词典词条 · 问答

that/the one

核心问题

NeverA\frac{\text{Never}}{\text{A}} had Peterson a more difficult journey than that he took across the snow-capped Rocky Mountains.

《当代英语应试语法》(中国科大出版社,1995,p.260)说上句中的 that 应改为 the one,因为 journey 是可数名词。这岂不是说 that 不能替代可数名词吗?

词典解答

首先应指出,the one 只能替代可数名词,而 that 既可以替代其前的不可数名词,也可替代可数名词。

  1. My seat was next to that of the mayor. (Eckersley) 我的座位就在市长座位的旁边。

  2. The victim's own blood was of a different group from that found on the floor. (CGEL) 死者的血与地板上发现的血血型不同。

由此不难看出,上面的试题之所以不能使用 that 并不在于其所替代的名词是可数名词。那么原因何在呢?

正像 R. Quirk 等所指出的, that 用作替代词时, 有一个限制, 就是其后的定语从句不能使用零关系代词(即省略关系代词)(但 those 却可以后接零关系代词的定语从句):

The problem confronting us today is not dissimilar from that which the nation confronted in the 1930s. (CGEL) 我们今天所面临的问题与30年代国家所面临的问题并不是不同的。

因此之故,在上面的试题里使用 that 是错误的。

the one(ones) 后面的定语从句却可以使用零关系代词:

  1. A: I'm looking for a book on grammar.

B: Is this the one [ ] you mean? (CGEL)

A: 我正在找一本语法书。

B:这就是你所说的那本语法书吗?

  1. I wish I'd bought a few jars of honey. Did you notice the ones [ ] they were selling by the roadside? 我想买几罐蜂蜜,你看到他们在路边卖的那些了吗?

  2. My shoes are similar to the ones [ ] you had on yesterday. (URW) 我的鞋和你昨天穿的很相似。

但是,我们也发现了一个反例:在代词 that 之后使用零关系代词:

The butter we import is less expensive than that we produce ourselves. (Leech) 我们进口的黄油比我们自己生产的黄油便宜。

这个实例似乎与 R. Quirk 等人的论述相矛盾。依此看来,我们所讨论的那道试题似乎并不是很恰当的。请与下面的托福题作对比:

"Do you like the book Sidney gave you?"

"Very much. It's exactly ____ I wanted."

A. one which B. the one C. one what D. the what (TOEFL)

上面的试题没有让考生在 thatthe one 之间进行选择。

来源:英语常见问题解答大词典-8.md · 第 88098858 行 · 原文哈希 e2f9eb6f34