prevent sb. from doing/prevent sb. doing
That is because this professor has a disease which prevents him from speaking, so when he speaks he has to use a computer and a voice box.
上句中的 prevent him from speaking 能否说成 prevent him speaking 或 prevent his speaking?
这三种结构都是正确的,但第一种结构最为常用(参见 stop sb. doing):
-
... order his porters to prevent the speaker entering the building. ……命令门卫阻止那个讲话的人进入楼房。
-
However, my parents are trying to prevent me from going. 可是,我的父母不想让我去。请做下面的英语试题：
-
If my lawyer ____ here last Saturday, he ____ me from going.
A. had been; would have prevented
B. had been; would prevent
C. were; would prevent
D. were; would have prevented(全国高考)
- The bad cold prevented Alice ____ taking part in the sports meet.
A. from B. of C. on D. in(北京会考,92-31)
price/cost 见 cost
priceless/valueless 见 valueless
principle of grammatical concord(语法一致原则) 见 subject-verb concord
principle of notional concord(概念一致原则) 见 subject-verb concord, agreement, principle of proximity
principle of proximity(接近原则)
But of what human import is all this skill, all this effort, all this energy in the production of effects, when the story, the representation of life is hollow, stupid, banal, childish? (New Concept English, Book 4, L. 12)
句子的主语是 all this skill, all this effort, all this energy 共三项, 为什么它们的谓语动词用单数 (is) 呢?
在英语里，主语与谓语的一致存在着三个原则：1. 语法一致原则（grammatical concord）；2. 概念一致原则（notional concord）；3. 接近原则（proximity）。这三个原则常常发生矛盾，因而，以英语为母语的人对于应该如何遵循这些原则也会感到无所适从。规定语法学家坚持要求严格遵守语法一致的原则，但这并不完全符合英语的实际使用情况。
你所问的句子是一个倒装句，在倒装句里作者常常是按照接近原则（即谓语动词的数取决于最靠近它的那个主语词项）来写作的（即 is 跟其后的单数主语 all this skill 相一致）。这种用法已被认为是一种正确用法，并且用得越来越广泛。
-
In the trunk was found a pen, a few suits of clothes and two books. (PEG ) 大箱子里发现了一支笔、几套衣服和两本书。
-
Her face wore a puzzled, troubled, nervous look, in which was mingled fear, sorrow, depression, distrust, a trace of resentment and a trace of despair. (AEG) 她的神色显得不解、苦恼、不安，其中交织着恐惧、忧伤、沮丧、不信任、一丝愤懑和一丝绝望。