顧祖良
(常熟理工學(xué)院 外國語學(xué)院,江蘇 常熟 215500)
在全國性的英語考試中,寫作部分分值往往比較高。為了提高考生的英語寫作水平,幫助其在考試中獲得寫作部分的高分,最近幾年,大量英語作文范文類書籍面世。不過,在一些作文范文中,存在著許許多多的詞匯和語法方面的錯(cuò)誤,其中動詞混淆用法比較突出。如由謝忠明主編,中國對外翻譯出版公司于2004年出版的《大學(xué)英語四級考試核心筆記》(以下簡稱《核心筆記》);何鋼主編,群言出版社于2008年出版的《考研英語寫作范文100篇》(以下簡稱《范文100篇》);毛永貴主編,吉林出版集團(tuán)有限責(zé)任公司于2010年出版《大學(xué)英語四級考試寫作高分特訓(xùn)》(以下簡稱《寫作高分特訓(xùn)》);伍樂其主編,世界音像電子出版社于2013年出版的《2014淘金英語專業(yè)8級寫作范文背誦100篇》(以下簡稱《范文背誦100篇》);張艷莉、潘鳴威主編,大連理工大學(xué)出版社于2012年出版的《英語專業(yè)四級寫作》(以下簡稱《四級寫作》;方振宇主編,海豚出版社于2013年出版的《英語6級寫作100篇+50篇漢譯英短文》(以下簡稱《6級寫作100篇》;石雷鵬編著,中央廣播電視大學(xué)出版社于2014年出版的《新東方名師大學(xué)英語四級寫作》(以下簡稱《英語四級寫作》);潘曉燕主編,世圖音像電子出版社于2013年出版的《淘金式優(yōu)化沖刺CET-4新題型預(yù)測》(以下簡稱《新題型預(yù)測》) 及汕頭大學(xué)出版社于2010年出版的《命題改革與預(yù)測試卷:聽力強(qiáng)化版——大學(xué)英語4級考試》(以下簡稱《英語4級考試》)等,筆者經(jīng)過認(rèn)真研讀,發(fā)現(xiàn)其中動詞混淆用法的現(xiàn)象比較普遍。本文舉出一些實(shí)例,糾正其錯(cuò)誤,供廣大讀者參考。
在《核心筆記》第86頁上,有以下一例:
However, they are still prohibited to drive their cars into College Campus, which, I think, is a hard truth in the eyes of many people.
原例句中的動詞prohibit用法有誤。按英語的表達(dá)習(xí)慣,prohibit 不可用于prohibit sb. to do sth.的句型中,要用prohibit sb. from doing sth.。例如:
(1)The price prohibited us from buying it. 這東西價(jià)格太高,我們買不起。[1]1394
(2)We are prohibited from drinking alcohol during working hours. 工作時(shí)間內(nèi)我們不得喝酒。[1]1394
(3)Soviet citizens were prohibited from travelling abroad. 蘇聯(lián)時(shí)代的公民被禁止出國旅游。[2]1374
而動詞forbid則常用于forbid sb. to do sth.的句型中, 另外,在現(xiàn)代英語中也可用forbid sb. from doing sth.。例如:
(4)I forbid you to tell anyone. 我不準(zhǔn)你告訴任何人。[1]668
(5)You are forbidden to leave. 你們都不準(zhǔn)離開。[2]681
(6)The union is forbidden from striking. 工會被禁止罷工。[3]563
(7)Civilians are strictly forbidden from entering that area. 嚴(yán)禁平民進(jìn)入那地區(qū)。[4]727
從上述實(shí)例中,我們可以看出, 英語中不說prohibit sb. to do sth.。因此,《核心筆記》例句宜改為:However, they are still prohibited from driving their cars into College Campus, which, I think, is a hard truth in the eyes of many people. 也可改為:However, they are still forbidden to drive /forbidden from driving their cars into College Campus, which,I think, is a hard truth in the eyes of many people.
在《范文100篇》第141頁上,有以下一例:
They are ensured not only of a bright future but also a sound intellectual and mental foundation, and hence a healthy life.
在《范文背誦100篇》第69頁上, 有以下一例:
The combined endeavors of each individual will assure us a phenomenal success in environmental protection.
另外,在《寫作高分特訓(xùn)》第137頁上,也有以下一例:
You think you are knowledgeable; on the contrary, I assure that you are very ignorant.
以上各例中的動詞ensure和assure用法有誤。按照英語的表達(dá)習(xí)慣,動詞ensure作“保證”解,不用于ensure sb. of sth.的句型。ensure 常見于ensure sth., ensure doing sth., ensure sb. sth., ensure sb.against/from sth., ensure that等句型。例如:
(8)All the necessary steps had been taken to ensure their safety. 所有必要的措施都已采取來保證他們的安全。[3]473
(9)Come early to ensure getting a good seat.早點(diǎn)來確保有個(gè)好座位。[5]187
(10)The medicine will ensure you a good night’s sleep. 這藥保證讓能讓你睡一夜好覺。[2]568
(11)We should ensure workers against accidents. 我們應(yīng)保護(hù)工人不出事故。[6]559
(12)The arrangements will ensure each side from attack by the other. 這些安排將使各方免遭對方的襲擊。[4]617
(13)His help ensured our success/ensured that we were successful. 他的幫助保證了我們的成功。[7]980
而動詞 assure作“確保;保證”解,可用于assure sb. of sth, assure sb. that-clause 以及 assure sth.的句型中。例如:
(14)He assured us of his ability to solve the problem. 他向我們保證他有能力解決這問題。[1]85
(15)Our clients are assured of an enjoyable and trouble-free holiday. 我們的顧客得到保證,一定能度過一個(gè)愉快而無憂無慮德假期。[1]85
(16)The doctor assured her that he would do his best to save the child’s life. 醫(yī)生向她保證,他會盡力救她孩子的生命。[8]1039
(17)The airline has assured travellers (that)there will be no further delays. 航空公司向旅客們保證,不會再有延誤了。[9]594
(18)One more attempt will assure the success of your work. 再一次嘗試將保證你工作的成功。[5]35
(19)I checked over and over again to assure accuracy. 我反復(fù)核對以確保準(zhǔn)確無誤。[4]105
從上述實(shí)例中,我們可以看出,在英語中,動詞ensure 和assure 各自用于不同的句型中,兩者不可混用。因此,《范文100篇》《范文背誦100篇》《寫作高分特訓(xùn)》的例句宜分別改為:①They are assured not only of a bright future but also a sound intellectual and mental foundation, and hence a healthy life. ②The combined endeavors of each individual will assure us of a phenomenal success in environmental protection. 也可改為:The combined endeavors of each individual will ensure our phenomenal success in environmental protection.③You think you are knowledgeable; on the contrary, I assure you that you are very ignorant. 也可改為:You think you are knowledgeable; on the contrary, I ensure that you are very ignorant.
在《四級寫作》第59頁上,有以下一例:
But they are awarded with fame and great honors and thus become nationwide well-known.
原句中的動詞award用法有誤。按英語的表達(dá)習(xí)慣,要表達(dá)“獲…報(bào)酬;報(bào)答”,可用動詞reward sb. with sth.的句型中, 而不用 award sb. with sth.,后者在英語中無此說法。例如:
(20)She was rewarded for her efforts with a cash bonus.她因自己所做的努力而得到一筆獎(jiǎng)金。[2]1491
(21)She started singing to the baby and was rewarded with a smile. 她開始給孩子唱歌,孩子則抱一微笑。[2]1491
(22)We had a strenuous climb, but we were rewarded with a splendid view. 雖然我們爬山很艱苦,但美麗的景色卻使我們一飽眼福。[10]1426
(23)They awarded her a medal for bravery. 她表現(xiàn)勇敢,他們授予她獎(jiǎng)?wù)?。?]96
(24)A medal was awarded to the best speller in the class. 給班級里拼寫最好的學(xué)生頒發(fā)一枚獎(jiǎng)?wù)隆#?0]118
因此,《四級寫作》例句宜改為:But they are rewarded with fame and great honors and thus become nationwide well-known
在《6級寫作100篇》第44頁上,有以下一例:
Besides, China’s rapid economic growth and especially its entry to the WTO attribute greatly to the fever.
在《范文背誦100篇》第97頁上,有以下一句:
In short, the individuality-mindset and the abundance of job postings in China attribute to the job-hopping phenomenon amongst the Chinese youths.
在《英語四級寫作》第150頁上,有以下一句:
It is not difficult to deduce that the inexorable decline of wildlife largely attributes to the rapid population growth.
另外,在《英語四級寫作》第154頁上,還有以下一句:
It partly owes to China’s growth into one of world’s principal economics, and partly to the colorful and diversified components in the culture itself.
筆者認(rèn)為上述例句中的attribute to和owe to均用得欠妥。根據(jù)動詞attribute的搭配用法,attribute…to…作“把…歸因于”解,attribute后跟“結(jié)果”to后跟“原因”。既可用主動語態(tài),也可用被動語態(tài),既可跟褒義詞連用,也可跟貶義詞連用。但不可直接使用attribute to。例如:
(25)She attributes her success to hard work and a little luck. 她認(rèn)為她的成功來自勤勞和一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)運(yùn)氣。[2]94
(26)Doctors attributed his quick recovery to his physical fitness. 醫(yī)生把他康復(fù)快的原因歸結(jié)于他原本身體健康。[3]76
(27)Mr. Henry attributed his son’s failure to lack of persistence. 亨利先生認(rèn)為他兒子的失敗是由于缺乏恒心。[10]110
(28)They claim that one in twenty deaths can be directly attributed to air pollution. 他們聲稱每二十個(gè)死亡人中的一個(gè)可能直接跟空氣污染有關(guān)。[11]45
(29)The fall in the number of deaths from heart disease is generally attributed to improvement in diet. 人們普遍認(rèn)為心臟病死亡率下降的原因是飲食方面得到了改善。[12]71
(30)Air pollution has been partly attributed to cars.人們認(rèn)為空氣污染部分是由汽車造成的。[10]110
而 contribute to則作“有助于;促成;導(dǎo)致”解,根據(jù)其搭配用法,contribute的主語是“原因”,to后面跟“結(jié)果”。只用于主動語態(tài)中,既可跟褒義詞連用,也可跟貶義詞連用。例如:
(31)Plenty of fresh air contributes to good health. 大量的新鮮空氣有助于身體健康。[5]116
(32)Air pollution contributes to respiratory diseases. 空氣污染會引起呼吸道疾病。[4]400
(33)An increase in the price of drugs has contributed to the rising cost of medical care. 藥品價(jià)格的上漲已導(dǎo)致醫(yī)療保健費(fèi)用的上升。[8]186
(34)Medical negligence was said to have contributed to her death. 據(jù)說醫(yī)務(wù)人員的玩忽職守是她死亡的原因之一。[2]365
根據(jù)動詞owe的搭配用法, owe … to …作“把…歸功于”解,owe后跟“結(jié)果”to后跟“原因”。只用于主動語態(tài)中,大都與含褒義詞連用。但不可直接使用owe to。例如:
(35)He owes his success entirely to the Party.他把他的成功完全歸功于黨。[13]641
(36)She owes her success to good luck. 她把成功歸結(jié)于運(yùn)氣好。[1]1257
(37)She owes her beauty to artificial assistance. 她的美全靠打扮。[10]1182
(38)She owes her progress to her courage,determination and perseverance. 她的進(jìn)步是靠她的勇氣、決心和毅力取得的。[14]576
從上述實(shí)例中,我們可以看出,attribute …to … ,contribute to 和 owe … to …各自有其不同的搭配用法。因此,《6級寫作100篇》《范文背誦100篇》《英語四級寫作》中例句應(yīng)分別改為:① Besides, China’s rapid economic growth and especially its entry to the WTO contribute greatly to the fever. 也可改為:Besides, the fever is greatly attributed to China’s rapid economic growth and especially its entry to the WTO.② In short, the individuality-mindset and the abundance of job postings in China contribute to the job-hopping phenomenon amongst the Chinese youths. 也可改為: In short, the jobhopping phenomenon amongst the Chinese youths is attributed to the individuality-mindset and the abundance of job postings in China.③ It is not difficult to deduce that the inexorable decline of wildlife is largely attributed to the rapid population growth. 也可改為: It is not difficult to deduce that the rapid population growth largely contributes to the inexorable decline of wildlife. ④ It is partly attributed to China’s growth into one of world’s principal economics, and partly to the colorful and diversified components in the culture itself.
在《新題型預(yù)測》中,“Should Rewards for Doing A Good Deed be Promoted?”的作文范文里,有以下一句:
However, in recent years there has aroused a heated debated as to whether people should be rewarded for doing a good deed.
筆者認(rèn)為,原句中動詞arouse用法有誤。根據(jù)動詞arouse的搭配用法,arouse是及物動詞,作“激起;引起”解,例如:
(39)Her strange behaviour aroused our suspicions.她的古怪行為引起了我們的懷疑。[2]77
(40)That book aroused my interest in fishing.那本書使我對釣魚產(chǎn)生了興趣。[7]1031
而在“There +動詞(不及物動詞)+主語 (名稱主語)”的句式中, 動詞要用不及物動詞。例如:
(41)Once there lived an old man whose name was the Old Foolish of North Mountain. 從前有個(gè)老人,名字叫北山愚公。[13]782
(42)There always exists a force of attraction between two bodies. 兩個(gè)物體之間永遠(yuǎn)存在著吸引力。[15]1459
(43)There remains nothing more to be done.再沒有別的辦法了。[15]1459
(44)Everything was silent and then there came a strange knocking at the door. 當(dāng)時(shí)一片寂靜,接著門口傳來以下奇怪的敲門聲。[1]1826
(45)Hence there has arisen the agrarian question. 因此,出現(xiàn)了土地問題。[16]4752
從上述實(shí)例中,我們可以看出,動詞arouse是及物動詞,作“激起;引起”解,不能用于“There +動詞(不及物動詞)+主語 (名稱主語)”中。
因此,《新題型預(yù)測》中例句宜改為: However,in recent years there has arisen a heated debate as to whether people should be rewarded for doing a good deed. 根據(jù)動詞arise 的搭配用法,arise作“發(fā)生;產(chǎn)生;出現(xiàn)”解,是不及物動詞,可用于上述特定的句式中。
在《范文背誦100篇》第126頁上,有以下一例:
We should refrain ourselves from lying with malicious intents.
另外,在《大學(xué)英語4級考試》第116頁上,也有以下一例:
The mother regretted that she had been so severe with her daughter; she should have restrained from losing her temper.
筆者認(rèn)為以上原句均有誤。在英語中,動詞restrain和refrain 在搭配用法上是有區(qū)分的,盡管都可作“克制;阻止;禁止”解。
動詞refrain用于refrain from doing sth.的結(jié)構(gòu)中。例如:
(46)Kindly refrain from smoking. 請勿吸煙。[12]1189
(47)They could hardly refrain from weeping as they stood together. 當(dāng)他們站在一起時(shí),他們?nèi)滩蛔】蕹雎晛?。?]1378
(48)He politely refrained from saying what he thought of her hat. 他很客氣地克制自己,不說出他對她的帽子的意見。[17]1069
(49)He deliberately refrained from expressing his opinion on the matter. 他故意克制自己,不發(fā)表對那件事的觀點(diǎn)。[11]634
而動詞restrain則用于restrain sb./oneself/sth.from doing sth.的結(jié)構(gòu)中。例如:
(50)We restrained the boy from jumping. 我們阻止男孩跳躍。[4]1688
(51)I tried to restrain him from going back into the burning building. 我企圖阻止他回到已起火的樓房中去。[8]1022
(52)She had to restrain herself from crying out in pain.她只得忍住疼痛,不哭出來。[2]1482
(53)If you can’t restrain your dog (from biting people), you must lock it up. 你如果管不住你的狗(不讓它咬人),那就得把它關(guān)起來。[1]1464
從上述實(shí)例中,我們可以看出,動詞restrain和refrain在搭配用法上存在著差異,不宜混用。因此,《范文背誦100篇》《大學(xué)英語4級考試》中例句宜改為:①We should refrain from lying with malicious intents. 也可改為:We should restrain ourselves from lying with malicious intents. ②The mother regretted that she had been so severe with her daughter; she should have restrained herself from losing her temper.也可改為:The mother regretted that she had been so severe with her daughter; she should have refrained from losing her temper.
以上相關(guān)動詞的混淆用法,筆者認(rèn)為是因?qū)τ⒄Z動詞搭配用法的疏忽以及語內(nèi)干擾造成的。
王文昌教授在其《英語搭配大詞典》前言中明確指出,英語中的詞語組合浩如煙海,可以將它們粗分成為封閉性(closed)和開放性(open)兩大類。封閉性搭配是在長期使用過程中逐漸形成的習(xí)慣固定詞組;開放性搭配是在千變?nèi)f化的語言環(huán)境(linguistic context)中按照一定的語法結(jié)構(gòu)和語義聯(lián)系造就的靈活詞語組合,可以無限生成。掌握符合習(xí)慣的英語詞語搭配,有助于非英語民族的人克服因受自身民族語言文化的影響而產(chǎn)生的錯(cuò)誤,避免不合習(xí)慣的類推,從而提高運(yùn)用地道英語(idiomatic English)進(jìn)行交際的能力。
語內(nèi)干擾是由于學(xué)習(xí)者對目的語整個(gè)系統(tǒng)了解并不全面,根據(jù)已獲得的目的語知識或經(jīng)驗(yàn),對該語言做出不正確的假設(shè)或過度概括,從而類推出偏離規(guī)則的結(jié)構(gòu)。Richards將這類錯(cuò)誤的起因歸為以下三種:概括過度;忽略規(guī)則限制;不全面應(yīng)用規(guī)則。[18]198-214
綜上所述,我們不難發(fā)現(xiàn),在某些英語作文范文中,確實(shí)存在著不少動詞混淆用法的現(xiàn)象,使得相關(guān)的英語句子不規(guī)范,不地道。筆者認(rèn)為,既然是作文范文,理應(yīng)避免這方面的錯(cuò)誤。否則,很有可能會誤導(dǎo)讀者。筆者指出上述動詞錯(cuò)誤用法,意在提醒讀者注意相關(guān)動詞的正確搭配用法,也同原作者商榷,在圖書再版時(shí),糾正相關(guān)的錯(cuò)誤,讓讀者真正受益,提高英語寫作水平。