they were as near as early man could get to writing.they were 后面是表语从句吗?
答:此句来自NCE 3,L38
They (the hunting scenes)had a definite meaning,for they were as near as early man could get to writing.
1.they 指代 the hunting scenes .
2.这个句子省略了某些词,主要是为使句子简练和避免重复
（1）be near to writing 意思是“接近书写形式”,表状态.
（2）get near to writing .意思也是“接近书写形式”,
3.they were后跟的是near to writing,这个表语.第二个as引导的是的比较状语从句.
这句话=They were as near to writing as the early man could get near to writing.意思是“这些狩猎图画,实际上有明确的意思,因为它们是早期人类所能达到的最接近的书写形式.