about 用法1
問：They will stay for about a week.
請問about 在這裡是什麼詞?
答：about 用法在這裡不是介係詞, 而是副詞, 作“大約”、“大概”解。
- He came (at) about 4 o’clock in the afternoon. 他大約下午四點鐘來了。
- Only about a third of land is arable. 只有大約三分之一的土地是可耕地。
about 用法2 (be about/ be on the point of)
問：be about 與be on the point of 在語意上有無區別?
答：它們在語意上並沒有什麼區別, 都表示最近的將來(正要, 剛要) 。但是, 在文法上, be about 應與帶to 的動詞不定詞連用, 而be on the point of 則必須接動名詞。
- He was just about to dive when he saw the shark.
他剛要跳水, 突然看見了鯊魚。 - He fears that he is about to have a heart attack.
他害怕心臟病要發作。 - The roof seems on the point of falling in.
屋頂眼看就要塌下來了。 - I was on the point of communicating with him by paper.
我正要寫信跟他聯繫。
about 用法3 (be about to)
問：The government ________ to approve the use of wide-spread surveillance when the Justice Department took objections.
A. is going
B. had been
C. was about
D. is missing
(TOEFL)
請解釋be about to 的意義和用法。
答：半助動詞be about to(+ 原形動詞), 如同will/shall, be going to, be to 一樣, 也能表達將來時間。但是be about to 與它們有一個重要的區別, 就是它表達的是最近的將來, 意思相當於be on the point of + 動名詞或be going to 加上just (“正要”、“馬上就要”) 。I’m about to read your essay.≈ I’m just going to read your paper. 。如同was/were to 和was/were going to 表示過去的將來時間一樣, was/ were about to 也可以表示過去的將來時間。
- Mrs. Gerhardt was about to begin, but Jennie spoke first.
傑哈特夫人正要開口, 珍妮卻搶先發言了。 - He met her in the doorway just as she was about to go away.
他在門口遇見她的時候, 她正要出門。
關於be about to…when 見when(conj.) 2, 3, 4, 6
about 用法4 (be not about to)
見be8
about 用法5 (about which / which…about)
問：(a) The old house about which I was telling you is empty.
(b) The old house which I was telling you about is empty.
請問哪個句子是正確的?
答：上面兩個句子都是正確的。但句(a) 用於正式語體, 是英語規定文法學家所堅持的about 用法。但是, 這種在限制性形容詞子句中把介係詞放在關係代名詞之前的用法, 常常使人感到生硬。所以, 在非正式語體中, 句(b) 的about 用法更為常見。對於各類考生來說, 只需知道在限制性形容詞子句中兩種用法都是正確的, 就足夠了, 沒有必要去深究孰優孰劣的問題。
這類可以放在形容詞子句末尾的介係詞, 並不是很多的, 大都是字母少的介係詞, 而且以表示空間的介係詞為主(in, at, on, under, for, of 等) :
- This is the house in which I lived for ten years.
This is the house which I lived in fourteen years.
這是我住過十年的房子。 - the table under which the boy crawled
The table which the boy crawled under.
男孩在下面爬的那張桌子 - the lady towards whom the dog ran
The lady who(m) the dog ran towards(同上)
狗朝著她跑過去的那位女士 - the office at which he works
The office which he works at
他工作的辦公室 - the day on which she was born
the day which she was born on
她出生的那天 - I have read the poem of which she is speaking.
I have read the poem which she is speaking of.
我讀過她正在談論的那首詩。
應注意, 在非正式語體中, 當介係詞位於形容詞子句末尾時, 關係代名詞常常省略。(參見 which13)