如何判断英语句子中的语法成分之主语
主语是英语句子中一个主要语法成分,常出现在句首(但出现在句首的并非总是主语).这一讲我们将学习英语句子主语的形式选择、意义选择和主谓一致三个方面.
一、主语的形式选择
主语表示句子描述的是“谁”或“什么”,是谓语的陈述对象,由名词性的成分来充当,说明人物、地方、行为、事件、事实等.英语中除了名词和代词(47页例1-3)之外,名词性的成分还包括:
(一)“定冠词the+形容词”,可起名词作用,表示某一类的人或事物.
The blind often have sharp hearing.
The wise are those who know themselves.
The Chinese love peace.
The good in him outweighs the bad.
(二)动词的非谓语形式(不定式或动名词)可起名词作用.
在英语中,当动词不是用作句子谓语,而是用于充当其他语法功能的时候,动词就会以非谓语形式出现,主要有三种:不定式(Infinitive)、分词(Participles)和动名词(Gerund).其中,可以充当主语的非谓语形式是不定式和动名词.
1、不定式作主语
(1)当不定式作主语时,如果较短,可直接出现在常规的主语位置,如:
To leave or stay is a question hard to answer. To say something is one thing, to do it is another.
(2)但是如果不定式充当的主语较长而谓语较短时,常用“it”作形式主语,而把真正的不定式主语放在谓语的后面.
It’ll be a crime to stay anywhere else.
It’s always a good ides to get a second opinion.
It would be wrong not to take this problem into consideration.
(3)有时,不定式的前面可以有一个连接词、连接代词或连接副词(包括whether, what, which, whom, where, when, how).不定式的这种结构在句中主要起宾语作用,如:
He will tell us how to use the library. 他将告诉我们如何使用图书馆. 但也可以作主语,如 What to buy for dinner is not decided yet.
Where/Where/How/Who to prepare the dinner is not decided yet.
2、动名词作主语
(1)动名词与现在分词同形,但主要起名词作用,在句中可充当主语,如课本47页例5:
Learning English grammar is by no means easy. Seeing is believing.
Reading French is easier than speaking it.
(2)在一些习惯表达中,常用形式主语“it”,而将作主语的动名词短语放在后面,多见于某些形容词或名词之后,其他情况一般不用it作形式主语代替作主语的动名词.如:
It is no use telling him not to worry.
It is no good talking about that.
It is worthwhile trying again.
It is a water of time trying again.
(3)当动名词有自己的逻辑主语时,常可以在前面加上一个名词或代词的所有格,构成动名词的复合结构(这时,名词或代词的所有格做动名词的逻辑主语).动名词的复合结构也可以在句中作主语.例如:
Their coming to help was a great encouragement to us.
*动词不定式和动名词都可以用作主语.在意义上相近.但动名词多用来表示泛指或抽象动作,不定式多用来表示特指或具体动作.比较:
Smoking is not good for health. It is not good for you to smoke so much
(三)主语从句
1、句子也可以起名词作用,在句子中充当主语,形成主语从句.判断主语从句时,可先找到句子的谓语,谓语前面的从句就叫做主语从句.如
Who murdered Joan/Why Jack murdered Joan/When Jack murdered Joan remains unknown.
Why he left wasn't important.
That she became an artist may have been due to her father's influence.
2、借助形式主语it,主语从句放在后面.
(1)由that引导的主语从句可以放在主语的位置,这时that不可以省略.例如:That prices will go up is certain.
that主语从句放在句首的情况不是很常见,绝大部分主语从句都借助形式主语it,主语从句放在后面.如:
It is strange that he knows nothing about it. It is a pity that he can't swim.
It happened that he wasn't in that day.
It is said that there has been an earthquake in India.
在口语中,用it做形式主语时,主语从句的that可以省略.
(2)wh-疑问词引导的主语从句,可以放在句首(第一组),也可以借助形式主语it(第二组).
第一组:When he'll be back depends much on the weather.
How it was done was a mystery.
Whether we'll succeed remains to be seen.
第二组:It is uncertain whether the game will be held.
It's a puzzle how life began.
It doesn't matter much where we live. Is it known where he went?
注意:疑问词后面的语序应为正常的陈述语序.
二、主语的意义选择
除了形式上的多样性之外,英语句子的语义类型也是多种多样的,包括动作的执行者、动作的承受者、动作得以完成的工具、事件的原因、地点、谈论的话题等等.
Jack murdered Joan with a gun.
Joan was murdered by Jack with a gun. A gun killed Joan.
Cancer deprives many people of their lives.
The hall can seat 50 people for a conference.
Learning Chinese Kongfu is by no means easy.
在实际的语言使用中,我们可以根据自己的意图来选择主语的意义类型.一般来说,主语通常总是某种已知给定的信息,是后面谓语部分的评述对象.
The bees swarmed in the garden. The garden swarmed with bees.