many 用法1
問:《中學英語1 + 1·高一英語同步講解與測試》(上) (中國青年出版社, 98, p.83) 說:
“many 和few, a few 在句中可作形容詞、主詞, 但不能作述語。如只能說I have many/few books, 而不能說My books are many/few.”
many 和few 真的不能作述語嗎?
答:CGEL 的編著者R.Quirk 等人在該書的索引中列出了many 的predicative use (many 的述語用法) 詞條, 並在§5. 23 和§ 6. 53 兩節中明確指出:
“Many and few can also be predicatively in formal style…: His faults were many/few.”
“Many, like few has a predicative use [‘numerous’] in formal and literary English: His sins were many, and friends were few.”
(“many 和few 在正式的語體中還能用作述語: 他的缺點很多/ 很少。”)
(“many 與few 一樣, 在正式的和文學的語體中可以用作述語:
他的罪惡很多, 而他的朋友卻很少。”)
many 用法2 (as many as)
問:The number of people who lost homes reached as many as 250,000.[《高中英語教科書》(必修) 第一冊(上), 人民教育出版社、朗文出版集團有限公司, 1998, p.26) ]與該書配套的《教師教學用書》(p.108) 對as many as 的解釋是:“‘as many as’的意思是‘和⋯⋯ 一樣多’, 類似的結構還有as long as (和⋯⋯ 一樣長), as high as (和⋯ ⋯一樣高), as wide as (和⋯⋯ 一樣寬)等。”
在as many as + 數詞結構中, as many as 是“和⋯⋯一樣多”的意思嗎?
答:當as many (long, high, wide) as 與數詞連用時, 它是一種表達說話人“言其多(長、高、寬) ”的口氣的, 因此, 不能解釋為“ 與⋯⋯ 一樣多(長、高、寬) ”, 而應解釋為“多(長、高、寬) 達⋯ ⋯”或“⋯⋯ 之多(長、高、寬)”。把句中的as many (long, high, wide) as 去掉之後, 句子仍是完整的, 但卻失掉了說話人“言其多(長、高、寬) ”的口氣。例如:
- Three people offered buy it.
有三個人出價買這件東西。(此句沒有表達出說話人認為三個人是多, 還是少, 只是客觀地描述) - As many as three people offered to buy it.
出價買這件東西的有三人之多。(此句表達出了說話人“言其多”的口氣) - He can jump 1.8 metres.
他可以跳1. 8 米高。(說話人沒有表達出跳到1. 8 米是跳得高, 還是跳得低) - He can jump as high as 1.8 metres.
他跳高可以跳到1. 8 米之高。(表達了說話者“言其高”的口氣, 外行人也可以看出跳到1. 8 米算是很高的了)
(參見as much as/as many as + 數詞)
many 用法3 (many a/ a great many/a good many)
問:many a 與many, a great many 和a good many 在用法上有何區別?
答:從語意上講, 這三個有關many 用法的片語的含義是相同的, 都作“許多”、“很多”解, 只是many a 屬正式語體。但從文法上講, many a 與many, a gr ea t many 和a good many 是不同的。前者要求與單數名詞連用, 並與單數形式的動詞搭配, 而後三者則要求與複數名詞連用, 並與複數形式的動詞搭配。例如:
- Many a reckless driver came to grief after having ignored the warning signs at the top of this steep hill.
許多粗心的司機沒有注意到陡峭的山頂處樹立的警告標誌, 造成了不幸。 - For many a day it rained.
雨下了很多天。 - Philip found that there were a good many people already there.
菲力浦發現已有很多人在那裡了。 - I read a great many English books.
我讀過很多英文書。
many 用法4 (many a/ many)
問:many a 與many 有何區別?
答;有的英語著作解釋說: many 側重將“許多”綜合化; many a 側重將許多“個別化”(即“ 一個一個地”) 。這種說法看來是有道理的。例如:
但是, many 與many a 的主要區別是在語體上。前者既可以用於書面語體, 也可用於口語體, 而many a 只用於正式語體。
關於many a 所要求的動詞的數, 見下面many 用法5 。
many 用法5 (many a woman is/ are)
問:Many a woman feel untitled to more in life than just housework.
答案規定(feel) 是錯誤的。我不理解。
答:Many a woman 雖然在概念上是表示複數, 但many a 之後的名詞總是採用單數形式, 故其動詞也總是用單數形式, 也就是說, 這裡遵循的是文法一致的原則, 而違背概念一致的原則:
- Many a member has protested against the proposal.
許多成員反對這個提議。 - Many a man has sacrificed his life for the cause of revolution.
許多人為了革命犧牲了自己的生命。
小練習:請選出錯誤的地方,並予改正。(留言作答)
1. There have been many an argument about its proper usage.
2. Such is the general purport of this legendary superstition, which has inspired many a wild stories in that region.
many 用法6 (many more)
問:Appreciation of sculpture depends upon the ability to respond to form in three dimensions. That ais perhaps why sculpture has been described as the most difficult of all arts; certainly it is more difficult than the arts which involve appreciation of flat forms, shape in only two dimensions. Many more people are ‘form-blind’ than colour-blind. (New Concept English, Book 4, p.126)
[原譯] 對雕刻品的鑒賞力, 取決於對三維形體的反應能力。人們把雕刻說成是一切藝術品中最困難的, 可能就是這個道理。當然, 它比起只涉及平面形態, 或者二維形態的藝術品是要困難些。“ 形盲”人數要多於“色盲”人數。(中譯本)
請問上面的many more 中的many 是什麼意思?
答:在本句中, more 是many 的比較級, 作people 的形容詞, 而它前面的many 則是比較結構的修飾語。試比較比較結構的其他修飾語: far, much, still, a lot, a little, a bit, rather, slightly, three times。當more + 複數名詞時, 可以用many 或far 來修飾, 而不能用much 來修飾。例如:
- Many more opportunities (or far more opportunities)
多得多的機會
much more money (or far more money)
多得多的錢 - Chicago has many more people than Washington.
芝加哥的人口比華盛頓多得多。 - There are many more people looking for jobs than finding them every summer.
每年夏天找工作的人比找到工作的人多得多。
many 用法7 (many more/much more)
問:Randall found Duperol’s style of writing to have many more complexities than Ann Kartrin.
答案規定(應為that of Ann Ka rin 或Ann Katrin’s)而不是than Ann Katrin 。但我認為(many more) 也是錯的。因為我查了許多文法書, 均無此種用法, 是否應改為much more?
答;我記得曾有人發表文章, 說many more + 名詞的用法是錯誤的, 因為他表示很多英語著作中均未查到此種用法。實際上much more 與many more 是有明確分工的。much more 與不可數名詞連用(如much more time), many more 則與複數名詞連用(如many more complexities, many more people) 。見上面many 用法6。
小練習:請選出正確的答案。(留言作答)
The food she has prepared for the party is not enough, for there are ________ more people than she expected.
A. much
B. many
C. too
D. so
many 用法8 (n times as many as)
見n times more than