of there being little that...与that there is little
2024-08-15 15:30:29 学考宝 作者：佚名
问题描述
错误：The investigations of many psychologists and anthropologists support the generalization of there being little that is significantly different in the underlying mental processes manifested by people from different cultures.
正确：The investigations of many psychologists and anthropologists support the generalization that there is little that is significantly different in the underlying mental processes manifested by people from different cultures.
请问：为何这里 of there being little that…是错误的，而that there is little that…就是正确的呢？谢谢老师！
老师答疑
张老师：
一开始我还以为这位老师是在难为诸位（心里纳闷儿：老师何苦为难老师啊……），可我看了原题才明白原来您已把问题简化多了。这好像是GMAT（Graduate Management Admission Test）语法备考题：
▲The investigations of many psychologists and anthropologists support the generalization that there is little that is significantly different in the underlying mental processes manifested by people from different cultures.
【参考译文】心理学家和人类学家的调查支持了这一概述：不同文化背景的人们所显现出来的潜在的思维处理过程之间几乎没什么太大的不同之处。
【简要分析】
1. 主干：investigations support the generalization 调查支持概述
2. that there is little that is significantly different in the underlying mental processes manifested by people from different cultures.作 generalization的同位语从句。
3. 同位语从句是个there be 句型：there is little中不定代词little后又带一个关系代词that引导的定语从句：that is significantly different in the underlying mental processes manifested by people from different cultures
4. 原句再简化：The investigations of … support the generalization that little is significantly different in the underlying mental processes manifested by people from different cultures.
▲实际上，如果仅就语法而言我看不出您所说的错句有什么错误之处，关键是其表达缺乏简洁有效性，of介词当然可以表示同位关系，可是这里后面又要跟一个定从，这就使得表达意义层次混乱,日月不明，笨拙且不合习惯。举个可能不妥当的例子，用拖拉机理论上可以运载导弹，可是再好的拖拉机拉导弹似乎都会显得有点另类。
▲【随附原题】改错（答一送一）：
The investigations of many psychologists and anthropologists support the generalization of there being little that is a significant difference in the underlying mental processes manifested by people from different cultures.
A. of there being little that is a significant difference
B. of there being little that is significantly different
C. of little that is significantly different
D. that there is little that is significantly different
E. that there is little of significant differences
个人观点，仅供参考！
