贵州省遵义市道真中学英语组 石禄琼
在新教材高一英语中 BOOK4中的 UNIT1中讲到了主谓一致,这不仅是是高中英语语法中的难点也是重点,笔者结合自身多年的实践教学经验,并根据这一语法要点和满足学生的需求,通过本文的分析,以期提高学生对这语法的掌握。为了能够给实践教学提供充足的理论支持,在文章构思前,对主谓一致用法进行了专项研究,同时还查阅了大量的文献资料,也针对该语法在高考中的出现的比例和以如何形式出现在考题中,把自己在教学中所得的体会和总结都概括在我以下的观点中。
语法一致、语义一致与邻近一致是英语主谓一致中应当遵循在三大基本原则。下文分别对此三大原则进行分析:
1.1 所谓语法一致原则,就是指谓语动词的单、复数运用形式要依主语而定,即与主语的单产、复数形式保持一致,也就是说,如果主语是单数,那么谓语也应该用单数形式;如果主语是复数,则谓语动词亦然。不定代词 (nobody,anybody,everything,anything等)作主语谓语用单数,例如:
①My mother is cooking in the kitchen.
②To study English is no very hard.
③What she said is very significant for us.
④Nobody is here.
▼注意:动词不定式作主语谓语用单数,动名词作主语谓语用单数,但是俩个并列的动名词作主语谓语可要用复数。由What引导的从句作主语时,谓语用单数,但是如果它的表语是复数,那么谓语则应该用复数形式,此外,当从句是一个带有复数意义的并列结构时英语的谓语也应当用复数形式。例如:
①What I need is money.
②What I want to buy are books.
③What I wear and use arehere with me.
④Seeing is believing.(眼见为实)
⑤Reading books and playing table tennis aremy pleasures.
1.2 如果是由连接词 and或both...and连接起来的合成主语,那么在主语的后面,其谓语动词应当用复数形式。此处,应当注意以下两个问题:
1.2.1 如果and所连接的两个主语是同一个人或物时,其后面所跟的谓语动词应当用单数的形式。例如:The artist and writer is going to the library.
1.2.2 如果由and连接的并列单数主语前面,有no,each,every,more than a(an),many a(an)(许多)等词修饰时,那么它们后面的谓语应当用单数形式。例如:
Every doctor and every nurse was in the hospital.
No man and no woman likes this cat.
1.2.3 当主语为单数名词或代词时,若其后面跟着由以下连接词引起的短语,则谓语动词仍用单数形式;若主语为复数,则用复数形式。这些连接词包括:为单数名词或代词,尽管后面跟有 with,together with, except, but, like, as well as, rather than, more than,no less than,besides,including等。 例如:
① Mr.Tom,together with his wife and three children,has come to China for a long time.
②Nobody but Tome and Jack is going to China.
③He,like you and Lily,is very beautiful.
1.2.4 当that,who,which等作主语时,在其引起的定语从句中,谓语的单、复数形式应当与先行词保持一致。
1.2.5 如果集体名词出现,则视其具体指代而确定谓语的单、复数形式。当集体名词指代整个整体,则谓语为单数形式;若其指定的是集体中的成员,即多个对象,那么其为主则应当用复数形式。集体名词比较多,常见的有:family,class等。例如:
①Class Five is on the five floor.
②Class Four are play on the palyground.
此处需要注意,有一些集体名词都用作复数形式,如 people,police,cattle,sheep 等。
1.2.6 由 “a lot of, lots of, plenty of, the rest of,the majority of+名词”构成的短语以及由“分数或百分数+名词”构成的短语作主语,其谓语动词的单、复数形式根据后行名词的单、复数形式而定。例如:
There are a lot of books in the library.
The rest of the lecture is very wonderful.
Only 30%of the students in Class 5 are girls.
此处需要注意a number of与 the number of的区别,前者表示“许多”,谓语用复数形式;后者则指示“数量”,谓语应该用单数形式。 A large quantity of,quantities of,a large amount of,amounts of后接名词作主语,谓语动词的书与quantity和amount保持一致。
例如:Large quantities of land are wasted in the area.
A large quantity of money was gone in the compa-ny today.
所谓语义一致,是指不依语法形式而侧重于实际意义来处理主谓关系,根据主语所表达的实际意义处理主谓关系。这种原则有几个方面来处理和掌握。
2.1 一些以 -s结尾的学科名(如 maths,physics,politics)、书名、报名(如 Washington Times)、国名(the United States)等等。
例如:The United States is a developed country.
I don’t think physics is very hard for us to study.
2.2 trousers, glasses, clothes,shoes等词作主语时,谓语用复数形式,但同样是这些名字,若前面有a(the)pair of等量词修饰时,则其为谓语动词应当用单数形式。例如:
My glasses are on the desk.
The pair of trousers in on the bed.
2.3 “定冠词 the+形容词或分词”,表示某一类人时,动词用复数。
例如:The injured were well looked after by the doctors and nurses.
2.4 表示“时间、重量、长度、价值”等的名词的复数作主语时,将其视为一个整体,谓语动词通常用单数形式。例如:
Thirty minutes is not enough for the writing.
Twenty years is a long time.
2.5 表数量的短语“one and a half”后接复数名词作主语时,其谓语动词可用单数形式 (也可用复数。例如:
One and a half apples is taken by Lily.
或者:One and a half apples are taken by Lily.
2.6 算式中表示数目字)的主语通常视为单数,其谓语动词亦相应地用单数形式。例如:
Three plus eight is eleven.
Sixty-six divided by nine is seven.
就近原则指的是谓语动词的人称和数与它最近的名词和代词保持一致。有下列英语连词:either...or,neither...nor,whether...or, not only...but also,there be,not...but.例如:
Either Tom or his parents are our friends.
Neither they nor he is not wrong.
There is a book on the desk.
以上是笔者教学十多年来对该语法的总结和概括,它的命题点和高考中的考点都在讲解中有所突破和知道侧重点,这样对我们教师的要求很高,而且对我们也是一种挑战。希望对各位有所帮助,如有好的建议和见解,我们可相互学习。
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