问英语｜英语常见问题解答

核心问题 1

easy 同 easily 一样,也可以用作副词,例如 Easy come, easy go.(来得容易去得快)。但不知它们在用作副词时有什么区别?

词典解答 1

在一般情况下使用副词 easily,例如:

This TV set can be easily moved. (TOEFL) 这种电视机易于搬动。
They could be easily seen at a distance of ten miles. (Hudson) 在十英里的距离以内很容易看到它们。

easy 用作副词时, 只用在一些成语中。例如, go easy(慢点), go easy on(节省, 温和地对待), easy does it(慢慢干), get off easy(不受严厉惩罚), take it (things) easy(放松, 从容不迫)。下面是一些具体的例子:

Go easy here, the road is very rough. 慢一点，这路很不好走。
Go easy on the wine—it's the last bottle. (OSD) 酒要节省点儿喝——这是最后一瓶了。
Go easy with the butter, old man, or there will be none left. 老兄，奶油要节省点儿用，否则就一点儿不剩了。
The children who missed school to go to the fair got off easy. (DAI) 逃学去看展览会的

孩子们没有受严厉的惩罚。

Sit down and take it easy! (Lewis) 坐下来,放松一下。
You have done quite enough work for today; now take it easy for an hour. (Henderson) 你今天干了足够多的工作,现在来休息一个小时。

to eat/to be eaten

核心问题 2

Although the sea breaks up the waste, beaches may become polluted and fish may not be safe to eat.

to eat 是句子的什么成分？另外，从语义关系上看，fish 与 eat 乃是被动关系，但上句却用了 to eat，而没有用 to be eaten，这是怎么回事呢？

词典解答 2

从语法上看,to eat 是形容词 safe 的补足语。从语义上看,它使形容词的意义变得完整。如果说...fish may not be safe(……鱼可能是不安全的),则语义是不明确的:鱼不安全?鱼被污染物污染致死?还是有被捕的危险?而...fish may not be safe to eat 的语义却是非常明确的:……鱼吃起来可能是不安全的。

那么,上面的句子为什么用 to eat,而不用 to be eaten 呢? 这是因为在某些形容词后面充当补足语的动词不定式的主动形式可以表示被动意义的缘故。例如,He is hard to convince. [他很难(被)说服。] 见 difficult,expensive, $h a r d^{1, 2}$ 。

[附注]对于上述结构中具有被动意义的动词不定式的主动形式还可以解释为它实际上隐含着一个泛指的逻辑主语:for anyone。

He is hard to convince. = He is hard for anyone to convince.

Fish may not be safe to eat. = Fish may not be safe for anyone to eat.