宋同标+王玉峰
请同学们先看下面教材里的典型句子,注意斜体部分的比较级用法:
1. It?蒺s no pleasure looking through these any longer because nature is one thing that really must be experienced. (人教课标版教材模块一Unit1 P2)
2. Today,more people speak English as their first, second or a foreign language than ever before.(人教课标版教材模块一Unit2 P9)
3. Finally, in 1991, the sister and their family moved to a safer area and since then they have never looked back. (北师大版教材模块一Unit2 P26)
通过教材的原句同学们可以发现比较级是一个非常活跃的语法项目,既是中学阶段的重点语法,也是各类考试的重要考点。下面我们梳理一下比较级的重难点:
一、比较级的基本句型
(一)用adj./adv.-er +than...表示“比……”。如:
I am a better swimmer than he(him).
【例】 I think watching TV every evening is a waste of time—there are (much) meaningful things to do.
【答案与解析】 more。本题的watching TV与其他事情比较,属于两者比较,用比较级,从a waste of time看出是肯定后者。破折号后面的句子补全就是:——there are more meaningful things to do than watching TV every evening.
(2)用 as+原级+as...以及not so(as)+原级+as…表示同级比较。如:
Our neighbor has as big a house as ours.我们的邻居有一栋跟我们家一样大的房子。
【例1】 It?蒺s generally believed that teaching is much an art as it is a science.
【答案与解析】 as。在“as + adj. + a (an) +单数名词+as...” 的比较级结构中,a或an不可放在形容词之前,本句意思是“人们普遍认为教学既是一门科学,又是一门艺术。根据后面的as和句意确定填as。
【例2】 There are a small number of people involved, possibly as as twenty.
【答案与解析】 few。根据前面的small number看出不可能填many或much;从twenty看出形容词修饰的是可数名词people。表示数量少可以用few和little,都表示否定意义,但是前者修饰可数名词,后者修饰不可数名词。故填few。该结构中前一个as是副词,修饰后面的形容词或副词原级形式,后一个as是连词。注意so...as仅用于否定句中。句意:牵涉到的人数不多,仅有20人。
二、比较级的特殊用法
(一)more and more表示“越来越……”。如:
She felt herself becoming more and more nervous.
他觉得自己变得越来越紧张。
It becomes warmer and warmer when spring comes.
春天来了, 天气变得越来越暖和了。
(二)“the more...the more...”表示“越来越……”。如:
The more money you make, the more you spend.钱你赚得越多,花得越多。
【例】 The older she grows, the (interest) she becomes in the traditional food in her own country.
【答案与解析】 more interested。本题完整的句型为:the more(形容词/副词比较级)+主语+谓语,the more(形容词/副词比较级)+主语+谓语。根据句子的意思和连系动词become可以看出用interest的形容词形式作表语,再由主语she看出用过去分词interested形式,再根据前面The older确定填比较级形式 more interested。
(三)用形容词比较级的否定形式,从反面来表示最高级,通常译为“没有比……更……”。如:
No other book has a greater effect on my life.=This book has the greatest effect on my life.
没有哪一本书比这本书对我的影响更大的了。
How beautiful she sings! Ive never heard a better voice.= How beautiful she sings! She has the best voice Ive ever heard. 她唱的真美呀,我从来没有听过如此动听的声音。
【例】 — Go for a picnic this weekend, OK?
—I couldn?蒺t agree (much). I love getting close to nature.
【答案与解析】 more。根据答句“我喜欢接近自然”看出是肯定回应,从答句couldn?蒺t 看用比较级的否定形式表示肯定意义。句意:——周末去野炊好吗?——非常赞同,我喜欢亲近自然。
(四)more...than结构或as...as...用于倍数表达。具体表达方式有:
1.A...X times +形容词或副词比较级+than+B。如:
The dictionary is exactly five times more expensive than that one.
这本词典比那本词典贵五倍。
This hall is five times bigger than our classroom.这个大厅比我们的教室大五倍。(是我们教室的六倍)
2. A...X times as+形容词或副词原级+as+B。如:
His father is twice as old as he.他父亲的年龄是他年龄的两倍。
The plane flew ten times as high as the kite.那架飞机飞行高度是那个风筝的十倍。(高出九倍)
【例】 The house rent is expensive. I?蒺ve got about half the space I had at home and I am paying three times much here.
【答案与解析】 as。从“房租很贵”的提示,结合根据 about half the space“大约一半的空间看出表示付出“三倍的价格”,是倍数表达句型,much表示原级,所以是X times as...as句型。
(五)表示“一……就……”的句型no sooner...than...
本句型是包含比较级的一个特殊句型,意思是“一……就……”,no sooner置于句首通常要用部分倒装结构,即把谓语动词的一部分置于主语之前,主句部分多用过去完成时态。
No sooner had the football game started than it began to rain.足球赛刚开始就下起雨来了。
He had no sooner / No sooner had he arrived than he was asked to leave again.他刚到就被支走了。
【例】 —Did Linda see the traffic accident?
—No, no (soon) had she gone than it happened.
【答案与解析】 sooner。根据否定词回答知道“琳达没有目睹交通事故”,后面补充说明原因,根据no和than看出用sooner,表示“她刚走就发生了”。
(六)不表示比较意义的比较结构
有些结构表面上是比较级形式,但是其实已经有了其他的意义,要结合语境判断,否则会产生歧义。这样的结构常见的有:as(so) long as“只要……就……”,引导条件状语从句;as far as...“就……而言……”;as well as“还有...”;as soon as“一……就……”,引导时间状语从句。如:
I don?蒺t care, so long as she let me be with her.只要她让我和她在一起,我才不在乎呢。
As far as I know, he?蒺ll be away for three months.据我所知,他将外出三个月。
He as well as I likes being in the sun.他和我都喜欢晒太阳。
As soon as she arrived in the city, she phoned her friend.
她一到这个城市,就给她的朋友打电话。
【例】 As as I can see, there is only one possible way to keep away from the danger.
【答案与解析】 far。As far as I can see的意思是“依我看”。句意:依我看,只可能有一种方法规避危险。
另外还有一些含有比较级的固定短语,如:sooner or later意思是“迟早”, worse still(what?蒺s worse, to make things/ matters worse)“更糟的是”, what?蒺s more“而且”, more or less“有点儿,或多或少,有几分”, less than“少于,不到”, no more/not any more“不再(强调数量)”, no longer/not any longer“不再(强调时间)”。?荨
青苹果·高一版2016年9期