there is no v-ing

在大多数情况下, there is no v-ing 句型应做情态解释。例如:

1. There is no knowing what she will say. 无法知道她会说些什么。

2. There is no denying the fact. 这个事实是不能否认的。

3. There is no arguing with my father. 绝不能同我父亲争论。

4. He's such a strange person: there is no knowing what he'll do next. 他是很奇怪的人,无法知道他下一步会做什么。

但是，在某些情况下，这种句型亦可作非情态解释：

1. There was no shooting of prisoners. 没有人射击囚犯。(No one shot prisoners.)

2. He used to play croquet all August, when there was no hunting, no shooting. 他过去经常在整个8月份玩门球运动，那时既不打猎，也不射击。

3. There were no dancing that evening. 那天晚上没有人跳舞。

因此，正像CGEL所解释的，有时候这种句型可做两种解释：

1. There was no smoking in the corridors.

(A)走廊里不许吸烟。(Smoking was not allowed in the corridors.)

(B)走廊里没有人吸烟。(No one smoked in the corridors)

2. At the party there was no spilling of the beans.

(A)…nobody was allowed to spill the beans. ……谁也不许走漏风声。

(B)… nobody spilt the beans. ……没有人走漏风声。