像 hope, beauty, disease, liberty, success 这样一些抽象名词本是不可数名词,为什么有时候也能遇到它们的复数形式呢?
当抽象名词用作它的本义时，属不可数名词范畴，是没有复数形式的。例如：
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She never completely gave up hope... 她从不完全放弃希望……
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She learned to appreciate beauty. (EED) 她学习欣赏美的东西。
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Disease is usually caused by germs. (ALD) 疾病一般是细菌引起的。
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He has had great success in his life. (ALD) 他在一生中做出很大的成就。
但是,当抽象名词转而表达具体的事物,若干种类或具体的结果时,就变成可数名词而可以有复数形式了。
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Parents have high hopes for their children. (各种希望或强烈的希望) 父母都望子成龙。
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She had turned into a beauty. (EED) 她出落成一个美人。
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With him, I explored all the beauties of pre-war Warsaw. (各种各样的美丽之处) 我同他一起考察了战前华沙所有的美丽景点。
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Measles, mumps and influenza are common diseases. (ALD) 麻疹、流行性腮腺炎和流感是常见的疾病。
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There are a number of pronounced successes to his credit, but he has not as yet attained to full success. (Curme) 他取得许多显著成绩，但他还没有获得完全成功。
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No, it wasn't their manners that bewildered me, but their manner. 不,并不是他们的礼貌,而是他们的态度使我迷惑不解。
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Science demands that theories must be tested by careful experiment and calculation. (Chambers) 科学要求理论必须经过仔细的实验和计算的检验。
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Biology, chemistry, and astronomy are natural sciences. (Thorndike) 生物学、化学和天文学是自然科学。
(参见 success/a success, science/sciences)
hope(v.)