状语从句、让步状语从句或一个并列句,其逻辑主语相当于状语从句或并列句的主语,后面部分相当于它们的谓语或表语.独立主格结构的位置比较灵活,可置于句前、句中或句末,常由逗号将其与句子的其他部分分开.例如:

1.非谓语结构为名词

He appeared,his hair a wreck.(他出现时头发乱七八糟.)(表伴随状况)

Seventy three people have been drowned in the area,many of them children.(有73人在这一地区溺水而亡,其中大部分是儿童.)(表补充)

2.非谓语结构为形容词

I don't know how I did it,he being twenty-five pounds heavier than I...(比较级形容词)(我不知道我怎么做到的(把他提起来),他比我要重25磅呢……)(表原因)

In the nineteenth century,a novelist would bring his story to a conclusion by presenting his readers with a series of coincidences-most of them wildly improbable.(在19世纪,小说家会通过展现给读者一系列的巧合来结束故事,而这些巧合大部分是万万不可能发生的.)(表补充)

3.非谓语结构为副词

He lay on the floor,face downward.(他脸朝下躺在地板上.)(表伴随状况)

The inspectionover ,the soldiers were ordered to return to their barracks.(检阅结束后,士兵们领命返回了军营.)(表时间)

4.非谓语结构为现在分词

So much money having been spent ,we have not seen any good result.(尽管花了这么多钱,我们却不见任何好结果.)(表让步)

Weather permitting ,we'll have the match tomorrow.(如果时间允许,我们明天进行比赛.)(表条件)

5.非谓语结构为过去分词

She was more than a little overweight,her thickankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes.(她体态臃肿,粗圆的脚踝上套着一双低跟鞋.)(表并列)

All things considered ,he has done his best.(考虑到各种因素,他已经尽了自己最大的努力.)(表原因)

6.非谓语结构为介词(短语)

Sometimes we'd hook up on the subway going home,he with his tools,I with my books.(有时我俩一起坐地铁回家,他提着工具,我拿着书本.)(表伴随状况)

Napoleon abdicated and went into exile,his empire at an end.(拿破仑退位去过流放生活,他缔造的帝国随之灭亡.)(表并列)

7.非谓语结构为动词不定式

A number of officialsfollowed the emperor,some to hold his robe ,others to adjust his girdle ,and so on.(许多官员尾随皇帝之后,有的拎着皇帝的衣袍,有的则给他整腰带等.)(表伴随状况)

He suggested going for a picnic,Mary to provide the food.(他建议去野餐,玛丽来准备食物.)(表并列)

三、独立主格结构的几种特殊情况

(1)特殊类型的独立主格结构.

There being no bus,we had to walk home.(由于没有公共汽车,我们只好走回家.)

Such being the case,I'll go there alone.(既然如此,我只能一个人去了.)

因为倒装的缘故,主语的位置现在分别是副词there和形容词such.如果还原成句子,就是:

Because there was no bus,we had to walk home.

Since the case is such,I'll go there alone.

这类形式经过长期使用,已经成为一种固定格式.其中第一个例句还包括 That(This,It)being the case等形式.

(2)在"主语+介词短语"构成的独立主格结构中,如果名词用单数,可以不用冠词,同时介词短语里的限定词也可省略.

The music teacher stood at the door,violin in hand.(音乐老师站在门口,手里拿着一把小提琴.) (=The music teacher stood at the door,a violin in his hand.)

这里的冠词和限定词的省略,是出于语言的简化原因,也可以不省.

(3)在分词为being,并且逻辑主语是代词的情况下,being就不可以省略.例如:

It being Sunday,all the offices are closed.(因为是周日,所有的办公室都关门了.)

He being absent,nothing could be done.(由于他的缺席,什么也干不了.)

需要指出的是,分词being的存留,有时在意义上是有一定的区别的.例如:

Dinner over,we decided to play bridge.

Dinner being over,we decided to play bridge.

第一句强调时间,意为"吃过饭后,我们决定打桥牌."第二句可以强调原因,意为"因为吃了饭,我们才决定打桥牌."[1]470

四、几个容易混淆的概念

独立主格结构应区别于下面几种语法结构.

1.分词做状语及悬垂分词

分词包括现在分词和过去分词.以下是两个分词做状语的例句:

Seeing from the hilltop,we can find the city more beautiful.(从山顶上看,我们觉得这个城市更美了.)

Seen from the hilltop,the city looks beautiful. (从山顶上看,这个城市更美了.)

区分分词做状语和"逻辑主语+分词"的独立主格结构最简单的方法就是将其还原为从句:

When we see from the hilltop,we can find the city more beautiful.

When it is seen from the hill,the city looks beautiful.

从上述两个例句中可以看出,与有自己的独立主语的独立主格结构不同的是,做状语的分词,其逻辑主语必须和整个句子的主语一致.如seeing的主语是we,seen的受动者是the city,否则就是病句,语法上称为悬垂分词(dangling participle),也叫无依着分词(unattached participle).例如:

A.Wondering irresolutely what to do,the clock struck twelve.

B.Having said that,it would be a pity to do it too often.

C.Now damaged in the stern,the captain ordered the ship back to port.

因为各句分词(wondering,having said,damaged)的逻辑主语都和整个句子的主语不同,句子的意思就变得古怪难懂.垂悬分词的产生源于错误联系,违反了主谓一致原则.即将分词的主语与句子的主语错误联系,所以又叫做错关联分词(misrelated participle).

可以视情况用从句、独立主格结构或统一动词逻辑主语的方法来纠正悬垂分词现象.上述3个病句可试改为:

A.While Mary was wondering irresolutely what to do,the clock struck twelve.(正当玛丽犹豫不定该做什么的时候,时钟敲响了12点.)

B.Teacher having said that,it would be a pity to do it too often.(既然老师已经说过了,经常这样做就太遗憾了.)

C.Now damaged in the stern,the ship was ordered back to port by the captain.(由于船在实习的时候受损,船长命令其返港.)

需要注意的是,有些悬垂分词在使用中已经成为被人们所接受的习惯用法.这些短语有:generally speaking(总的说来),frankly speaking(坦率地说), judging from(从……判断),supposing(假设)等.例如:

Generally speaking,the rule is very easy to understand.(总的说来,这条规则很容易懂.)

Judging from what he said,he must be an honest man.(由他所说的来判断,他一定是一个诚实的人.)

这类用法仅占少数,要慎用.

2.with/without引导的介词复合结构

I now pay you half the sum,with the other half to be paid next week.(我现在先付你一半,剩下的一半下周付清.)

With the weather so close and stuffy,ten to one it will rain presently.(天气这样闷热,十有八九要下雨.)

不难发现,去掉上面两个句子中的with,就变成了两个独立主格结构:

I now pay you half the sum,the other half to be paid next week.

The weather so close and stuffy,ten to one it will rain presently.

可以说,独立主格结构是简化了的with-复合结构.有些语法学家也将with-复合结构列入独立主格结构当中.二者的区别是,with-复合结构更口语化,而除了一些固定形式如weather permitting, present company excepted等,独立主格结构仅适用于非常正式的场合,更多出现在书面语中.[9]

五、结 语

独立主格结构是阅读中比较常见的表达形式,其发展变化符合语言简化的原则和趋势.文学作品中,作家经常通过应用这一结构使整个句子精炼、新颖,富于表现力.但因其书面语色彩较浓,对于不熟悉其结构及功能的学习者来说,不免有陌生和费解之感.因此应该提高对这一结构的敏感度,对其有一个整体的、清晰的认识,从而进一步体会和掌握英语语言的独特表现力.

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[3]PETERS P.The Cambridge guide to English usage[M]. Cambridge:Cambridge University Press,2004:8.

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[6]李荫华.大学英语(全新版)综合教程(4)学生用书[M].上海:上海外语教育出版社,2002:5.

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[9]GREENBAUM S,WHITEUT J.Longman guide to English usage[M].London:Longman Group UK Limited, 1988:6.