语法核心/综合 · 薄冰语法指南

一般疑问句

1 这两种疑问句有何区别?

原书第 90 个内容页3,004 字符

1 这两种疑问句有何区别?

有一读者问:请问下面两种疑问句有什么区别:

(1)Will John be there?

(2)John will be there?

在语法中,例(1)叫做一般疑问句,例(2)叫做陈述疑问句。总的说来,一般疑问句比较规范,多用在正式文体中;陈述疑问句比较口语化,多用在非正式文体中。二者在含义上并没有什么不同。但有时陈述疑问句并非意在提出疑问,而只是想证实或核实一下说话人的理解,如:

(3)You'll be all right?

有时带有惊讶的语气,如:

(4)They have nothing to eat?

有时则表示一种期望,如:

(5)— I say, you won't tell him?

— Of course not.

2 如何回答这个一般疑问句?

有一读者问: 有一道选择题:

— Will you go with us to see a film?

— _____

A. Of course, I do. B. Yes, certainly, I will.

C. Surely. D. Certainly not, I don't.

答案是C,为什么不是A?

A错在用do。应将do改为will。顺便说一下,在美国口语中,surely常被代之以sure。

3 也可答以Yes, help yourself.

有一读者问: 有这么一道选择题:

(1)— Could I borrow your dictionary?

— _____.

A. Yes, you may B. Yes, you could

C. Yes, help yourself D. Yes, go on

答案为A,为何不可用C?

C也常用,再如:

(2)— Can I borrow a pencil?

— Yes, help yourself.

4 have to 如何用在疑问句和否定句中?

有一读者问: have (has)to 当“不得不”或“必须”讲时,变成疑问句或否定句是直接在 have (has)后加 not 或借助 have (has)提问呢, 还是借助助动词 do (does)呢?

在 have to 的用法上,英国英语和美国英语不尽相同。美国用法比较简单,在疑问句和否定句中都与 do 连用,如:

(1)Do you have to go now?

(2)No, I don't have to.

这种与 do连用的美国用法现在在英国也比较常见,但英国在谈到现在或将来某一情况时, 尤其在非正式场合中,则常用 haven't got to 或 have you got to...? 等形式,如:

(3)I haven't got to go now. (亦可省去 got)

(4)Have you got to work tomorrow? (亦可省去 got)

5 had better 有疑问结构吗?

有一读者问:我只知道 had better 的否定结构是 had better not,但不知它有没有疑问结构?

had better 用于疑问结构时,一般常用于一般否定疑问句,如:

(1)Hadn't we better go now?

肯定答语是:

(2)(Yes,)we'd better.

否定答语是:

(3)(No,)we'd better not.

had better 亦可用于反意疑问句,如:

(4)We'd better go, hadn't we?

用 had better 时,有以下几点值得注意:

1. had better 一般不用于一般肯定疑问句和特殊疑问句。

2. had better 往往并无比较之意,几乎等于汉语的“应该”。

3. You'd better...常有威逼的含义。

4. 对长辈不可用 You had better...结构。

6 副词 too 可用于疑问句和否定句吗?

有一读者问:副词 too 除了用于肯定句外,是否还可用于疑问句及否定句?

提问人大概是指意谓“也”的 too 而言吧。作“也”解的 too 可以用于疑问句,如:

(1)Mary is coming to the party. Won't you come too ?

(2)I have seen the film. Have you seen it too ?

但在否定句中一般不可用 too,应用 either, 如:

(3)Haven't you seen the film? I haven't seen it, either .

然而也有用 too (=either)的情况,如:

(4)She, too , has never seen it before.

(5)Could she not read Shakespeare, too ?

(6)— Perhaps I didn't do much damage. I hope not.

— I hope not, too .

7 为什么不说 Runs he every day?

有一读者问:我有一个多年未解决的问题,即像下面这样的句子:

(1)He runs every day.

变为一般疑问句时,为什么一定要在句前加上助动词 does 而成为:

(2)Does he run every day?

这是一个属于历史语法的问题。do 作为加强动词语气的助动词,早已有之。但作为其用法相当于 can, may, must 等的助动词,则始于14世纪,时至16世纪已大致确立。这种助动词先出现在否定结构中,如 I do not say,后延伸至疑问句中,如 Do you say 。究其原因,乃客观上需要 do 与 can, may, must 等平起平坐所致。再加上复合时态 (compound tenses,如 have done, had done)的出现日渐频繁,更促进了助动词 do 在否定结构与疑问句中的使用。但这并不是说这两种结构一经用do ,不用 do 的情况就从此绝迹了。事实上,用 do 与不用 do 的情况在历史上并存了很久。直到现在,不用 do 的情况还出现在较为古雅的文字中,如:

(3)I doubt not but that some day you too will read it.

(4)The sun sank lower and lower; and still Sandy stirred not .

(5)What think you , Marther? Was Hannah's recovery miraculous?

(6)Oh, what know they of harbours that sail not on the sea? (know they 相当于 do they know)

而 seem not 则当今仍在使用,并不古旧,实例如:

(7)He seemed not to mind. (只是较 did not seem 稍文气而已)

8 如何提问 without breakfast?

有一读者问:对下面一句中的 without breakfast如何提问:

(1)He goes to school without breakfast.

如用特殊疑问句的形式来提问 without breakfast 是不可能的。我们知道,在特殊疑问句中,只有疑问副词 how (=in what manner)可用来提问方式,但如问道:

(2)How does he go to school?

回答一般多是:

(3)He goes to school by bus.

或代 by bus 以 by bike, on foot 等,而不大可能是 without breakfast。

但有一种一般疑问句却可用来提问这种无法用特殊疑问句提问的表方式的 without breakfast,不过需要重读这两个词,如:

(4)Does he go to school without breakfast?

当然,你如果是随便问问而已,也可以用陈述结构,如:

(5)He goes to school without breakfast?

除用一般疑问句和陈述句两种结构提问外,还可以用选择疑问句提问,如:

(6)Does he go to school with or without breakfast?