As much as 用法 1 (as much(…) as 1)
問：(1) He is as much a stranger in the village today as he was the first summer he arrived.
(2) That is as much as to say that I am a liar.
句(1) 和句(2) 中的as much(…) as 和as much as 的意義和用法是否相同?
答：句(1) 中as much…as 是指“情況(程度) 與⋯⋯相同”。as 引導一個子句, 句(1) 可譯為: 他今天在村裡仍是個陌生人, 就像他來到村子的第一個夏天那樣。類似的例子:
- You hated him as much as I.
你和我一樣恨他。 - I agree with you as much as (I agree with) Robert.
我同意你的程度跟同意羅伯特的程度是一樣的。
句(2) 中的as much as 用法和意思是“(幾乎) 等於”、“差不多”, 整個片語起副詞作用。句(2) 可譯為: 這幾乎等於說我是個說謊者。類似的例子:
- I as much as realized that it was a mistake. 我差不多已認識到這是個錯誤。
- You as much as promised you would help me. 你實際上已答應要幫助我。
- The clerk as much as told me that I was a fool. 那個職員無異於說我是個傻瓜。
as much as 用法 2
問：John, much as his brothers ______ (was, were) responsible for the loss.
我拿不准, 這裡應選was, 還是應選were。
答：as much as 用法, 如同as well as 一樣, 被看作是準對等連接詞, 因此動詞的數決定於第一個名詞的數。在上例裡, John 是單數, 故動詞應用單數(was) 。類似的例子:
The Minister, as much as the trades union is responsible for the present impasse.
部長, 同工會一樣, 要對目前的僵局負責。
as much as 用法 3 (as many as)
問：我在A Course in Basic Scientific English 中遇到這樣一個句子:
…a problem s recognized, and as much information as appears to be relevant is collected.
答：as much (many) 是表數量的詞。在上面的句子裡as much 用作形容詞, 後一個與之相關聯的as 是關係代名詞, 在子句中充當主詞。有時候也可以充當其他成分。類似的例子:
- Isabella has as many books as her brother(has).
伊莎貝拉擁有的書像她哥哥那麼多。 - They used as many tools as they found within their reach.
凡能找到的工具, 他們全都用上了。 - I haven’t got as much money as I thought.
我手頭的錢並不像我原來想像的那麼多。
as much as 用法 4 (as many as 用法 + 數詞 1)
問：On Sports Day, during the relay race, you will use
most of all, perhaps as much as 650 calories an hour.[《高中英語教科書》(必修) 第一冊(下), 人民教育出版社、朗文出版集團有限公司, 1998, p.2]
與該書配套的《教師教學用書》(p. 68) 對as much as 是這樣解釋的:
“‘as much/many as’這個結構作‘多達’、‘到達⋯ ⋯的程度’解。所涉及的數量如果是可數的, 則用many; 如果是不可數的, 則用much。例如:
In the countries of Black Africa, there are as many as 700 languages. 黑非洲的國家裡的語言多達七百種。
When she worked there, she could earn as much as 500 dollars a week. 她在那兒工作時, 每週能掙500 美元。”
“所涉及的數量⋯ ⋯如果是不可數的”, 難道“calories”和“dollars”是不可數的嗎? 它們的複數形式證明它們是可數名詞, 如同languages 一樣, 那它們為什麼要與as much as 連用, 而不與as many as 用法連用呢?
答：我們提出下面的解釋, 也許能解答你的疑惑。
當數詞直接修飾表示人或事物的可數名詞的複數(量詞除外) 時, 在數詞之前用as many as 用法來表達“言其多”的口氣, 當數詞+ 量詞結構所涉及的是不可數名詞時, 則用as much as 來表達“言其多”的口氣(雖然量詞為複數), 而不管這個不可數名詞是否以of 片語的形式出現。請分析下面的實例:
- As many as ten or twelve people were found living in a single room.
發現住在單人房間的有10 人甚至12 人之多。 - The rain is plentiful here, often as much as seventy inches yearly.
這裡的雨水非常充沛, 每年降雨量常常高達70 英寸。 - Our factory consumes as much as 500 tons of solid fuel per week.
我們工廠所消耗的固體燃料每週高達500 噸。 - The deepest holes of all are made for oil, and they go down to as much as 25,000 feet.
在一切洞之中, 最深的是為了尋找石油所鑽的洞, 這些洞深達25000 英尺。
但是, 如把某些量詞實物化的話, 也可在量詞之前使用as many as:
as much as 用法 5 (as many as 用法+ 數詞2)
問：《隨堂學·練·考叢書· 高一英語》(龍門書局, 98, p. 248) 在對as much as/ as many as + 數詞1 條中所問的句子提出了如下的解釋:
“as much as‘多達’指不可數名詞, many 指可數名詞。
Take as much as you like.
你要多少就拿多少。
You may try as many times as you like.
你喜歡試多少次就試多少次。”
我總覺得該書所作的解釋有點兒“文不對題”。請釋疑。
答：《高中英語教科書》中的原句與上書所舉的例句分屬於不同的句型。前者是as much as + 數量詞, 而後者是as much(…) as + 子句(第二個as 是關係代名詞) 。前一用法已在上條中討論過了。下面只談一談後一用法。在as much (…) as + 子句結構中, 子句常含有助動詞can, could 等:
- He picked up as much information as he could.
他收集了盡可能多的資訊。 - Learn as much as you can about what to expect in the jungle.
對於預料在叢林中會發生的事要儘量多瞭解一些。 - I don’t have as much time as (= I have less time than) I would like for visiting my friends.
我沒有我所希望的那麼多時間來訪問我的朋友。 - I’ve said as much as I’m prepared to say (= I’m not willing to say anything more)…
我把我準備說的話都說了出來… - He recited as much of the poem as he could remember.
他把那首詩中記得住的都背誦出來了。 - Eat as much as you can.
儘量吃吧。
在第二種用法中, 去掉as much (…) as 之後, 句子就不完整了, 而在第一種用法中, 去掉as much as 之後, 句子結構仍然完整, 而且基本含義不變, 只是失掉了“言其多”的口氣。有時, 亦可用as high as 來表達“言其多”的含義:
The cost of one day in average hospital in the United States can run as high as $250.
在美國, 一家普通醫院一天的住院費可高達250 美元。
as much as 和as high as 的反義詞是as little as:
A reliable quartz watch can cost as little as ten dollars.
一塊品質可靠的石英表才賣10 美元。