核心问题
——The boys are not doing a good job at all, are they? ——____. A. I guess not so B. I don't guess C. I don't guess so D. I guess not(北京高考,03-22) 答案为 D。但是,I guess not 是什么意思呢?
词典解答
I guess not 中的 not 并不是否定动词 guess 的, 而是一个替代词, 它替代的是整个宾语从句: (that) the boys are not doing a good job at all。因此, I guess not 不应译作“我不这么猜想”, 而应译作“我想是的”或“我看他们干得不好”[参见 not , hope(I hope not)]。再如:
Fache glanced over. 'I gather, Mr Langdon, you have never seen the Louvre after hours?' I guess not, Langdon thought, trying to get his bearings. (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) 法希扫了他一眼。“兰登先生，我想你从未在卢浮宫不开放的时候进来过。” 我想我是没来过。兰登心里想，尽量使自己不失态。（《达·芬奇密码》）