不定式主动语态表被动含义

不定式主动语态表被动含义 不定式主动语态表示被动意义 He created his explosive to save lives — lives that were lost because other explosives were dangerous to use. (Passage A, Unit 1) 这句中的to use是不定式的主动语态，但表示被动意义。 英语中有两种语态:主动语态 (active voice) 和被动语态 (passive voice)。一般来说，主动语态表示主动意义，被动语态表示被动意义。然而，主 动语态有时也可用来表示被动意义。 不定式的主动语态表示被动意义往往用在SVC (adj. + inf.)句型，即 “主 语+动词+主语补语”句型，其中的主语补语由 “形容词+不定式”构成。用于这 一句型的形容词较常见的有easy, hard, difficult, good, comfortable, possible, impossible等。在这种情况下，不定式必须用主动语态表示被动意 义，不可用被动语态。例如: Apples are good to eat. *Apples are good to be eaten. (*表示此用法不可接受。下同。) The story is hard to believe (相信). *The story is hard to be believed. This shirt is easy to wash (洗). *This shirt is easy to be washed. Those explosives are dangerous to use. *Those explosives are dangerous to be used. 不定式主动语态表示被动意义不但可用于单词动词(single-word verbs), 如上例，也可用于多词动词(multi-word verbs)。英语中的多词动词有以下几种 类型:动词+介词，动词+副词小品词，动词+副词小品词+介词，动词+名词+介词 等。例如: The chair is comfortable to sit in. *The chair is comfortable to be sat in. The sick baby was difficult to look after. *The sick baby was difficult to be looked after. The light is impossible to turn off. *The light is impossible to be turned off. Money is difficult to save up. *Money is difficult to be saved up. He ran so fast and was hard to catch up with (赶上). *He ran so fast and was hard to be caught up with. The loud cry of that girl was hard to put up with. *The loud cry of that girl was hard to be put up with. This dog is easy to take care of (照料). *This dog is easy to be taken care of. 这里要提示学生注意的是:上面提及的SVC (adj. + inf.)句型只是同类 句型的一种。从语义的角度看，这种句型可分为以下几种类型: (1) Mary is hard to get along with. (= It is hard to get along with Mary.) (2) Mary is kind to wait for me. (= It is kind of Mary to wait for me.) (3) Mary is angry to hear the news. (= To hear the news has made Mary angry.) (4) Mary is quick to learn. (= Mary learns quickly.) 从上面四例可看出，尽管它们都属于SVC (adj. + inf.)句型，但它们的意义是完全不同的。也就是说，它们虽然表层结构相同，但深层结构不同。在这四种类型中，只有第(1)种的不定式是用主动语态来表示被动意义的。其他三种都不表示被动意义，因此不属于本单元讨论的范围。请提示学生不要混淆。 不定式的主动语态表示被动意义除了用于SVC (adj. + inf.)句型外，还可用于其他情况。例如: I have a lot of work to do. *I have a lot of work to be done. 在上例中，因主语是施事者(agent)，因此不定式只可用主动语态。如果主语不是施事者，则主动或被动都可使用。例如: There is a lot of work to do / to be done. 但请注意下面两句在意义上的区别: There’s nothing to do — I’m bored(使厌烦). 没事可做，真无聊～ There’s nothing to be done — we’ll have to buy a new TV set. 毫无，看来只能买一台新的电视机了。