find

该书的说法是不精确的。实际上，find 在作“找到”解时，既可表示无意去找而找到 (discover sth./sb. by chance/without looking or searching for) (A)，也可表示经过努力、学习、寻找而有意地找到 (discover sth./sb. by effort, study, search etc) (B)。下面是一些摘自英语原著的实例： A. I found a wallet on the sidewalk. 我在人行道上发现一个钱包。 B. 1. They still haven't found the reasons for his death. 他们仍没有找出他的死因。 2. Have you found a solution to the problem? 你们找到这个问题的答案了吗? 3. Do you want me to find one for you? 你要我给你弄一张吗?

应当搞清楚, find 常常用于 find + 宾语 + 宾语补足语句型。其中的宾语补足语可由名词、形容词、分词、副词、介词短语和动词不定式来充当。

1. You will find it a difficult book. (名词) 你会发现那是一本很难的书。

2. We found him dishonest. (形容词) 我们认为他不诚实。

3. He found the door closed. (分词或形容词) 他发现门是关着的。

4. Langdon expected to hear an embassy operator, but he found himself instead listening to an answering machine. (分词) (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) 兰登原想自己会听到大使馆接线员的声音,没想到自己听到的却是一个语音信箱的录音。(《达·芬奇密码》)

5. We went to her house but we found her out. (副词) 我们去了她家, 发现她已外出。

6. When we arrived, we found him in bed. (介词短语) 我们到达时, 发现他在睡觉。

7. Some insects have been found to live for several years without any water. 人们发现一些昆虫可以滴水不进地活好几年。

find 也常常用于 find + (that) 从句的句型中。应特别注意, 这个连词 that 在口语中常常是可以省略的:

1. When we arrived we found he was in bed. 我们到达时,发现他正在睡觉。

2. He found (that) the treatment was effective against cancer. 他发现这种疗法对癌症有效。

3. But when you climb higher, you will find nothing grows there at all. (JEFC, 3, p. 94) 但是, 当你爬到高处时, 你会发现那里什么东西都不长。

由此看来,上面的所谓错句并没有什么错误,而是标准的 find + (that) 宾语从句的句型。此外,[问]句还可写成:

She finds English to be quite difficult.

上面句子的歧义是由于 find 具有不同语法功能造成的。

A. find 可用作要求双宾语的及物动词：

1. Can you find me a good one? (Palmer) 你能为我找个好的吗？

2. They found him somewhere to live. (LDCE) 他们为他找到了住的地方。

3. "He is already on the wrong side of forties."

"It's about time he ____ himself a wife and settled down."

A. finds B. should find C. found D. had of found. (TOEFL)

“他已经40多岁了。”

“是应该找个妻子，安定下来了。”

按照这种分析,上面句子的意思应当是:

我为她找到了一个逗趣的伙伴。(I found an entertaining partner for her.)

B. find 还可用作要求宾语补足语的及物动词。而宾语补足语可以是名词、形容词、现在分词、过去分词、副词、介词短语、to be 或从句。下面只举两个名词充当宾语补足语的例句：

1. You will find it a difficult book. (Yeats) 你将会发现这是一本很难读的书。

2. I find her a very agreeable, sensible woman. (Cameron) 我发现她是一个非常爽快、非常明智的女人。

按照这种分析,上面句子的意思应当是:

我发现她是个很逗趣的伙伴。

(参见 CGEL, p. 348)

find可用于现在进行时，其作用在于强调find的“渐变过程”或“开始”。

1. I'm finding that the man is difficult to deal with. 我逐渐发现这个人很难打交道。

2. I'm finding that this problem is more complicated than I had expected. 我慢慢觉得这个问题比我预料的要难。