是倒装句吗?谓语动词ranked可放到句首吗
2024-11-12 19:09:50 学考宝 作者:佚名
问题描述
Ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers.
这个句子怎么理解?正常语序应该是这样的吗:grocery and electronics customers were ranked second and third. 请问分析对吗?
老师答疑
刘老师:
Ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers.
这个句子怎么理解?正常语序应该是这样的吗:Grocery and electronics customers were ranked second and third. 请问分析对吗?
【答】句子若按你的理解转换,不完全正确。
1. 从表意功能看,Grocery and electronics customers were ranked second and third. 并不等于Ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers.
前者是一个被动语态的句子,意为:“日用杂货和电子产品的客户分别被排名第二和第三”。
后者是一个主系表结构,其中,grocery and electronics customers是表语,主语部分只有一个分词短语,视为省略了主语Those,ranked second and third作定语。
Ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers. 实际等于说:
Those ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers.
“分别被排名第二和第三的(客户)是日用杂货和电子产品的客户”。
2. 无独有偶,英语的这种表达,跟汉语的“的”字结构同出一辙。我们常说:
(1)站在舞台上的是一位超级影星。Standing on the stage is a super star.
(2)被散落在地板上的是一些书刊。Scattered on the floor were several books and magazines.
这种“的”字结构的特点是:不说施事者的名称是谁,只用“动词+的”来表示人或事物。如果倒过来说,句子也讲得通,但意义就变了味:
(3)一位超级影星站在舞台上。A super star is standing on the stage.
(4)一些书刊被散落在地板上。Several books and magazines were scattered on the floor.
【特别说明】(1)和(3)、(2)和(4)所表达的信息重心是不同的,不用分析就能体会出来。说到底就是:be动词在(1)(2)中是系动词,表达“是”的概念;be动词在(3)(4)中是助动词,构成进行时态和被动语态!
3. 目前,语法书、网络对这种语言现象有如下几种观点:
(1)倒装说。分词 + be + 主语
(2)主系表颠倒说。过去分词或现在分词是be的表语。
(3)强调说。为了强调分词短语的意义,特地提前至句首。
【个人观点】以上几种观点我基本不认同。形式服务于内容,句子结构服从于句子意义。结构转换不能以破坏句子内容为前提,否则,语法分析就成了无源之水,无本之木,就会变得毫无意义。
【补充】这个句子跟网友前几天提出的句子是一个类型:Coupled with the growing quantity of information is the development of technologies which enable the storage and delivery of more infromation with greater speed to more locations than has ever been possible before.
王老师:
个人观点和刘老师及网友分享,以便共同提高:
问题的句子Ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers.属于倒装句,在英语中,属于分词置于句首倒装现象。例如:
1. Buried in the desert was an ancient village.
2. Standing beside the table is Mr Li.
关于这种用法,薄冰“高级英语语法”有详细叙述。
倒装句有多种用途,在这里,表示强调。倒装句有很多种类型,功能也各不相同。
例如:Here comes the bus!
Yield he would not.
倒装句也是美国SAT语法考试的一个常见考察点。如 Overhead sail the dark storm clouds.
如果把 Ranked second and third 理解成主语,但根据语法规则,英语里没有用分词做主语的说法。