湖北
非谓语动词是历年高考英语试题考查的热点语法项目之一,动词不定式是非谓语动词中形式最多、难度相对较大的。动词不定式的基本形式是“to + 动词原形”,具体共有五种形式(以do为例,见下表)。不定式没有人称和数的变化,虽然在句中不作谓语,但仍有动词的特点,有时态和语态的变化,具有名词、形容词和副词的特征,在句中可以作主语、表语、宾语、宾语补足语、定语和状语。广大教师和学生对不定式的常规用法及考查都比较熟悉并且掌握得很好,本文试图对学生平时易错的不定式重点、难点的用法进行梳理,以期对教师的教学和学生的学习都有所帮助。
动词不定式的时态、语态及句法功能
不定式所表示的动作从逻辑上说都有执行者,它可能是句子本身的主语、宾语,也可能由for或of引出,由for或of引出的逻辑主语与不定式一起构成不定式的复合结构,即It +be +adj.+ for/of somebody to do something.(for和of在使用时区别的关键是看此结构中的形容词)
1.当形容词是用来说明“事”,表示其重要性、紧迫性等时,用for,这类形容词有important, necessary,difficult, hard, convenient, pleasant, dangerous等,结构为It +be + important/necessary/difficult/hard/convenient/pleasant/dangerous...+for somebody to do something.
2.当形容词是用来说明“人的品质、特性”等概念时用of,这类形容词有kind, nice, mean, generous, wise,polite, clever, stupid, cruel等,结构为It + be + kind/nice/mean/generous/wise/polite/clever/stupid/cruel...+ of somebody to do something.如:It is foolish of Mr.Green to say so.(Mr.Green is foolish to say so.) 格林先生这样说真愚蠢。这一句型用于对主语的行为作评价,侧重表示人(物)的品质、特性等。
(1)不定式位于glad, happy, ready, willing, afraid,eager等形容词后作状语时。如:
—— Would you like to go to the party with me?
—— I'm willing to.
—— 你愿意和我一起去派对么?
—— 我愿意去。
(2)不定式位于hope, intend, expect, prefer, afford,mean, want等动词后作宾语时。如:
I asked Mary to see the movie with me, but she didn't want to.我邀请Mary与我一起看电影,但她不愿意。
(3)不定式位于ask, persuade, wish, allow, permit,force, invite等动词后作宾语补足语时。如:
Tom wants to join the party but his parents won't allow him to.Tom想入党,但是他父母不允许。
(4)不定式位于be able to, be going to, have to, ought to, used to等短语后面时。如:
The lazy child didn't want to go to school, but he had to.这个懒惰的孩子不想上学,但他不得不上。
(5)不定式中含有be, have, have been时,省略的结构中常保留be, have, have been。如:
Lily is no longer what she used to be.Lily今非昔比。
(1)并列连词and或or连接两个或两个以上具有相同意义或功能的不定式时,省略to。如:
He told the child to stay there and wait till he came back.他告诉孩子待在那等他回来。
(2)不定式作but, except, besides的宾语时,如果其前有动词do,则省略to。如:
He can do nothing but put off his wedding.= He has no choice but to put off his wedding.除了推迟婚礼,他别无选择。
(3)不定式作表语,其前含有动词do时,则省略to。如:
All I could do was call for help.我所能做的是打电话求助。
(4)不定式位于感官动词或使役动词后作宾语补足语时常省略to,但在被动语态中不省略to(let,have除外)。如:“一感(feel)”“二听(listen to, hear)”“三使(make,let, have)”“五看(look at, see, watch, notice, observe)”,在这些动词中,除了let, have外的其他九个动词和短语主动语态的不定式作宾语补足语不带to,但在被动语态中,须带to。另外,help后的不定式作宾补时,可带to也可不带to。如:
①We saw a thief enter the bank.→A thief was seen to enter the bank.我们看见一个小偷进了银行。
②(2017年江苏卷,30,改编)A quick review of successes and failures at the end of year will help (to) shape(shape) your year ahead.在年底对成功和失败进行快速的回顾有助于你下一年的发展。
(5)句子中虽前面含有不定式,但后面接rather than时,则省略to。如:
He prefers to die rather than speak one word out.他宁愿死也不开口。
(6)在would rather, would sooner, would (just) as soon,can't but, can't help but之后,省略to。如:
He can't help but respect them.他不得不尊敬他们。
特殊疑问词(how, what, when, where等)或whether +to do构成不定式短语,在句中常作主语、宾语和表语,此用法中不定式的逻辑主语与句子的主语或宾语须保持一致。常与“特殊疑问词或whether +不定式”连用的动词有tell, show, understand, explain, teach, learn, advise, discuss,ask, decide,find out等。如:
①(2016年全国卷Ⅱ,短文改错)My classmates and I are talking about how to do during the holiday.
【答案】how →what。考查疑问词+不定式短语“what + to do”作“talking about”的宾语,在此结构中,do是及物动词,其后缺少宾语,而how常作状语,故将how改为what。
②We must decide whether to stay or go.(=We must decide whether we'll stay or go) 我们必须决定是该留还是该走。
众所周知,英语中的to既可以是介词又可以是不定式符号,因此教师要教会学生对to作出正确判断,若to在句中是不定式符号,那么to后接动词原形;若to是介词,则to后接动名词作宾语。含介词to的常用短语:be used to, be accustomed to (习惯于),be opposed to(反对),be devoted to(献身于),pay attention to(注意),reduce somebody/something to(使沦为),get down to(着手),lead to(导致),stick to(坚持),object to(反对)等。如:
(单句语法填空)Before going abroad, he would make up his mind to devote all he could to ____ (improve) his oral English.
【答案】improving。动词短语“devote...to”中的to是介词,其后接动名词作宾语,故填improving。
1.不定式作定语时与被修饰的名词或代词是逻辑上的动宾关系,又和句子主语构成逻辑上的主谓关系,不定式用主动形式表示被动意义。如:
The university entrance examinations are approaching so we have lots of difficulties to overcome.高考即将来临,因此我们要克服许多困难。
2.在“be + 性质形容词 + 不定式”结构中,用主动形式表示被动。此类形容词有difficult, easy, interesting,comfortable, pleasant等。如:
Atfirst my new surroundings were difficult to tolerate.开始,我很难忍受新环境。
3.某些动词blame, lent等的不定式与be连用时。如:
①The house is to lent.房屋待租。
②Mary felt she was to blame for the traffic accident.Mary认为她该为交通事故负责。
4.不定式作定语时,如果动作由句子主语发出,不定式用主动形式。如果动作不是由句子主语发出,则不定式用被动形式。如:
①I have a lot of clothes to wash.
②I have a lot of clothes to be washed.
不定式和现在分词在句中都可作结果状语,学生经常会混淆这两种用法。现在分词表示自然而然的结果,而不定式表示意想不到的结果,其前可加only。如:
①(2016年北京卷,32,改编)Newly-built wooden cottages line the street, turning (turn) the old town into a dreamland.新建的木制小屋沿着大街排成一排,把旧镇变成了梦境。
② Mary hurried to the station only to find that the train had left.Mary匆忙赶到车站,发现车已离开。
不定式作结果状语,常用于too...to, enough to do, (only)to do等结构中,(only) to do表示意想不到的结果;在too...to结构中,当too后的形容词是glad, pleased, willing,ready, eager等形容词时,不定式表示肯定的意思。too在not, never, only, but后,不定式也表示肯定的意思。如:
① Mary is too eager to see you at once.Mary渴望马上见到你。
②It's never too late to learn.活到老学到老。
在使用expect, hope, mean, plan, suppose, intend, want等动词时,如果用“动词的过去式+不定式的完成式”,或用“动词的过去完成式+不定式的一般式”,则表示过去未曾实现的想法、希望、打算、意图等。如:
I intended to have attended your wedding yesterday, but I was too busy.= I had intended to attend your wedding yesterday,but I was too busy.昨天我本打算参加你的婚礼,但是太忙了。
不定式作定语时,如果不定式为不及物动词,或不定式所修饰的名词或代词是不定式动作的地点、工具等,不定式后面需有相应的介词。如:
① She is a very nice person to work with.她是个很好共事的人。
②The baby-sitter has five children to look after.这个保姆有五个孩子要照顾。
③The Greens have a comfortable house to live in.格林一家有一个舒适的房屋可以居住。
注意:不定式后用介词的情况也适用于“主语 + 系动词 + 表语(形容词) + to do”句型中。如:
① The bed is too hard to sleep on.床太硬,不能在上面睡。
② This chair is very comfortable to sit on.这把椅子坐着很舒服。
但是,当不定式所修饰的名词是time, place, way时,不定式短语中的介词可省略。如:
① This is the best way to make friends (with).这是交朋友的最好方法。
②If we could show concern to others in need, the world would be a better place to live in。如果我们能够关心那些需要帮助的人,世界将是一个更好的居住地。
一般说来,there be的非谓语形式有there being和there to be两种,常在句中作主语、宾语、状语和定语。
1.作动词的宾语时,应用there to be结构,而不能用there being,常用于这一结构的动词有expect, want, intend,prefer, like, hate, mean等。如:
① I don't want there to be any student falling behind with others.我不想有任何学生掉队。
② He hates there to be long queues everywhere.他不喜欢到处要排长队。
2.作状语时,多用there being结构,但如果“there be”放在介词for之后,则用there to be结构。如:
It is too early for there to be anybody up.太早了,还不会有人起床。
非谓语动词作状语,其逻辑主语往往与句子主语一致,但有时非谓语有自己的主语,即构成独立主格结构,其形式为名词/代词 + doing/done/to do/adj./adv./prep.如:
Nobody to come here the day after tomorrow, they will have to put off the meeting till next week.因为后天没有人来,他们把会议推迟到下周。
在独立主格结构的逻辑主语前加上with,则构成with复合结构,with复合结构在句中常作状语或定语,若表达相反的意思用without,不定式用于此结构即为with(without)+名词/代词 + 不定式,表示条件或原因。如:
① Jack could not finish the task without me to help him.没有我帮他,Jack不会完成任务的。
② With so much work to do, I cannot spare time to spend a holiday.有这么多活要做,我抽不出时间去度假。
不定式的独立成分在句中作评注性状语,修饰整个句子,用来表明说话者的观点或态度。常见的有to tell the truth(说实话), to be honest(说实话), to be exact(确切地说), to begin with(首先), to be sure(真的), to make things worse(更糟糕的是)。如:
To tell the truth, I don't like the western food.说实话,我不喜欢西餐。
非谓语动词是历年高考英语试题的热门考点之一,而动词不定式是非谓语动词中形式最多、用法最复杂、难度相对较大的。不定式一般表示将来、具体的行为,它在句中可作主语、宾语、表语、定语和宾语补足语等。在平时的复习备考中,广大教师和学生对不定式的常规用法及考查都很重视并且掌握得很好,但是不定式的一些重点、难点以及特殊的用法,广大教师和学生切不可忽视。