问英语｜英语常见问题解答

as...as¹

问

John is as polite as Bob(is).

John behaves as politely as Bob(does).

这是 CGEL(§7.86)给出的例句。请问重复从句中的动词(is, does)与省略从句中的动词有什么区别?

答

根据 Hornby 的解释,如果重复从句中的动词,就能使从句的意义得到强调;如果省略从句中的动词,就能使主句的意义得到强调。He is as strong as a horse. 是强调他的力气,而不是强调马的力气。类似的例子:

Anna is not as tall as John. (CGEL) 安娜不像约翰那么高。
She is as deaf as a post. 她完全聋了。
She's as hard as nails. 她身体很结实(或:她冷酷无情)。
She's not so/as nice as her sister. (PEU) 她不像她姐姐那么好。

练习

请做下面的英语试题：

In the long run, however, this hurry to shed full-time staff may be more harmful to industry as $\frac{\overline{A}}{B}$ it is to the workforce. (全国研考, 00-15)

as...as²

问

In 1833 Dickens had a number of papers published under the title Sketches by Boz, but it was in 1836 that he rose to fame as suddenly and as unmistakably as Scott had done. (Essential English(4), p. 71)

[原译]1833年，狄更斯有许多文章是以《博兹特写》为题发表的。他像司各脱一样，突然地、清楚无误地一举成名都是在1836年。（中译本）

Dickens 和 Scott 都是在 1836 年出名的吗?

答

从历史上来看,Scott死于1832年,因此,Dickens不可能跟Scott一样都是在1836年出名,从语法上说,分词短语in 1836仅仅是rose to fame的时间状语,而不是(Scott)had done的时间状语。Dickens出名跟Scott出名的相似之处在于suddenly and unmistakably,而不在于in 1836。

[试译]1833年狄更斯以《博兹特写》为题发表了许多文章。但他在文坛出名却是在1836年，跟司各脱一样，是那样地突然，是那样地清楚肯定。

as...as³

as... as/so... as

问

Biographies are usually detailed accounts of a person's life and may fill so many as two or more volumes. (TOEFL, 90.9)

我认为 as...as 与 so...as 是可以通用的。为什么选择 D (so many as) 是错误的呢？

答

在现代英语里，当句子为否定句时，as...as 和 so...as 一般是可以互换的。例如：

$\left\{ \begin{array}{ll}\mathrm{He's~not~as~naughty~as~he~was.}\\ \mathrm{He's~not~so~naughty~as~he~was.} \end{array} \right.$ 他不像以前那么淘气了。

但是在肯定句里,人们还是用 as...as 来表示形容词和副词的同级比较。因此,上道试题的 D 项应改为:as many as(表达“言其多”的口气,见 as...as $^{6}$ )。请看下面的实例:

Anna is as tall as Bill. (CGEL) 安娜和比尔一样高。
John is as polite as Bob. (CGEL) 约翰和鲍勃一样有礼貌。

(参见 not as...as/not so...as)

as...as⁴

as... as... can be

问

“Can he buy the car?” “He is as poor as poor ____ be.”

A. may B. man C. people D. can(TOEFL)

答案为 D(can)。但 as poor as poor can be 是什么意思呢？

答

as...as...can(could) be 是一个强调形容词含义的格式,一般可译为“到了最……的程度”“极其”。请看下面的实例：

I'm as happy as happy can be. 我快乐极了。
You are as wrong as wrong can be. 你大错特错了。

as...as⁵

n times as...as

问

下面译文均选自正式出版物，我怀疑译文的正确性。

(1) This airplane flies two times as fast as that one. (《翻译通讯》, 1982 年第 5 期)

[原译]这架飞机的飞行速度比那一架快两倍。

(2) He has five times as many books as you.

[原译]他拥有比你多五倍的书。(《学生活用词典》)

(3) He is twice as strong as he was.

[原译]他比从前强两倍了。(《英华大辞典》)

答

我国有的英语学者认为，在“倍数 + as + 形容词或副词原级 + as 的句型中，翻译时包括基数在内，把英语句中的倍数照译不减。”①我们认为，这种说法和译法是不符合现代英语的实际情况的。在现代英语里，“A is n times as large as B”的意思是“A 的大小是 B 的 n 倍”或“A 比 B 大 n - 1 倍”。因此，第一个例句应当译为“这架飞机的飞行速度是那架飞机的两倍。”或“这架飞机的飞行速度比那架快一倍。”让我们从英文原著中援引几个倍数可以验算的例证：

The data in Table 2, taken with exactly the same arrangement as before but with the force doubled, shows that the velocity increases twice as fast as before instead of $\Delta v / \Delta t = 14\mathrm{cm}/$ $\mathrm{sec}^2$ we obtain $\Delta v / \Delta t = 28\mathrm{cm / sec}^2$ . (PSSC, Physics) 用与前次实验完全相同的装置但用二倍的力，我们得出了表2中的数据，它们表明速度的增快是前次的二倍。我们得到 $\Delta v/$ $\Delta t = 28$ 厘米/秒²，而不是 $\Delta v / \Delta t = 14$ 厘米/秒²。
Moreover, if we make the force three times as large by putting three identical loops side by side, we triple the acceleration. (PSSC, Physics) 此外, 如果我们用三个并排的同样的环, 使力增大到三倍, 加速度也会增大到三倍。

关于这一点英语语言学家们也作过精确的解释：

They want at least to double their salaries. (= 'twice as much as they now earn') (A Communicative Grammar of English, p. 228) 他们要求把他们的工资增加一倍。
I wish I had twice his strength. (=I wish I was twice as strong as he.) (同上) 我真希望我的力量比他的大一倍。
I have three times as much as I want. (=У меня втрое больше, чем мне нужно.) (《英俄大辞典》第二卷, p. 70) 我所拥有的比我所需要的多两倍。

as...as⁶

as much as/as many as + 数词

问

On Sports Day, during the relay race, you will use most of all, perhaps as much as 650 calories an hour. [《高中英语教科书》第一册(下),人教社,p.2]

与该书配套的《教师教学用书》(p.68)对 as much as 是这样解释的：

“‘as much/many as’这个结构作‘多达’、‘到达……的程度’解。所涉及的数量如果是可数的，则用 many；如果是不可数的，则用 much。例如：

In the countries of Black Africa, there are as many as 700 languages. 黑非洲的国家里的语言多达七百种。

When she worked there, she could earn as much as 500 dollars a week. 她在那儿工作时，每周能挣500美元。”

“所涉及的数量……如果是不可数的”，难道“calories”和“dollars”是不可数的吗？它们的复数形式证明它们是可数名词，如同languages一样，那它们为什么要与as much as连用，而不与as many as连用呢？

答

我们提出下面的解释,也许能解答你的疑惑。

当数词直接修饰表示人或事物的可数名词的复数(量词除外)时,在数词之前用 as many as 来表达“言其多”的口气,当数词 + 量词结构所涉及的是不可数名词时,则用 as much as 来表达“言其多”的口气(虽然量词为复数),而不管这个不可数名词是否以 of 短语的形式出现。请分析下面的实例:

As many as ten or twelve people were found living in a single room. 发现住在单人房间的有 10 人甚至 12 人之多。
The rain is plentiful here, often as much as seventy inches yearly. (这里涉及的是 rain) 这里的雨水非常充分, 每年降雨量常常高达 70 英寸。
Our factory consumes as much as 500 tons of solid fuel per week. (这里涉及的是 fuel) 我们工厂所消耗的固体燃料每周高达 500 吨。
The deepest holes of all are made for oil, and they go down to as much as 25,000 feet. (这里涉及的是 depth) 在一切洞之中, 最深的是为了寻找石油所钻的洞, 这些洞深达二万五千英尺。

但是,如把某些量词实物化的话,也可在量词之前使用 as many as:

He drinks as many as three bottles of milk a day. (CGEL) 他每天竟喝三瓶牛奶。

as...as⁷

as much as/as many as + 数词/ + 从句

问

《随堂学·练·考丛书·高一英语》(龙门书局,p.248)在对 as much as/as many as + 数词条中所问的句子提出了如下的解释：

“as much as‘多达’指不可数名词, many 指可数名词。

Take as much as you like. 你要多少就拿多少。

You may try as many times as you like. 你喜欢试多少次就试多少次。”

我总觉得该书所作的解释有点儿“文不对题”。请释疑。

答

《高中英语教科书》中的原句与上书所举的例句分属于不同的句型。前者是 as much as + 数量词，而后者是 as much(...) as + 从句（第二个 as 是关系代词）。前一用法已在上条中讨论过了。下面只谈一谈后一用法。在 as much(...) as + 从句结构中，从句常含有助动词 can, could 等：

He picked up as much information as he could. 他收集了尽可能多的信息。
Learn as much as you can about what to expect in the jungle. 对于预料在丛林中会发生的事要尽量多了解一些。
I don't have as much time as( = I have less time than) I would like for visiting my friends. 我没有我所希望的那么多时间来访问我的朋友。
I've said as much as I'm prepared to say( = I'm not willing to say anything more) ... 我把我准备说的话都说了出来……
He recited as much of the poem as he could remember. 他把那首诗中记得住的都背诵出来了。
Eat as much as you can. 尽量吃吧。

在第二种用法中,去掉 as much(...)as 之后,句子就不完整了,而在第一种用法中,去掉 as much as 之后,句子结构仍然完整,而且基本含义不变,只是失掉了“言其多”的口气。有时,亦可用 as high as 来表达“言其多”的含义:

The cost of one day in an average hospital in the United States can run as high as $250.

在美国，一家普通医院一天的住院费可高达二百五十美元。

as much as 和 as high as 的反义词是 as little as:

A reliable quartz watch can cost as little as ten dollars. (CGEL) 一块品质可靠的石英表才卖10美元。