think 用法, 例句和詳解

think 用法1 （I don’t think so/ I think not）

問：Is he going to movies? _________.
A. Yes, I think
B. No, I don’t think so
C. No, I don’t think
D. No, I think not
(《英語中考強化訓練》, 上海交大出版社, 1996 年, p.5)
書上給的答案是B。但我認為D 也是正確的。

答：同意你的意見。下面的實例足資證明:

Do you think it will rain? Yes, I think so. No. I think not.
你認為會下雨嗎? 是的, 我認為會下雨。不, 我認為不會下雨。

更詳細的情形, 請見hope10, suppose not。

think 用法 2 (didn’t think 1)

問：She thought she had done fairly well, but she didn’t think she had won.[《高中英語教科書》(選修) 第三冊(上), 人民教育出版社、朗文出版集團有限公司, 1997, p.52]
我從英語教科書中學到think 用法的否定式+ (that) 受詞子句, 否定要轉移到子句中去。上句中的didn’t think 是否也把否定轉移到受詞子句中去呢?

答：think 等動詞的一般現在式的否定式(don’t think) 通常把否定轉移到受詞子句中去, 見transferred negation 。但是, think 的一般過去式的否定式(didn’t think) 有時是表示“沒有料到”的意思。這時並不發生否定的轉移, 而是否定think 本身的:

1. We didn’t think we’d be this late.
   我們沒有料到我們會來得這麼晚。
2. Little did he think that I would be there as well.
   他一點兒也沒有料到我也去了那裡。

[句意] 她認為她表演得相當好, 但沒有料到她會獲勝。

(參見think 用法3,4, transferred negation)

think 用法 3 (didn’t think 2)

問：— Come on in, Peter, I want to show you something.
— Oh, how nice of you! I ______ you ________ to bring me a gift.
A. never think; are going
B. never thought; were going
C. didn’t think; were going
D. hadn’t thought; were going
(全國高考英語試題, 1990)
標準答案為B, 但我認為C 和D 也都是正確的。請分析。

答：你的看法是正確的。C 和D 無論在文法上, 還是在語意上都是站得住腳的。關於選C 的正確性, 請見think 用法2 (didn‘t think 1) ; 關於選D 的正確性, 請見think 用法9 (had thought) 。請注意, 選C 的意思是: 我沒有想到你會給我帶來禮物的。選D 的意思是: 我本沒有想到你會給我帶來禮物的。

think 用法 4 (think/ consider)

問：“How about John?” “My uncle _______ a good student.”
A. thinks John
B. suggests John
C. considers John
D. knows John
答案為C。能否選A 呢?

答：從文法結構上看, 選A 也是完全正確的。請看下面的實例:

1. I…thought her an attractive, pleasant child.
   我…認為她是一個有吸引力的招人喜歡的孩子。
2. The doctor thinks that a good sign.
   醫生認為這是個好兆頭。
3. He thinks himself a great poet.
   他認為自己是個偉大的詩人。

think 用法 5 (think about)

問：People without a job try not to think about/of the future.
沒有工作的人儘量不去籌畫未來的事。(《朗文英語正誤辭典》, 安徽科技出版社, p.415)
我不明白為什麼譯者把think about/ of 譯為“ 籌畫”。

答：上面譯文的暗含意義是: 失業人員很懶惰, 從不籌畫未來的事。這與原意是大有出入的。實際上, think about/ of 在這裡的意義仍然是“想”、“ 思考”。上面英語原句的意思是: 失業人員一想到未來, 便不寒而慄, 因此不敢去想未來, 於是便設法不去想未來。
[試譯] 失業的人盡力不去想未來的事。

think 用法 6 (think of…as/ think…to be)

問：Teaching and learning are part of the same educational experience, but unfortunately they are often thought of to be separate.
試題要求將to be 改為as being, 但我認為think 是可以跟動詞不定詞連用的。例如, They had been thought to be lost.

答：應當搞清楚, think 與think of 都用於表示“把⋯⋯ 看作⋯ ⋯”, 但是, 它們的用法卻是不同的。請比較下面的實例:

1. We all thought him to be a wealthy man. 我們大家都認為他是一個有錢人。
2. You mustn’t think of me as being unhappy. 你決不要認為我是不幸的。

小練習：請選出正確的答案。（留言作答）
1.“What was the people’s opinion of the leader”“He was _______ to be clever but dishonest.”
A. thought as
B. thinking
C. they thought
D. thought
2. Ella was a rather shy girl but her classmates seldom thought of her ______ shy.
A. as
B. like
C. to be
D. for

think 用法 7 (think to do/ think of doing)

問：有的書上說think to do 的用法是錯誤的。又有的書上說,“當think 作‘想到’講時是可以接不定詞的。⋯⋯ 在think 作‘考慮’、‘打算’即‘意圖’講時, 不能用think to do 而應用think of doing…”(《英語難題解析》, 旅遊教育出版社, p.138) 。不知英語的實際使用情況究竟是怎樣的。

答：CGEL 第16.31 節明確注明, think 除了可以後接th at 子句之外, 也可以後接帶to 的動詞不定詞。下面讓我們分析一些實例:

1. He thinks to deceive us. 他總想欺騙我們。
2. They think to influence the voters. 他們想影響選民。
3. We thought to return early. 我們想早點兒返回去。

從例1 — 3 可以看出, think 即使作“打算”、“ 考慮”解時, 也可以後跟帶to 的動詞不定詞。

think 用法 8 （I(we) think 用作插入語）

問：He made another wonderful discovery, ________ of great importance to science.
A. which I think is
B which I think it is
C. which I think it
D. I think which is (高考英語試題, 1998)
答案為A。但是對於which I think is of great importance to science 的結構我怎麼也看不明白。

答：I think 是個插句。插句可以插入到一個文法結構業已完整句子裡去。它的語意特點是: 對句子的內容作一些附加說明。它的文法特點是: 把它去掉之後, 句子的結構和語意都是完整的。拿上面的句子來說, 去掉I think 之後句子仍是完整的:

He made another wonderful discovery, which is of great importance of science.

常常用於插句的動詞還有suppose, know, hope, believe, guess, find, say。插入句是各類標準化英語考試的常考題型, 應熟練掌握。

小練習：請選出正確的答案與改錯。（留言作答）
1. The pen I _______ I _________ is on my desk, right under my nose.
A. think, lost
B. thought, had lost
C. think, had lost
D. though, have lost
2. As teachers we should concern ourselves with what is said, not what we think ________.
A. ought to be said
B. must say
C. have to be said
D. need to say
3. They pointed out the damage which they supposed that had been done by last night’s storm.

think 用法 9 (had thought)

問：I had thought that we were going to be invited to dinner. 請解釋had thought 的含義。

答：如同had hoped(meant, expected, planned) 可用來表示“希望”(意圖、預料、計畫) 沒有實現一樣, h ad thought 也可以用來表示原來的想法沒有實現(即想錯了), 因而可能暗含有失望的情緒。上面的句子可以譯為:
我原以為他們會邀請我們去吃飯的。(實際上他們並沒有邀請)

1. I had thought that he had died twenty years ago.
   我原以為他在20 年前就去世了。
2. I hadn’t thought of that
   我可沒有想到這一點。

think 用法 10 (to think that (of))

問：To think that all that money has been wasted! 請問to think 的隱含的主詞是什麼?
所有的英漢詞典都將to think 譯為“想想”, 是讓誰“ 想想”呢? 是讓聽話人“想想”?

答：根據CGEL 的解釋, to think 的邏輯主詞一般是說話人(I) 。to think that 可以釋義為It surprises me to think.這種句型主要用於表示驚訝(參見that) :

1. To think that he should be so mean!
   真沒想到, 他竟然這麼卑鄙!
2. To think he knew about it all the time!
   真沒想到他竟然一直都知道這件事!
3. To think that she could be so ruthless!
   簡直無法想像她竟然能夠那麼冷酷無情!
4. To think of his not knowing anything about it!
   簡直想像不到他對此事竟然一無所知!

(參見to 用法8)