核心问题
《英语惯用法词典》(葛传槨著, p.283) 说:
“‘on the ground of’(以……为理由)里不可用plural式。”
真的是这样吗？
词典解答
这种说法不符合英语的实际使用情况。CGEL给出的形式是:on(the) ground(s) of(见§9.11),我们再看几个实例:
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He left on (the) grounds of ill health [that he was ill]. (LDCE) 他因病离去。
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He was excused on the ground(s) of his illness. (ELD) 他由于有病而被原谅了。
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He was always declining their invitations on ground of ill health... (EED) 他由于身体不好总是谢绝他们的邀请……
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He resigned on the ground of illness. 他以生病为理由辞职了。
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She was prohibited from speaking on the grounds that it would stir up trouble. (EED) 有人以可能引起麻烦为理由而禁止她发言。