call 用法1
問:They called Susan a waitress.
我們班同學對這個句子有不同的分析。因而發生了爭論。究竟應當如何分析呢?
答:這是GCE 所提出的歧義句。分析這個歧義句, 使我們能深入瞭解和記住call 用法, 並提高我們分析句子結構的能力。這個有關call 用法的句子可以做出三種分析。
A. call 用作要求受詞補語的及物動詞, 作“把⋯⋯稱作⋯ ⋯”解:
All his friends call him Joe.
他所有的朋友都叫他喬。
按照這種分析, 上面句子的意思應當是:
他們把蘇姍叫做女服務員。
B. call 可用作要求雙受詞的及物動詞, 在上面的句子裡Susan 為間接受詞, a waitress 為直接受詞:
他們為蘇姍喚來一名女服務員。(They called a waitress for Susan)
C. call 用作要求單受詞的及物動詞, 仍作“呼喚”解, 這時a waitress 應當看成是Susan 的同位語:
他召喚女服務員蘇姍。(They called Susan, who is/ was a waitress.)
call 用法2 (call at)
問:I called at the Browns.
有人告訴我這個句子有毛病。但我不明白毛病在哪裡。
答:call at 只能接表處所的詞, 這是它與call on 的區別之一。因此, 必須把上句中the Browns (布朗一家人) 改為the Browns'(布朗家或布朗家的店鋪等) (參見call 用法3) 。
Do you think we should all at Bob’s while we’re in London?
你認為我們在倫敦時應該去拜訪鮑勃家嗎?
call 用法3 (call at/ on)
問:He calls at every house in the street once a month. (New Concept English, Book 2, L.6)
[原譯] 他每月一次到本街來拜訪每一戶人家。
從譯文看call at 與call on 同義, 它們能否互換?
答:不能互換。從文法特點上看, call at 的受詞是表處所的詞, 而call on 的受詞則是表人的詞。從語意上看, call at 是指有目的的去某地, 通常時間很短, 而call on 則是指因社交或因公正式訪問某人。請比較下列例句:
- I called at the office as I was passing, but you were out.
我路過時去了你的辦公室, 但你不在。 - Our representative will call on you in the course of the next week.
我們的代表將在下周拜訪您。 - In the letter he was asked to call at the station.
那封信要求他去警察局。
call 用法4 (call in/ call on)
問:To visit a person is to call on him. 可見call on 作“visit”解。call in 也作visit 解。那麼它們之間有無區別呢?
答:call on 用法是指較正式的訪問(visit sb. formally), 而call in 用法則是指順路在某處短暫地停留。請比較:
- Our representative will call on you in the course of the next week.
我們的代表將在下周拜訪您。 - The salesman calls on the firm twice a month.
這個推銷員每月訪問該公司兩次。 - “Call in this evening, if you can; I’ve something important to discuss.”
今晚方便的話, 請順路過來坐坐, 我有要事同你商量。 - Call in on your way home and tell me how the interview went.
在你回家時順路來坐坐, 向我談談會見的情況。
call 用法5 (call on him/ call him up)
問:1.“What will we do if it rains the day of the picnic?”“ I guess we’ll _______”
A. call it off
B. cancel it off
C. call off it
D. cancel off it
2. To visit a person is to call ________ him.
A. before
B. about
C. at
D. on
句(1) 的正確答案為A (call it off), 句(2) 的正確答案為D (call on him) 。我不明白為什麼在call it off 中代名詞it 必須放在介副詞off 之前, 而在call on him 中代名詞him必須放在介副詞on 之後。
答:這是託福等各類考試中經常考核的項目。首先要弄清楚動詞+ 介副詞(副詞或介係詞) 結構可分兩大類:
A. 片語動詞(phrasal verb), 例如: set up (建立), put away (拿走), find out (發現), bring up (培養), turn on[開(燈) ], hand in(交上), call off (取消), give in (放棄), switch on [打開(燈) ], take in(欺騙) 。
B. 介係詞動詞(prepositional verb), 例如: look at (看), cope with (妥善處理), care for (喜歡, 關懷), approve of (贊成), go into(調查, 探究) 。
這兩類動詞在文法上的重大區別是:
(一) A 類動詞(片語動詞) 的介副詞(up, away, out, on, in, off 等等) 可以看作是副詞, 它們可以與動詞連在一起使用, 也可以與動詞分開, 也就是說, 它們可以放在受詞的前面, 也可以放在受詞的後面(取SVOA 語序) :
- I will turn on the radio.
I will turn the radio on.
我要開收音機。 - Since John cannot come tonight, we are going to put the party off until next week.
因為約翰今晚不能來, 我們將把聚會延到下星期。 - When you go to bed, be sure to put your cigarette out before you put out the lights.
當你去睡覺時, 在熄燈前一定要把煙熄滅。
而B 類動詞(介係詞動詞) 中的介副詞則必須強制性放在受詞之前:
(二) 當受詞為人稱代名詞時, 片語動詞中的介副詞必須放在代名詞之後, 而介係詞動詞中的介副詞則必須放在代名詞之前:
- Call me up after the meeting. 請會後給我打電話。
- She called on them. 她拜訪了他們。
(三) 朗讀重音: 片語動詞中的介副詞(可分開的介副詞) 要重讀, 而介係詞動詞中的介副詞則要輕讀。
小練習:請選出正確的答案。(留言作答)
1. It’s dark without the lights. Let’s_________.
A. switch on them
B. turn them on
C. to turn on them
D. to switch them on.
2. Children shouldn’t leave their toys on the floor. They should ________.
A. put out them
B. put off them
C. put them away
D. put them off
3. “Why isn’t he teaching the piano now?” “Because he was tired of it, he ________.”
A. decided to give it up
B. determined on stopping
C. decided giving up
D. decided give it up
[附注] LDPV 將片語動詞和介係詞動詞統稱為片語動詞(phrasal verbs), 即片語動詞包括動詞+ 副詞結構和動詞+ 介係詞結構。
call 用法6 (call to sb./ call sb.)
問:He called to her from the other side of the street.
這裡的called to her 與called her 有無區別?
答:call to sb. 是“大聲呼喚某人”的意思, 這就是說call to sb.與call sb.的區別是前者強調了“高聲”、“大聲”這一層含義。
I called to him, but he appeared not to hear me.
我大聲叫他, 但他似乎沒有聽見。
call 用法7 (call your names/ call you names)
問:Now let me call your names. [《初中英語教科書》第二冊(上), 人民教育出版社、朗文出版集團有限公司, 1995, p. 1]
《隨堂學·練·考叢書· 初二英語》(龍門書局, 1998, p. 8) 對上面的句子注釋說:
“注意 call sb.’s names 是“謾駡”的意思。對一個人(而不是一群人)說 call your / his / her names, 意思是罵你/ 罵他/ 罵她。”
我的問題是: 要罵一群人, 該怎麼辦呢? 是否可以說: I call your names.如果可以這樣說, 那不就和問句中的“點名”、“叫你們的名字”混淆不清了嗎?
答:你提出這個問題, 說明你確實動了腦筋。該書作者說call sb.’s names 是“謾駡”的意思, 是講錯了。call sb. names 才是“謾駡”、“嘲弄”、“ 侮辱”的意思:
- Billy cried when the other kids called him names.
當其他孩子罵比利的時候, 他哭了。 - Tom’s worried that if he wears glasses at school the other children will call him names.
湯姆擔心的是, 如果他戴眼鏡去上學, 同學們會侮辱他。 - Why have you been calling my father-in-law names?
你為什麼罵我岳父?