基于语料库的cease to do和cease doing研究

金长革

(鞍山师范学院外国语学院，辽宁鞍山114007)

Cease是个常用词，但国内外对cease to do和cease doing的研究不多，在之前的研究中使用的语料有的来自语料库，但使用的语料库规模小，语料陈旧，检索工具简陋，有的语料是作者杜撰的，不是真正使用的语言，加之英语发展很快，因此有些说法是否还成立是个巨大的问号，本文旨在总结和利用语料库检验之前的说法，并欲解决下列问题:1．在cease to exist中，cease是及物动词吗?2．cease to do和cease doing的区别在哪里?本文使用了两个大型语料库以确保得到的数据更准确，防止片面性。

一、之前的研究

麦克米伦词典是这样给cease下定义的:

1．［不及物动词］stop happening or continuing

If we don’t get more money，our community theater will cease to exist．

2．［及物动词］stop doing something cease doing/to do something

In 1981 he ceased being a player and moved intomanagement．

Ihad ceased to care what happened to her．

Quirk等(1985)认为体动词(aspectual verbs)后接不定式或动名词在意义上没有明显的区别［1］。

Lucy started/continued/ceased to write/writing while in hospital．

Kaleta(2012)认为cease to do表示静态的或稳定的状态的停止，一些词素表示情感和认知状态，如 amaze，think，care，enjoy 和 matter［2］。Fukuda(2008)认为体动词不能后接表示“未实现的将来”的不定式，如，Today，the law ceased to have its effect tomorrow．也不能后接进行时或完成时;不定式可以表示一个重复的事件，如，That never ceases to amaze/amazingme．祈使句中用动名词［3］。

Freed(1978)认为cease doing表示在特定的某时正在发生的事件，而cease to do表示在一段一般或非特定的时间断断续续进行的事件［4］。

Lacey ceased cryingwhen she heard her parents come in the door．(Lacey was crying when she heard her parents come in the door．)

Lacey ceased to cry when she heard her parents come in the door．

Lacey ceased to cry whenever she heard her parents come in the door．他还认为持续时间越长越有可能用cease to do，持续时间越越短越有可能用cease doing。

Barbar resolved that for the rest of her life，she would cease to think/?thinking about the horror that she had endured thatweek［5］．

二、研究的方法

本文使用的语料库是基于网络的全球英语语料库Corpus of Global Web－Based English(GloB-wE)和英语双十语料库(2012年版)EnTenTen12。它们都是世界最大的语料库，单词容量分别为19亿和130亿，分别建于2013年和2012年，语料来自网络，语料来源国达二十个，它们能反映世界英语的最新发展，检索功能强大。在GloWbE中输入“［cease］to［vv］”检索到含有“cease to do”的例句11 152个，输入“［cease］［vvg］”检索到含有含有cease doing的例句2 289个。利用EnTenT-en12中的检索功能Word Sketch经过人工编辑后检索到含有cease to do的例句72 502个，含有cease doing的例句24 996个，检索日期为2014年9－10月。本文利用这些语料数据研究cease to do和cease doing的用法和区别。

三、发现和讨论

GloBwE检索结果显示与cease搭配的不定式前 20名的词素分别是:exist，amaze，function，hold，operate，apply，work，make，believe，matter，carry，act，use，become，live，provide，flow，grow，surprise和think;与cease搭配的动名词前20名的词素分别是:trade，use，work，operate，make，fight，take，fire，function，provide，try，pay，publish，support，speak，give，sell，look，pray 和 accept。

EnTenTen12检索结果显示与cease搭配的不定式前 20 名的词素分别是:exist，amaze，function，live，operate，surprise，flow，impress，trade，matter，pray，amuse，breathe，fascinate，shine，astound，astonish，marvel，entertain 和 accrue;与 cease 搭配的动名词前20名的词素分别是:trade，smoke，operate，function，snore，fire，consume，bark，breathe，ingest，broadcast，strive，feed，bleed，ring，beat，sweat，ponder，breastfeed 和 make。

两个语料库含有cease to do的例句共83 654个，而含有cease doing的例句共27 285个，前者要比后者在数量多近三倍。在上文提到的前20名中，function作为不定式出现的次数是2 140，而作为动名词出现的次数是450，operate作为不定式出现的次数是994，而作为动名词出现的次数是590，语料显示不仅仅前20名的词素是这样，其它词素也多半可以这两种形式出现，也就是说在多数情况下不定式和动名词完全可以互换，二者在意义上没有差异，只不过前者使用更加普遍而已。

After this date，the court ceased to function as an arbiter of behavior，and became concerned only with administrativematters．

The Archdeaconry Courtappears to have ceased functioning as a place of detection and punishment．

If the visitors do not accept the terms and conditions，please cease to use this web site and do not use the on-line services．

通过研究语料，笔者发现如果cease的宾语是延续性动词，如 work，live，stay，sing，watch，sleep，study，walk，wait和 read，cease to do 和 cease doing在意义上无差别且使用次数基本相当。

Iwill probably cease to watch the show，butwill try onemore time．

I decide to cease watching them now．

She never ceased working for human rights and social justice．

语料还显示:在cease to do和cease doing中，停止可以是暂时的，也可以是逐渐的或永久的，因为二者都能与momentarily，gradually和permanently这样的副词连用。

Including such persons who on grounds only of their own or their family’s or dependants’educational or health needs or old age have ceased to travel momentarily or permanently．

The end result is that Igradually cease to read and view much new art．

Ihad almost ceased courting entirely．

在GloBwE中分别输入“．cease［vvg］”和“please cease［vvg］”，得到 26个含有 cease doing的祈使句;分别输入“．cease to［vv］”和“please cease［vv］”，得到 cease to do的祈使句3个;输入“．do not cease［vvg］”，得到2个含有 do not cease doing的祈使句，输入“．do not cease to［vvi］”，得到1个含有do not cease to do的祈使句。在En-TenTen12中检索到含有cease doing的祈使句985个，含有cease to do的祈使句252个，含有do not cease doing的祈使句17个，含有do not cease to do的祈使句13个。事实证明，在祈使句中使用动名词或不定式皆可，两者在意义上无差别，但前者使用更多一些。

Cease using greywater during wet periods．

Cease to use credit cards permanently．

不定式可以表示一个重复的事件，在语料库中检索到含有never cease to do的例句11 333个，其中含有never cease to exist的例句184个，含有never cease to impress的例句219个，含有never cease to surprise的例句333个，含有never cease to amaze的例句6 461个，而含有never cease doing的例句才685个，没有含有never cease amazing的例句。

Yim never ceases to impressme．

It never ceases to surprise me whenever someone asks to take a picture with me．

在语料库中检索到含有it never cease to amazeme的例句2 425个，it never cease to amaze me已经成为一个固定搭配，表示持续的惊讶。

It never ceases to amazeme how different everyone’sminimalist list is!

出乎意料的是在语料库中检索到含有 cease existing的有效例句68个。

Things become more or less，or cease existing altogether．

You’ll never cease existing．

既然 cease existing成立，cease在这里当然是及物动词，动名词existing是宾语，由此笔者不同意麦克米伦词典的说法，认为在cease to exist中，cease在这里也是及物动词，而不是不及物动词，to exist也应是宾语，而不是补语。上文提到很多词素可以以不定式和动名词形式出现，不难得出结论，若cease既可以后接某一动词的不定式形式又可以后接其动名词形式，cease在这里是及物动词，不定式或动名词作其宾语。

The Company has ceased to trade．

The Children Furniture Company ceased trading after itwas unable to take off the original links from its website or afford to to‘reproduce’its external links from scratch．

在语料库中检索到含有cease to be doing，cease to have done和cease having done的有效例句极少，无论cease to do还是cease doing意义上都表示某一动作的停止，cease不能后接进行时或完成时也在预料之中。语料显示在cease to do中的时间壮语几乎都是修饰cease to do的，也就是说几乎没有单独修饰不定式的时间壮语，cease后接表示“未实现的将来”的不定式的情况也就不可能出现。

This link will probably cease to work next year．

If this continues，the companywill cease to exist in the future．

从语料中很容易看到cease to do的确表示静态的或稳定的状态的停止，这些词包括1．情感类词:love，like，adore，detest，appreciate，hate 和 prefer;2．知道类词:know，understand，doubt，forget，realize，remember和 remind;3．感官类词:feel，hear，notice，recognize，see，smell和 sound;4．领属类词:own，have，belong 和 possess;5．思维类词:believe，mean 和 suppose;6．惊讶类词:amaze，surprise，astonish，astound，marvel，wonder，alarm 和 shock．在语料中找到含有cease to amaze/surprise/astonish/astound/marvel/alarm/shock的例句7 527个，几乎所有的例句都含有never cease，表示重复的事件。以上提到的词的动名词形式很少或不用在cease之后，比如，cease remaining/resembling/progressing/belonging/astonishing/astounding/alarming/smelling/supposing不成立，没有这样的语料。

They cease to appreciate the amazing blessing of life．

Paul had ceased to know Christ after the flesh．

在语料库检索到含有“身体部位(head/eye/face/brain/tissue/heart/body/leg/hand/lung)+cease to do”的例句249个，含有“身体部位+cease doing”的例句42个，这说明如果主语是身体部位时往往后接 cease to do，而不是 cease doing，只有body，tissue和brain三个词可以后接cease doing。

Talking head ceases to add value in amatter of minutes．

As the day went on，her eyes ceased to move and she continued to deteriorate．

在语料库检索到含有be ceasing to do的例句173个，含有 be ceasing doing的例句8个，很明显，若cease用于进行时在绝大多数情况下后接不定式，这可能是因为现在分词后接动名词有些尴尬。

The Beastwas ceasing to weep!

So we are ceasing to honor sanctioned begging．

在语料库检索到含有“抽象名词 +cease doing”的例句极少，而含有“抽象名词 +cease to do”的例句比比皆是，这意味着若cease前面的主语是抽象名词如(mind/spirit/form/solution/mechanism/diversity/time/progress/civilization/trend/faith/impenetrability/slavery/principle/partnership/unity/system)，cease后接不定式。

And when existence ceases to thrive and delay sets in，there is nothing in the world that can stop it．

At that point，grief ceased to ambush me．

语料显示cease doing的确表示在特定的某时正在发生的事件，cease to do无此用法。

He ceased contemplating when Don and April entered the room．

(He was contemplating when Don and April entered the room．)

She ceased struggling when I dropped her into my lap．

但cease to do和cease doing都可以表示持续一段时间的事件，时间可长可短。

unfavorable reviews，and Tennyson ceased to publish for ten years．

In 1994，the MLB ceased operating for as prolonged as 232 days．

This occurs when the snorer stops or ceases to breathe for several seconds，which totally obstructs the breathing，this type of condition is known as Sleep Apnea．

四、结论

本文证实了以下说法是正确的:1．cease后接不定式或动名词在意义上没有明显的区别，不定式和动名词多半可以互换，但cease to do比cease doing更常用。2．不定式可以表示一个重复的事件，含有never cease to do的例句多达11 333个。3．cease不能后接进行时或完成时，原因是无论cease to do还是cease doing意义上都表示某一动作的停止，由于同样的原因，cease不能后接表示“未实现的将来”的不定式。4．cease to do表示静态的或稳定的状态的停止，而有关词的动名词形式很少或不用在cease之后。5．cease doing表示在特定的某时正在发生的事件。

本文的新发现:1．如果cease的宾语是延续性动词，cease to do和cease doing在意义上无差别。2．在cease to do和cease doing中，停止可以是暂时的，也可以是逐渐的或永久的。3．祈使句中使用动名词或不定式皆可，两者在意义上无差别，但前者使用更多一些。4．在cease to exist中，cease在这里是及物动词，to exist是宾语，这是因为cease existing成立，cease在这里当然是及物动词，动名词existing是宾语。5．主语是身体部位时往往后接cease to do，而不是 cease doing。6．cease用于进行时在绝大多数情况下后接不定式。7．主语是抽象名词时往往后接cease to do。8．cease to do和cease doing都可以表示持续一段时间的事件，时间可长可短。

由此看来cease to do比cease doing更常用，在未来的研究中可以研究二者在不同文体、不同年代和国家中的用法差异。

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