1. 她看起來很失望。
ˇ She looks disappointed.
χ She looks disappointing.
Photo: Adobe Stock l 圖片:Adobe Stock
註︰disappointed 意思是「某人感到失望」,disappointing 是「某事令人失望」,例如:a disappointing experience、a disappointing result。
2. 他的話使我不安。
ˇ His remark disturbed me.
Photo: Adobe Stock l 圖片:Adobe Stock
ˇ His remark made me disturbed.
χ His remark made me disturbing.
註︰同上例,凡是由於某種外來的因素而產生某種情緒,都用過去分詞;這些分詞實際上已有一般形容詞的性質。
3. 對不起,讓你久等了。
ˇ I am sorry to have kept you waiting.
ˇ I am sorry I kept you waiting.
χ I am sorry to have kept you to wait.
註︰keep 後面接名詞(或代名詞)+分詞構成的複合受詞,而不接名詞(或代名詞)+不定詞構成的複合受詞。
4. 他收拾好行裝,急忙趕向車站。
ˇ Having packed his things, he hurried to the train station.
ˇ After getting his things together, he hurried to the train station.
χ Getting his things together, he hurried to the station.
註︰現在分詞所表示的動作往往與句中述部動詞所表示的動作同時進行。例句中「收拾……」的動作不可能與「趕向……」同時發生,兩個動作必須有先後,才合乎邏輯,因此錯句的現在分詞要改為完成分詞或改為介詞 after 後面跟動名詞。請注意底下的例外:
Entering the room, he was greeted by the ambassador.
Arriving at the station, we learned that the train had already gone.
Hearing footsteps, we stopped talking.
上面三句中的現在分詞可以代替完成分詞,表示述部動詞的動作緊接著分詞的動作。
5. 聽到這不幸的消息,他眼淚盈眶。
ˇ Hearing the bad news, he could not help bursting into tears.
ˇ When he heard the bad news, tears gushed from his eyes.
χ Hearing the bad news, tears gushed from his eyes.
註︰從結構上來看,錯句裡的 hearing the bad news 是歸屬於 tears 的,但在邏輯上連接不起來,因 tears 不是分詞片語的行為主體,語法上稱之為「不連結的分詞片語」(dangling phrase)。雖然名作家的作品中偶有類似的句子,但初學英語者應按照正規,避免不合邏輯的表達方式。有些分詞,已成為獨立成分,不能與不連接分詞相提並論。例如:
Generally speaking, this novel is not interesting.
Judging by his appearance, he can’t be more than twenty.
Exercises
A. 我記得曾在圖書館遇見過你。
I remember __________ you in the library.
1. meet 2. to meet 3. meeting 4. met
B 要記得寄我的包裹啊!
Remember -_________ my parcel!
1. mail 2. mailing 3. to mail 4. Mails
Answers:
A. 3 B. 3
文章由書林出版公司提供:
www.bookman.com.tw
蘇正隆 — 台灣翻譯學學會前理事長、師大翻譯研究所兼任副教授; 編著《走讀自然.花言樹語》,《英語的對與錯》,《世紀病毒:必讀防疫英文知識與詞彙》...等。國家教育研究院中英雙語詞彙審議委員;研究領域為翻譯、術語及詞典編譯,從事植物與人文導覽數十年,亦曾應邀遠赴國外大學做植物人文導覽。
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Dos & Don’ts — 想想看,這句話英語該怎麼說? 1. 她德語說得和她老師一樣流利。 ˇ Her German is as fluent as her teacher’s. ˇ She speaks German as fluently as her teacher (does). χ Her German is as fluent as her teacher. 註︰這裏所比的是「她的德語」和「她老師的德語」,而不是把她的德語和她的老師這個人相比,所以必須說 her teacher’s,即 her teacher’s German。或把「她說德語」和「她老師說德語」比較。 2. 一般認為北部人生活步調和南部人不同。 ˇ The people of the North are generally described as different from those of the South in terms of pace of life. χ The people of the North are generally described as different from the South in terms of pace of life. 註︰所不同者是北部人和南部人,而不是北部人和南部地區的比較,所以應加 those of,those 代替 the people,以免重複。 3. 他的新小說和上一本風格不同。 ˇ The style of his new novel is different from that of his last one. ˇ His new