those 用法1 (those/ the ones)
問：TV sets made this year are of better quality than ______ made last year.
A. that one
B. the ones
C. that
D. those
《當代英語應試文法》(中國科技大學出版社, 1995, p.261) 說:“應選(D) 。one 和 ones 只代替單個的名詞, that 和those 替代一個片語”。這種解釋對嗎?
答：說one 和ones 只代替單個的名詞, 是缺乏事實根據的。請看下面的實例:
- A: I’m looking for a book on grammar.
B: Is this the one you mean? (the one = the book on grammar)
A: 我在找一本關於文法的書。
B: 你說的是這一本嗎? - I wish I’d bought a few jars of honey. Did you notice the ones they were selling by the roadside? (the ones = the jars of honey) (以上兩例說明one / ones 可替代名詞中心詞+ 後置修飾語)
我想買幾瓶蜂蜜。你注意到路邊賣的那些了嗎? - If you want to buy an electric heater, you may be interested in this one in the window. (這個例句證明one/ ones 可以替代帶前置修飾語的名詞)
你要買電熱器的話, 你會對窗戶裡放的這一個感興趣的。
還應指出, 在替代可數名詞時, 有時the one/ the ones 與that/ those 用法是可以互換的:
The blonde girls I saw were older than the ones (those) you were dancing with.
我看到的那些碧眼金髮女郎比和你跳過舞的那一些年紀大一些。由此可見, 在上面的試題中, 選B 和D 都是正確的。
小練習：請選出正確的答案。（留言作答）
Mr. Zhang gave the textbooks to all the pupils except ________ who had already taken them.
A. the ones
B. ones
C. some
D. the others
(高考英語試題, 1992)
those 用法2 (those/ those ones)
問：These televisions are quite popular in Europe, but those ones are not.
試題要求將those ones 改為those。難道絕對不可以說those ones 嗎?
答：在美式英語中, 一般不見these ones, those ones 用法, 而是these, those 用法。但是, 在非正式的英式英語中有時也能見到these ones, those ones 的用法, 見one/ ones。但是, 當ones 之前有形容詞時, 則無論在美式英語或英式英語中ones 都是絕不可省略的:
“May I help you with some shoes, sir?”
“Yes, I’d like to try on those brown ones.”
“先生, 我可以幫你選鞋嗎?”
“可以, 我喜歡試一試那雙褐色的”。
those 用法3 (those of us…their/ our)
問：1980 年攻讀碩士學位研究生入學考試英語統考試題第V.2 題:
Those of us who work in that chemical plant should have their lungs X-rayed.
標準答案規定把their 應改為our 。我認為, 這裡用their 並沒有什麼錯誤。
答：直到現在, 中國内地的英語學界仍然持有這樣的觀點。例如, 1995 年出版的《英語疑難大全》說:
“誤: Most of us working in the mountains have not had their hair cut for two months.
正: Most of us working in the mountains have not had our hair cut for two months.”
其實, 在some of us, most of us 之後, 既可以使用our, 也可以使用their 。這完全取決於句意。The Right Word at the Right Time 的作者們對這個問題的解釋是很符合語言實際的:“some of us 這個代名詞片語是第一人稱還是第三人稱? 是應該說Some of us waste our money.還是應該說Some of us waste their money.? 這很可能取決於說話者是否是那些浪費金錢者之一。如果說話人是其中之一, 也就會用our ; 如果不是, 他就應該用their。”由此可見, 在上面的試題之中, 使用their 也是正確的(即說話人不把自己包括在內) 。
應當指出, 上面所引的研考英語題是根據下面的託福題而來的。但是, 這並不能改變我們在上面所陳述的觀點:
Those of us who wear glasses should have their eyes examined at regular intervals.