to 用法: infinitive marker 動詞不定詞符號

to 用法1

問：To New York is not very far.
如何分析這個句子?

答：現代語言學家承認介係詞片語有資格充當主詞。見from用法4 。

to 用法2 (to / in the east)

問：Korea is ________ the east of China.(《英語高考精典》, p.255)
該書給的答案是to。不知能否填入介係詞on ?

答：請見east(in / on the east) 。

to 用法3 (infinitive marker 動詞不定詞符號)

問：The only thing to do was ask them to come half an hour later than the other guests. (New Concept English, Book 3, L.60) 唯一措施乃是邀請他們的時間比其他客人遲半小時。
據我所知, 充當述語的動詞不定詞是要帶動詞不定詞符號to 的。但是, 上句中的充當述語的動詞不定詞ask…卻沒有帶to。如何解釋這種現象。

答：充當述語的動詞不定詞省略不定詞符號to 是有條件的: 在主詞部分中必須含有動詞do。例如:

1. What I want you to do is (to) help Mary with her homework. 我要你做的事就是幫助瑪麗做作業。
2. What you should have done was (to) submit the problem to the committee for discussion. 你本應當做的事就是把問題提交委員會討論。
3. The only thing you have to do is (to) press the button. 你要做的唯一的事情就是按一下按鈕。

我們發現, 當all 做主詞時, 如形容詞子句含有say, 充當述語的動詞不定詞有時也可省略動詞不定詞符號to:

All they said is hurry up.
他們所說的話就是趕快。

在下列句子裡就不能省略to:

1. All I wanted was to help him. 我所想的事情就是幫助他。
2. The only way that they can preserve their history is to recount it as sagas-legends handed down from one generation of story-tellers to another. (New Concept English, Book 4, L.1) 他們保存自己歷史的唯一方法就是採用講故事的辦法: 由講故事者把類似英雄故事的民間傳說一代代傳下去。

to 用法4 (動詞不定詞符號)

問：What could he do but die?
據我所知, but 是個介係詞, 但它卻直接跟不帶to 的動詞不定詞連用, 不知如何解釋這種現象。

答：英語慣用法裡有一條規則: 表示例外的介係詞(but, except 等) 可以與不帶to 的動詞不定詞連用, 當然也可以與帶to 的動詞不定詞連用。至於在這種用法裡but, except 等究竟是介係詞, 還是連接詞, 英美語言學家們至今也沒有一致的意見。請考察下面的實例:

1. They did nothing but complain. 他們只是抱怨。
2. We’ll do anything but confess our guilt. 除了承認我們有罪之外, 其他什麼事我們都願意幹(或: 我們絕不承認我們有罪) 。
3. She did everything but make her bed. 除了給她鋪床之外, 她什麼活都幹。
4. He doesn’t want to do anything except help me. 除了幫助我, 他什麼事情都不想做。
5. He does everything in the house except put the children to bed. 除了安排孩子們上床睡覺之外, 家裡的什麼活他都幹。

(參見but用法9, nothing but do)

to 用法5 (動詞不定詞符號)

問：We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less, find more time to play with the children, do a thousand and one jobs about the house, be nice to people we don’t like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every day. (New Concept English, Book 3, L.50)
在幾個結構相同的帶to 的動詞不定詞連用時, 是重複使用to 呢, 還是僅僅在第一個動詞不定詞之前使用to, 而在其餘的動詞不定詞之前省略to 呢? 上面句子裡的動詞不定詞eat, find, do, be, drive 和take 與to get 是同等成分(均作resolve 的受詞), 為什麼省略了動詞不定詞符號to 呢?

答：按照通常的習慣, 僅僅在第一個不定詞之前加動詞不定詞符號to, 而在其餘的不定詞之前省略to。例如:

1. I’d like to lie down and go to sleep. 我想躺下進入夢鄉。
2. 2. I wished to finish my business and get away. 我希望幹完我的事就離開。
3. 3. Christina hardly knew whether to laugh a cry. 克莉絲蒂娜簡直不知道是應當笑還是應當哭。
4. 4. I though it better to take the anthem myself than give it to  junior, who would be sure to make mull of it. 我想我自己來唱聖歌, 比讓一個年少者來唱, 要好一些, 他肯定會把它弄糟的。

我記得當我在課堂上講到這一點時, 有一位學生馬上問我:“ To be or not to be, that is the question.(生存還是毀滅? 這是問題之所在) 這個句子為什麼重複使用to 呢?”
我引用了Curme 的觀點: 當幾個結構相同的動詞不定詞連用而表示比較或進行強調時, 人們常常重複使用to。例如:

1. It was better to laugh than to cry. 笑比哭好。
2. I haven’t decided to go home or to stay at school this summer. 我還沒有決定今年夏天是回家還是留在學校裡。
3. I had meant to have visited Paris and to have returned to London before my father arrived from America. 我本想在我的父親從美國到達這裡之前訪問一下巴黎再返回倫敦。
4. I limited myself to two modest ambitions: to do physical exercises every morning and to read more of an evening. 我定了兩項切實可行的措施: 每早進行體育鍛煉, 每晚多看一些書。
5. If you expressed doubt or surprise, he would immediately invite you to smell it and then to rub some into your skin. 倘若你流露出懷疑或驚訝的神情, 他會立即請你聞一聞, 並隨即在你皮膚上塗上一點兒。
6. I stopped to let the car cool off and to study the map. 我停下汽車, 讓它冷卻, 並仔細查閱地圖。

to 用法 6 (動詞不定詞符號)

問：(A) It is easier to persuade people than force them.
(B) It is easier to persuade people than to force them.
說服人比強迫人要容易一些。
上面兩個句子哪個是正確的?

答：上面兩個句子都是正確的。在兩個或幾個動詞不定詞連用而充當同等成分時, 通常只在第一個動詞不定詞前使用動詞不定詞符號to, 而在其他動詞不定詞前省略to。當兩個動詞不定詞由and, or, except, but, than 連接時, 尤其如此(參見to用法5)。

to 用法7 (動詞不定詞符號)

問：It was too late though, and I felt that the kindest thing I could do would be walk away. (復旦大學主編《大學英語》, 第1 冊第7 課)
would be walk away 是什麼意思呢?

答：在動詞walk 之前省略了動詞不定詞符號to。動詞不定詞walk away 在句子裡作述語。更詳細的情形, 見to用法3 (動詞不定詞符號) 。

to 用法8 (to + 動詞不定詞片語)

問：To spend so much money on something he didn’t even need!
A. He has money to spend on several important things.
B. He spent money unwisely.
C. He didn’t want to spend money on anything.
D. He didn’t need much money.
原試題似乎並不是一個完整的句子。我從沒有見過這種句型, 請分析其特點。

答：這種句子被劃為不規則的句子(irregular sentences) 。其結構特點是: 只有帶to 的動詞不定詞, 沒有主詞。但是, 從上下文或語境可以看出其隱含的主詞。其語意特點是: 表示驚訝, 有時含有不贊同或不滿或遺憾的情緒。

1. To think that he should be mean! 真沒想到他竟然這麼卑鄙! (隱含的主詞是I)
2. You fool, to forget your wedding anniversary! 你這個傻瓜, 竟然忘記了你的結婚紀念日! (隱含的主詞是You)
3. That brother of yours, to be so uncouth! 你的那位兄弟, 竟然那麼粗魯!

我想你看了上面的例句, 便會很快地知道上道題的答案是B。(參見think用法10)