parenthesis

in other words 应分析为插入语。什么叫插入语呢？插入语就是在语法结构业已完整的句子里插进去的词、短语或句子（后者称作插入句）。插入语的特征是：把它拿掉之后，句子的语法结构和语义仍是完整的，只是缺少了一些表达上的精确性。例如：

1. Generally speaking, newspapers follow the American way. 一般说来，报纸采用美国英语的拼法。

2. In a word, hunger is a big problem in the world today. 总之,饥饿是当今世界的一个大问题。

如果把上面两句中的插入语 Generally speaking 和 In a word 分别拿掉, 则句子无论在句法上或语义上都是成立的。

从插入语本身的结构来看,用作插入语的主要有:副词、形容词、介词短语、不定式、分词、分句:

A. 副词

1. Unfortunately, I missed the last bus. 很不幸,我没有赶上最后一班公共汽车。

2. Personally, I'd rather go to the Science Museum. 就我个人来说,我想去科学博物馆。

3. Oddly, Da Vinci appears to have forgotten to paint the Cup of Christ. (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) 可奇怪的是，达·芬奇好像忘了把圣杯画上去。（《达·芬奇密码》）

B. 形容词

1. If she ran towards it, it might attack her. Worse still, it could even carry off the baby in its mouth. 如果她朝狮子冲过去，狮子也许会咬她。更糟的是，狮子可能把婴儿叼走。

2. He passed his exams, and even better, when he left university he had earned enough money to start his own business, offering guide services to tourists. 他通过了考试，而比这更好的是，当他毕业时，他已经赚了一笔钱，足够开始经营自己的导游业了。

C. 介词短语

1. To my great joy, the plant did look exactly like what we were looking for. 令我极为高兴的是,这种植物和我们所要找的植物完全一样。

2. In other words, I should not watch TV, or look over your shoulder at other people while we are talking together. 换句话说，当我们在一起谈话时，我不应当看电视，也不应当越过你的肩膀瞅别人。

3. “Now we know that Clare Flower is dead, does that mean the money will now come to me? After all, I am the only one of my aunt’s relations still alive.” He was smiling hopefully.

“既然我们知道克莱尔·弗劳尔已经死了，那么这是不是意味着这笔钱该归我所有了？要知道，我是我姑妈唯一活在世上的亲戚。”他的脸上露出了希望的微笑。

D. 动词不定式

1. To speak frankly, I don't like the idea. 坦白地说,我不喜欢这个主意。

2. To conclude, it was a great success. 总之,这是很大的成功。

E. 分词短语

Judging from what he said to me today, his mind's made up. 根据他今天同我说的话来判断，他已经下了决心。

F. 分句

1. You came by air, I suppose. 我想,你是坐飞机来的。

2. What was worse, this wine was not at all suitable for drinking with a meal. 更糟糕的是，这种酒根本不适合在进餐时饮用。

3. Imagine that you have found a good story, and, what is even more important, the time to enjoy it. 设想一下，你找到了一本好的故事书，而且更重要的是，你有时间来阅读它。

4. I managed to hide my surprise when I answered, because Klegg, you see, was my aunt's pet dog. 我回答这个问题时，设法掩盖住了我的惊异，因为，你知道，克莱格是我姑妈的爱犬。

张道真教授的分析方法代表了一派英语语法学家的观点。但是，仔细分析起来，上句中的 do you suppose 并不符合插入语的定义，因为去掉它之后，句子就不完整了：

When do you suppose they'll be back? →When they'll be back? (×)

因此,另一派英语学家提出了另外的分析方法:do you suppose 是混合疑问句的一个组成部分,见 interrogative sentences, suggest, think, suppose, believe。

此类句型我国英语教科书中曾多次出现：

1. What do you think should be done to people who are caught stealing? 发现有人正在偷东西的时候,你认为应当如何处置?

2. What do you think I should do then? 那你认为我应当怎么做呢？

3. Which food do you think is healthy and which is unhealthy? 你认为哪种食物是健康食物,哪种是不健康食物呢?

全国高考也多次出现此类试题,考生应当认清它的结构本质:

1. Which do you think tastes ____, the chicken or the fish?

A. well B. good C. better D. best(全国高考)

2. — I haven't heard from Henry for a long time. — What do you suppose ____ to him? A. was happening B. to happen C. has happened D. had happened(上海高考,97-11)

3. ____ you have seen both fighters, ____ will win? A. Since ... do you think who B. As ... who you think C. When ... whoever D. Since ... who do you think(同上,95-19)

4. What do you think made Mary so upset? ____ her new bicycle. A. As she lost B. Lost C. Losing D. Because of losing(同上,97-13)

该书作者所列举的两个例句是正确的，但是对试题的解答却是错误的。试题中的 I believed 并不是插入语，而是定语从句的主语和谓语。whom 是动词 believed 的宾语，to be honest 则是宾语补足语。本题的主句是 The boy ... fooled me.

此外，选项 A(who) 也是正确的，而且更为多见，见 who/whom。

从译文看,译者显然是把从句 he notices 理解为 problems 的定语从句了。不错,英语里确实有带双重定语从句的句子。例如:

1. The only system I know which will help you to remember what you have heard at a lecture is the system of keeping notes. 我所知道的能帮助你记住听课中学到的东西的唯一方法就是记笔记。

2. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton. (NCE 3) 我所认识的人之中唯一有橱中骷髅的是乔治·卡尔顿。

3. She is the only girl I know who can play the guitar. 她是我所认识的唯一会弹吉他的女孩。

4. He is the best man I can find who can mend it within an hour. 他是我所能找到的能在一个小时之内把它修理完的最合适的一个人。

但是,请注意,这种句型与你所提问的句子的句型是有本质差别的。首先,在这种带有双重定语从句的句型里,第一个定语从句 I know(I can find)应理解为省略了充当宾语的关系代词。它是用来限制 the only girl (system, person, man) 的意义的,而 who 从句或 which 从句则是用来限制 the only girl (system, person, man) I know (I can find) 的意义的。但是,在你所问的句子中,从句 he notices 既不是省略了关系代词,也不是用来限制 the problem 的意义的。其次,从结构上看,在带双重定语从句的句型里,第一个定语从句 I know 总是出现在第二个定语从句的关系代词之前,而在你所提问的这类句子中,插入句 he notices 等总是出现在定语从句的关系词之后。类例:

1. ... but as a machine which everyone will agree belongs in the well-organized and regulated and sensible household. ……它们是机器，大家会一致认为，这种机器是有条不紊的、充满智慧的家庭的一员。

2. He and his friends wrote letters to every person in the United States who they knew wanted to save the trees. 他和他的朋友们向据他们所知希望保护这种树木的每一个美国人发信件。

3. The space that the author thinks we can never conquer is stellar space. 作者认为我们永远不可能征服的空间是恒星空间。

4. Choose the one answer (A, B, C or D) which you think is correct in the following. 在下列句子里选择一个你认为正确的答案(A, B, C 或 D)。

5. There was no trace of fingerprints, but the inspector found a dirty red bundle that contained jewellery which the old lady said was not hers. (New Concept English, Book 3) 虽然没有找到指纹的痕迹，但巡官却发现一个装着珠宝的肮脏的红包裹，老妇人说这个包裹不是她的。

6. They had some new face cream and a face powder that the chemist said was very good, but I never use anything but Guerlain from Paris. (EE) 他们有几种新出产的香脂和香粉。店老板说这些货都很好。但是除了巴黎出的古尔兰牌，我是什么也不用的。

7. So the number of stars that we know exist is now estimated at about 300 million million million. 因此, 现在我们已知存在的恒星数目估计约有三万亿亿颗。

8. The supervisor was advised to give the assignment to whoever he believe had a strong sense of responsibility. (TOEFL) 人们劝主管人把这项任务交给他认为有强烈责任感的人。我们认为以上各句中的斜体字部分均为插入句，而非定语从句。弄清这一点，对于英译汉具有非常重要的意义。例如，你所问的句子可以改译如下：

[试译]他通常把注意力集中在他发现尚未得到满意解释的问题上。

这里应当补充一点,就是在英语里确实可以遇到定语从句与插入句无法判别的情况。例如:

Many neighbors I know would have reacted the same way.

在没有上下文的条件下,上句中的 I know 既可以分析为定语从句,也可以分析为插入句,因此可以有两种完全不同的译法:

(a) 我所认识的许多邻居都会做出同样的反应。

(b)我知道许多邻居是会做出同样的反应的。

我国有的英语学者在分析你所问的英语句子时,认为 he notices 是主句,而不是插入句①。这是值得商榷的。我们想在这里谈谈我们的看法。

首先,让我们来看看一些权威性英语著作对插入语(句)所下的定义:

Longman Modern English Dictionary: parenthesis — a word, phrase or sentence, usually having its own complete meaning, inserted into a sentence which is grammatically complete without this insertion, and marked off from it by punctuation, e. g. ‘It was (surprisingly) effective’, or ‘it was, to our surprise, effective’. (p. 812)

（一般具有完整的意义、插入到一个语法上业已完整的句子里去的词、短语或句子。通常用标点符号使之与句子分开。例如：……）

Webster's New World Dictionary: parenthesis — an additional word, clause, etc. placed as an explanation or comment within an already complete sentence. (p. 1032)

（作为解释或评注插入到业已完整的句子里去的附加的词、从句等。）

我们认为,我们在上面所讨论的结构完全符合这里对插入语(句)所下的定义。从结构上看,he notices 等从句完全是插进去的,它与基本句不发生通常的一致、支配、附加等语法关系。如果将 he notices 等从句去掉,则基本句在结构上仍然是完整的。从语义上看,he notices 这一类从句作用仅仅在于表明说话人对句子内容所抱的态度或指出说话内容的来源、根据或评价。如把它们去掉,则基本句在意义上也是完整的。

其次,还有一种情况也颇有助于把 he notices 这一类型的从句解释为插入句:有些作者常常用逗号使插入句独立于基本句之外,例如:

1. At his trial he behaved nobly and firmly, refusing to defend himself before a court which, he said, had no power to try him, and he received the death sentence with a calm courage. (EE) 在审问他的时候，他表现得高尚而又坚定，拒绝了在他认为无权审判他的法庭上为自己辩护，他镇静自若地接受了死刑的判决。

2. George showed me to the guest-room which, he said, was rarely used. 乔治把我带到客房，他说那个房间很少使用。

3. In this part of the cave, they could hear an insistent booming sound which they found was caused by a small water-spout shooting down into a pool from the roof of the cave. (New Concept English, Book 3, L. 42) 在洞穴的这个地方，他们能听到连续不断的咚咚声，他们发现这响声是岩洞顶部的一个小喷水孔向下面的水池喷水引起的。