前兩三期談過(guò)了被動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)的變法及在什么情況下要用被動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)。
這里要談的是:如何處理某些句子的被動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)。
先看看雙賓語(yǔ)句子如何變成被動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)。
大家知道,英語(yǔ)有些句子含有兩個(gè)賓語(yǔ):直接賓語(yǔ)和間接賓語(yǔ)。例如:
“The crowd gave the guest a warm welcome ”里,就有雙賓語(yǔ)。一個(gè)是直接賓語(yǔ)“a warm welcome” ;另一個(gè)是間接賓語(yǔ)“the guest”。
在變成被動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)時(shí),其中一個(gè)賓語(yǔ)要成為主語(yǔ)。在一般情況下,我們多以間接賓語(yǔ)為主語(yǔ),直接賓語(yǔ)留在原位,如:
“The guest was given a warm welome by the crowd ”。
但是,如果重點(diǎn)在直接賓語(yǔ),直接賓語(yǔ)便要變成被動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)的主語(yǔ),如:
“We will offer any capable applicant a competitive salary.”要變成:
“A competitive salary will be offered to any capable applicant.”
接著,讓我們看看名詞分句如何變成被動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài),例如:
“People generally feel that social workers are offering valuable services for the public.”這句子可以“it ”作為主語(yǔ),然后,把名詞分句移到句子后頭去:
“It is generally felt that social workers are offering valuable services for the public.”
另外一種變法是把名詞分句的主語(yǔ)轉(zhuǎn)為被動(dòng)句的主語(yǔ),接著把名詞分句的動(dòng)詞變成不定式動(dòng)詞:
“Social workers are generally felt to be offering valuable services for the public.”
最后,談?wù)勗鯓影巡粠А皌o”的不定式動(dòng)詞變成被動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)。例如:
“We saw them go out”和“He made her work”這兩句話里, “go out”和“work” 不帶“to ”,但是當(dāng)它們變成被動(dòng)句時(shí),“ to ”出現(xiàn)了:
“They were seen to go out.”和“She was made to work.”
在結(jié)束本文之前,順便指出中英文句子結(jié)構(gòu)的一個(gè)差異,就是中文含有被動(dòng)意義的句子,不一定要用“被”字,但在譯成英文時(shí),卻要變成被動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)。例如:
①燈關(guān)掉了:The light was turned off (不是:The light turned off)
②會(huì)議延期舉行:The meeting will be put off. (不是:The meeting will put off)
③這件事必須保密:This matter should be kept secret.(不是:This matter should be secret)
④發(fā)展計(jì)劃提早完成:The development project was completed before schedule.
⑤我們學(xué)校去年建造了一個(gè)新的電腦室: Last year, a new computer room was built in our school.
⑥在舊社會(huì),婦女是受輕視的:In the old society,women were looked down upon.