英语名词单复数的几种用法

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英语名词单复数的几种用法
看英语小说,碰到:The baby took the mother’s hand with its hands,就知道孩子是用两只小手抓着妈妈的一只手。在英语里,有时数目字可以不出现,只用单复数来表示,也就清楚了。
汉语名词,除了“先生们”“同学们”之类,在大多数情况下不用复数。而英语名词的单复数则是变化多端,及其复杂,因此我们对英语名词的单复数不能不作深入的研究并养成使用习惯。
1. 有些名词只有单数形式,如:
five cattle, two hundred sheep, a lot of trout (鳟鱼), three Swiss, six Japanese, lots of Chinese
有些名词只有复数形式,如:
Eery means has been tried.
Mathematics is her strong point.
The remains of the deer were eaten up.
----“The couple are both lazybones.”
----“No,only the husband is (a lazybones).”
2.有些名词在习惯用语中用单数,如:
She went home on foot.(步行,不是只有一条腿。)
I turned a deaf ear to him.(不理睬,不是一只耳朵聋了。)
They lost heart.(丧失信心)
以上三例为习语,下面三例则为全称单数(generic singular),即以单数代全称:
Man is mortal. (人皆有死.)
The student should always be attentive.
The pen is mightier than the sword.
有些名词的用法则习惯上用复数,如:
armed to the teeth (武装到牙齿)
shake hands with (握手)
make friends with
by leaps and bounds (突飞猛进)
以上四例与逻辑有关:很难想象只有一个牙齿,而握手和交朋友都是双方的事,蹦跳起来也不可能只有一步。下面几例则与婚丧喜庆有关:
My hearty congratulations! (衷心祝贺)
My best regards to her! (问好,致意)
Many happy returns of the day!(祝贺生日用语)
To express one’s condolences to (吊唁)
3.值得我们注意的是,一个词用单数或用复数往往表示意义的不同。原因可能是纯属习惯,或者含有特殊的意义,或者是专门说法,或者出于修辞考虑,如:
The border between China and the Sovoiet Union.(中苏边境分界线)
The borders of China and the Soviet Union (中苏边境)
The cups of water –China waters (中国沿海)
Iron is useful than gold.--- The prisoner was in irons.(带上镣铐)
Copper is a very important metal.。----She found some copper over there.(铜币)
----Look at the copper over there.(俚语:警察,因制服上铜扣得名,复数为coppers,简称cop(s)
Her bad tooth caused her much pain.(很痛) ----She took great pains in studying Greek.(下苦功)
She has white hair.(一头白发)----She has white hairs.(几丝白发)
The Chinese and American peoples.(中美两国人民)----The Chinese and American people. (中美人民。尼克松于1972年在周总理举行的国宴上的祝酒词就用our two people,the Chinese and American people,甚至all people in the world,以表示亲切友好。)
4.我们尤其要注意的是,形式上是单数而意义上是复数,或形式上是复数而意义上是单数的情况,如:
The class elect him monitor.(侧重班上的每一个人,故比用elects 好) ----Our class is represented by him.(侧重整体)
Another ten years was wasted.(“十年“是一个计算单位)
All my family are early rises.(指家人)
There is a book and two pens on the desk. ----There are two pens and a book on the desk.(习惯上,如最靠近动词的名词是复数,则动词用复数;如名词是单数,则动词也相应用单数)
His brothers or he is to come.----He or his brothers are to come.
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