the dead 可以指某一个“死者”吗
2024-10-09 21:57:24 学考宝 作者：佚名
问题描述
老师说下面句子中的 the dead 意思是“死者”，泛指所有的“死者”，不指单个的“死者”：
Some festivals are held to honour the dead or to satisfy the ancestors, who might return either to help or to do harm. 有些节目是为了纪念死者，或使祖先得到满足，因为祖先们有可能回到世上（给人们）提供帮助，也有可能带来危害。
但如果要表示某一个“死者”呢？如何表达？比如：他们在为死者办丧事。如何翻译？
句子来源：人教版高中英语必修三Unit 1。
老师答疑
陈老师：
▲the dead 有两个意思：
一是指所有的死者（即包括古今的一切已死者）。如：
It’s wrong to speak ill of the dead. 说死者的坏话是不对的。
She claims to be psychic and helps people to contact the dead. 她自称有通灵术，能帮助活人与死者沟通。
On this anniversary of the tragedy we remember the living as well as the dead. 在那场悲剧的周年纪念之际，我们既要缅怀死者也不能忘记生者。
She is said to have supernatural powers and to be able to communicate with the dead. 据说她有超自然的力量，能和死者沟通。
二是表示新近死的若干人，偶尔也用于指一名死者（但在现代英语中很少见）。如：
They buried the dead after the battle. 战斗结束后他们把死者掩埋起来。
The family of the dead are being comforted by friends. 朋友们在安慰死者的家属。
此时也说one’s dead。如：
Families on both sides buried their dead. 双方的家人都埋葬了死者。
The people of the town now want to be left alone to bury their dead. 镇上的人现在要求不要干扰他们埋葬死者。
▲你的句子翻译：
They are holding a funeral for the dead man. 他们在为死者办丧事。
They are arranging the funeral for the dead man. 他们在为死者办丧事。
▲表示死者的其他方法：
1. 用 the dead man (woman, guy, person…)表示
The dead man’s son arranged the funeral. 死者的儿子安排了葬礼。
Police had ascertained that the dead man knew his killer. 警方确定死者认识凶手。
Police have refused to release the name of the dead man. 警方拒绝公布死者姓名。
Police are trying to contact the family of the dead man. 警方在设法与死者的家属联系。
Police are still trying to establish the identity of the dead man. 警方仍然试图确认死者的身份。
The relations of the dead men are calling for an inquiry. (G14) 死者们的亲属要求调查真相。
A crowd of mourners gathered to pay their respects to the dead man. 一群哀悼者聚集在一起向死者告别。
The dead man’s wife and children were the chief mourners. 死者的妻子和孩子是主要的送葬人。
He wrote to the dead man’s mother expressing his deep sorrow. 他写信给死者的母亲，表达他深切的悲痛。
Forensic examination revealed a large quantity of poison in the dead man’s stomach. 法医检验显示死者胃中有大量毒药。
The name of the dead man will not be released until his relatives have been informed. 在通知死者亲属之前，不会公布死者的姓名。
The police are trying to piece together the jigsaw of how the dead man spent his last hours. 警方试图弄清楚死者生前最后几小时在做什么。
2. 用 the deceased 表示
the deceased 指“死者”，多用在文件和正式文体中，只指一人，不指多人，只指新近死的人，不指死了好久的人。如：
The property is part of the deceased’s estate. 这财产是死者的部分遗产。
The deceased left a large sum of money to his children. 死者留给子女一大笔钱。
The police are trying to trace the relatives of the deceased. 警方正试图寻找死者的亲属。
The deceased were both killed with the same knife. 两名死者都是被同一把刀所杀死的。
It seems that the deceased (= this particular dead person) had no living relatives. 看来死者没有健在的亲属。
The deceased shot her mother before killing herself. 死者先向她母亲开了枪，然后自杀身亡。
An inquest found that the deceased had died of a drugs overdose. 验尸发现死者是因为用药过量致死。
The witness could shed no light on the mystery of the deceased’s identity. 目击者对揭开死者身分之谜没什么帮助。
The autopsy revealed that the deceased had been hit with a blunt instrument. 尸体解剖证实死者曾遭到钝器的重击。
It appeared that both the accused were acting in concert in the attack upon the deceased. 两名被告看来在袭击死者时是一起行动的。
The deceased’s immediate relatives, her mother and father, will inherit her estate. 死者的直系亲属，即她的父母亲将会继承她的财产。
