英汉词典大都注明 suburb 多用复数,例如:
I live in the suburbs. (LASDE) 我住在郊区。
但是,我在英语教科书中却读到了 a suburb 的用法:While I was waiting to enter university, I saw advertised in a local newspaper a teaching post at a school in a suburb of London about ten miles from where I lived.
请解释这两种不同的用法。
当 suburb 泛泛地指相对于“市中心”“市内”而言的“市郊”“郊区”“郊外”时，常常用复数，并且带定冠词：
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I do not live in London. I live in the suburbs. (JED) 我不住在伦敦市内,我住在郊区。
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People who work in the town or city often live in the suburbs. (EED) 在镇上或市内工作
的人通常住在郊区。
但是,即使在这个意义上,suburb也不是非用复数不可,偶尔也可用单数:
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in a London suburb 在伦敦郊外(NAECD)
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A suburb of a town or city is an area of it which is not close to the centre. (EED) 郊区是指不靠近市中心的地区。
当 suburb 作“郊区的某一区”解时,应当使用单数,此时常常跟不定冠词连用:
They entered a quiet suburb situated beneath a wooden hill. (Cronin) 他们进入了位于山林下面的寂静的郊区。
“Does Ron’s brother live near the downtown area?” “No, he lives ____.”