小议英语专业学生学习英语语法的常见错误
and achievenew and greater successes.
Correction: May you continue in your efforts and achievenew and greater success.
评析:情态动词,尤其是should have done,could havedone,would have done的使用与虚拟语气有一定的联系。学生在学习了虚拟语气中表示在将来不太可能发生的情况并省略if的形式后,喜欢把should用在句首,而忘记了may作情态动词表达祝愿。如:May you be happy.
Faulty:Two eyes should see more than one.
Correction:Two eyes can see more than one.
评析:此种错误是典型的用中文来思考英文犯下的。句子译为:两只眼睛看得比一只多。学生在使用中觉得两只眼睛应该比一只看得多,忘记了can的作为情态动词的意思是表:有……能力。
Faulty: Though he was very tired, he could finish therace.
Correction: Though he was very tired, he was able to finish the race.
评析:在表示有……能力的情态动词中,can用于现在时。could用于过去时,而can和could均只能表示有能力,而不能表示是否去做。学生经常不能区分:can (could)表示有能力,与be able to表示不管有无能力,都做了。如:I could learn English.与I was able to learn English.前者表:我有能力学英语(但事实上没有学);后者表:我学了英语(经常情况表示本没有能力,但经过努力成功)。
Faulty: He mustn't be home for he is on a business trip.
Correction: He can't be home for he is on a business
trip.
评析:must表示必须,故学生在使用中把must的否定形式认为表必须不,肯定不。这又是用中文思考英文犯下的一个典型错误。mustn’t译为禁止,不能表推测,只能使用表示否定推测中确定性最大的can’t。
2.4 一致关系错误Faulty: Five hundred dollars were spent yesterday.Correction: Five hundred dollars was spent yesterday.
评析:一致关系中的谓语动词用单数或复数一直是学生在学习中的一个难题。在使用中,一看到复数dollars马上就用了复数谓语动词were,而没有去考虑在英语语法中,需把度量衡、金钱、时间看成一个整体概念,用单数was来表示。
Faulty: What he wants are a recorder and radio.
Correction: What he wants is a recorder and radio.
Faulty: What he wants is a recorder and a radio.
Correction: What he wants are a recorder and a radio.
评析:本句译为他要的东西是……。如后面的物体是多个,用复数;单个,用单数。a recorder and mdio是单个物体:能听广播的录音机。在英语语法中此种表达法较常见,如:Here comesthe manager and CEO of our company,the mmaager and CEO指的是一个人:经理兼首席执政官;经理和首席执政官两个人用the manager and the CEO来表示。在后一个句子中,学生一见a,马上判断后面为单个物体,故使用了is,没有注意到and后面还有一个其他的物体。故应用复数are。
Faulty: The committee is unable to agree on the policy.
Correction: The committee are unable to agree on the policy.
Faulty: The committee have