问英语｜英语常见问题解答

核心问题 1

She told me game started at seven. (CGEL)

句中的 started 是代表直接引语中的一般过去时,还是代表直接引语中的一般现在时?

词典解答 1

如 CGEL 所分析的,在没有上下文的情况下,上面的句子可以作两种解释。1. 句中的 started 不受时态呼应原则的支配,表示一般过去时,说明比赛已在 7 点开始了。2. started 受时态呼应原则的支配,它在直接引语中本是一般现在时,说明比赛尚未开始。因此,对上面的句子可以有两种不同的回答:

It didn't.
It doesn't.

sequence of

(参见 sequence of tenses $^{1}$ )

sequence of tenses $^{4}$

核心问题 2

I said the bus is late.

我认为上句中的 is 用错了,应改为 was。

词典解答 2

上面的句子并没有错误,见 sequence of tenses $^{1,2}$ , indirect speech $^{1,2}$ 。series

a series...is/are

核心问题 3

A series of debates between the lecturers were scheduled for the next weekend. (全国研考)

答案规定(C)为错误(应改为 was)。a series of + 复数名词(如 a series of meetings/lectures/experiments/discoveries/rooms/mistakes)表达的是复数概念,为什么谓语动词要用单数?

词典解答 3

在英语里，主语与谓语动词的一致关系存在着三个原则：语法一致原则，概念一致原则和接近原则。有时候这三个原则是会发生矛盾的。如果遵循语法一致原则，就会违背概念一致原则，或者相反。例如，five years(weeks, months) is... ten dollars is, the audience are, a number of... are, a lot of... are 便是遵循概念一致原则而违背语法一致原则的例子。而 many a man is, a series of Ns is，则是遵循语法一致原则而违背概念一致原则的例子。我们英语学习者只能逐个记忆，而不能单纯依靠推理。但是要记住，规定语法学家以及各类标准英语考试的测试专家往往趋向于语法一致的原则。

下面的英语试题要求遵守语法一致原则：

At last, late in the afternoon, a long line of flags and colored umbrellas were seen moving toward the gate of the palace. (TOEFL)
A series of lectures are to be given to mark the centennial anniversary of the founding of the school.
That set of four records, $\$ for a limited time $\$ , $\$ available $\$ in the storesmentioned. (TOEFL)
The kind of books $\$ author writes $\$ depend on the kind of man he is.
A large collection of contemporary photographs, including some taken by Henry, are on display at the museum. (TOEFL)
This group, among whom are Jean and Eddie, certainly were the life of the party. (TOEFL)

[附注] a series of + 复数名词作主语时, 其谓语动词要用单数, 这是英语测试的要求。但是, 在英语原著中有时也会看到 a series of + 复数名词使用动词复数的实例:

A series of profit downgradings were shrugged off. (Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English, p.185)。一系列的利润下降没有被重视。