100 谁能完整地讲清楚现在分词作后置定语时到底有几种可能的情况

另外,现在分词与谓语到底有没有一个所谓的“同时性”,如果有,到底怎样理解这个“同时性”?

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最佳答案 2022-03-12 18:53

关于这个问题,你可以阅读夸克《大全》17.28 Postmodification by -ing participle clauses 英文版P. 1263-1264. 汉译版P 1747-1749.

夸克认为现在分词作定语,现在分词的时可以与主句谓语动词的时相同,也可以根据上下文推理。所以,夸克认为 The person writing reports is my colleague. 在一定的语境中,可以是以下六种情况之一:

The person who will write reports is my colleague.

The person who will be writing reports is my colleague.

The person who writes reports is my colleague.

The person who is writing reports is my colleague.

The person who wrote reports is my colleague.

The person who was writing reports is my colleague.

The tense to be attributed to the -ing clause will usually be that of the finite clause in which the noun phrase occurs, especially if the noun phrase is object:

Do you know the man talking to my sister? ['who is talking to my sister']

Did you know the man talking to my sister? ['who was talking to my sister']

The tense of the non-finite clause can also be inferred from the context:

The man sitting next to her (now) was speaking on the radio (last night). ['who is sitting'] 




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其它 3 个回答

波波老师  
擅长:英语考试

现在分词与谓语动词(或主要动词)的时间先后关系可以有以下三种:

(1) 与主要动词同时发生或同时存在。如

Being sick I stayed at home. 我因病呆在家中。

Living in the suburbs, we have few visitors. 因为住在郊外,我们没什么访客。

(2) 后于主要动作发生,比如当现在分词用作结果状语时,它所表示的动作常发生在主要动作之后。如:

He fired, killing one of the passers-by. 他开枪了,打死了一个过路的人。

The phone rang, interrupting the flow of his thoughts. 电话响了,打断了他的思绪。

(3) 先于主要动作发生,比如当现在分词用作时间状语时(尤其是当现在分词为短暂性动词时),表示的动作通常发生在主要动作之前。如

Jumping out of bed, he dressed quickly. 跳下床后他迅速穿好衣服。

Seeing this, some of us became worried. 看到这情况,我们有些人着急起来了。

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好题  
擅长:英语

现在分词做定语,现代英语的趋势是表示进行的描述更为多见。以世界著名语法学家Chomsky为代表的生成语法学派,甚至认为现在分词做定语的这种形式,就是定语从句的关系代词+be动词的一种省略。当然生成语法的这种解释也有局限性,遭到很多语法学家反对。如knowing 做定语,know是静态动词一般不用进行时,这就无法解释为定语从句。至于现在分词和主句谓语动词是否具有同时性是由语境决定的。曹老师引用夸克大全的段落已经说明了。我从你在评论区问的几个问题看出了你的问题所在,我把我的理解分享给你,供参考:

你的问题1.The question being discussed was presented by the headmaster.

这里的being discussed 表示的时间有两种可能:

1. being discussed和谓语presented同时,=the question which was being discussed, 不能理解为一般过去时间,但可以理解为过去完成,the question that had been discussed,如果表示一般过去时的意义,说话人不用被动形式, 而仅用过去分词discussed.

2. being discussed 可以=the question which is now being discussed, 这时和主句was presented谓语不同时,说这句话的语境是一般正在讨论这个问题的时候。意思是我们现在讨论的这个问题,过去曾提出过的。

你的问题2. Anyone misbehaving at tonights meeting wont be invited next week. 这句话就感觉怪怪得了?!

这没有什么怪怪的。这种句子有三种语境的可能:1. 开会之前说,=anyone who will misbehave tonight. 开会时说,主持人发现有人捣乱时说,=anyone who is misbehaving 另一个会后说的,=anyone who has misbehaved.

你的问题3.The man stealing our computer last night was caught today by police.

你的这个句子不准确,你可以查一下WR论坛,有你这个问题,但母语人解答时仅说不对,但没有解释为什么。我想原因是WR的外国人不一定是英语老师,他们通常凭自己语感回答,并不了解非母语的人的困惑。我的理解是:按照现代英语的用法,现在分词做定语通常用于描述当时的发生的状态,The man stealing our computer last night 意思昨天偷我电脑的那个人,今天被警方抓获,这样描述的时间和被抓时间错位。如果改为:The man stealing our computer last night was caught red-handed by the police. 这样就没问题了,表示当场被抓获。或改为The man who stole our computer last night was caught by the police today. 如果把此句改为:The man stealing computers was caught today by the police. 也可以。去掉ourlast night, 表示的意思有所变化,即可能指专门偷电脑的惯犯,the 表示人所共知的,不是特指昨晚偷我们电脑的那个更为具体的人。

有位网友曾说过:“词本无意,意由境生",这是有一定道理的。语境很重要。

 

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zbr1016.

简单回答:没有。

作定语的现在分词结构本身并不限制它所表达情景的时间。情景时间需要听话人根据上下文来判断。主句时间是默认来源,比如:

The guy sitting next to you at lunch looked very frail.

Some of those waiting outside are showing signs of impatience.

这两句是常见的用法,无需多言。

现在分词时间,可以不由主句时间决定,比如:

i Just about anyone living in the area at that time is at risk. (CGEL, 下同)

ii The guy sitting next to your wife was on television last night.

iii Anyone misbehaving at tonight’s meeting won’t be invited next week. 

这几个句子里,现在分词表达的时间和主句时间,没有所谓的“同时性”。第一句living in the area指向过去某时间,而is指现在。第二句sitting next to your wife,指的是现在坐在你妻子旁边的,是现在时间; 而was是过去时间。第三句, misehaving指今天晚上,won't be invited是下一周某时间。虽然都是将来,但依旧不是同时。

 

顺便说一句,现在分词做状语,实际上和主句也不一定是同时。本论坛所说的同时,可以理解为通常情况。

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  • Andy 提出于 2022-02-22 16:22