核心问题
The present situation concerns all the students present.
在 the present situation 结构中,形容词 present 放在它所修饰的名词之前,而在 the students present 结构中,形容词 present 放在它修饰的名词之后,这是怎么回事呢?
词典解答
英语里有几个形容词,如 absent, present, concerned 和 involved 以及几个字首字母为 a 的形容词(如 afloat, ablaze),当它们表示的特征不是“永久性”而是“短暂性”时,通常放在它们所修饰的名词之后。
当 present 作“出席的”“在场的”解时,它表示的是短暂性特征而非永久性特征。在这种情况下,present 一般位于被修饰的名词之后:
-
The men present were his supporters. (CGEL) 出席的人是他的支持者。
-
He was the only Englishman present. (Mansfield) 他是出席的唯一的英国人。
-
There were many old men present. (Shaw) 有许多老年人出席。
-
He was pleased at seeing so many people present. (Wood) 他很高兴看到这么多人出席。
present 作“现在的”解时,则应放在被修饰的名词之前:
-
the present king [the king at present] (CGEL) 现在的国王
-
Here is the doctor's present address. (Du Maurier) 这是这位医生现在的地址。