Chapter 2¶

The Indispensables 不可或缺的词类 Nouns and Verbs 名词（noun）与动词（verb）

Nouns and verbs are two of the most basic and important concepts in grammar.

名词和动词是语法中最基本、最重要的两个概念。

SUBJECTS AND NOUNS 主语与名词

In the sentences we've seen, the simple subjects are all nouns. This traditional definition of nouns will serve our purpose:

在我们见过的句子中，简单主语（simple subject）都是名词。名词的传统定义对我们将很有用：

A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea.

名词是命名人、地点、事物或概念的词。

Nouns name persons: man, woman, child, children, student, teacher, Mr. Morton, Oscar Hammerstein.

名词命名人：man, woman, child, children, student, teacher, Mr. Morton, Oscar Hammerstein。

They name places: kitchen, home, Main Street, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A., North America, Earth, solar system, the Milky Way.

它们命名地点：kitchen, home, Main Street, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A., North America, Earth, solar system, the Milky Way。

They name things: pen, ink, paper, printing press, telegraph, linotype, typewriter, computer, smart phone, internet.

它们命名事物：pen, ink, paper, printing press, telegraph, linotype, typewriter, computer, smart phone, internet。

Nouns also name ideas---that, is, abstractions: science, mathematics, truth, beauty, democracy, Platonism, Catholicism, Calvinism.

名词也命名概念——即抽象概念（abstraction）：science, mathematics, truth, beauty, democracy, Platonism, Catholicism, Calvinism。

Most simple subjects are nouns.

大多数简单主语都是名词。

PREDICATES AND VERBS 谓语与动词

In any sentence, the simple predicate is a verb---an indispensable part of English sentences. For our purposes, this definition will do:

在任何句子中，简单谓语（simple predicate）都是动词——英语句子不可或缺的部分。对我们的目的而言，这个定义就足够了：

A verb is a word or group of words that names an action or indicates a state of being.

动词是命名动作或表示存在状态的词或词组。

There are two general classes of verb. One kind of verb---an action verb---names actions:

动词分为两大类。一类是动作动词（action verb），命名动作：

Hammerstein composed.

George loves Ethel.

Pearl painted Mr. Morton's porch.

Another kind of verb names "states of being"---that is, they appear in predicates that describe the subject. These verbs are called linking verbs.

另一类动词命名"存在状态"——也就是说，它们出现在描述主语的谓语中。这些动词被称为连系动词（linking verb）。

Gershwin was a composer.

George became thoughtful.

Pearl seems busy.

There are thousands of verbs in English, and the great majority of them are action verbs: sit, stand, hit, run, hide, seek, say, sing, create, declare, denounce, pontificate, shout, cry, laugh, and all the rest.

英语中有成千上万个动词，其中绝大多数是动作动词：sit, stand, hit, run, hide, seek, say, sing, create, declare, denounce, pontificate, shout, cry, laugh 等等。

Some action verbs name activities that are not actions in the usual sense: have, pause, think, consider, wait.

有些动作动词命名的活动并非通常意义上的动作：have, pause, think, consider, wait。

There are relatively few linking verbs in English. The most common are the eight forms of the verb be:

英语中的连系动词相对较少。最常见的是动词 be 的八种形式：

be are been is being was am were

It's helpful to commit all the forms of be to memory, because you'll need to recognize them again and again in this book and in other works about English grammar.

熟记 be 的所有形式很有帮助，因为你在本书和其他英语语法著作中需要反复识别它们。

Here are some of the other linking verbs: seem, become, remain. Many linking verbs are related to our senses: look, feel, smell, sound, taste, appear:

以下是一些其他的连系动词：seem, become, remain。许多连系动词与我们的感官有关：look, feel, smell, sound, taste, appear：

Bill looked angry.

Bill sounded angry.

Bill felt angry.

The kitchen smelled wonderful.

The soup tasted good.

The examples of linking verbs may seem confusing because some verbs can be used as action verbs (Bob appeared suddenly) or as linking verbs (Bob appeared ill).

连系动词的例子可能显得令人困惑，因为有些动词既可以用作动作动词（Bob appeared suddenly），也可以用作连系动词（Bob appeared ill）。

To clarify the differences, consider the following pairs of sentences. The first sentence in each pair contains a linking verb; the second contains an action verb:

为了澄清区别，请考虑以下成对的句子。每对中第一个句子包含连系动词，第二个包含动作动词：

Frank felt well.

Frank felt the cold air.

Marsha looked wonderful.

Marsha looked out the window.

The tomatoes tasted sweet.

We tasted the tomatoes.

Ed remained stubborn.

Ed remained in his room.

In each pair, the first sentence with the linking verb describes the subject in some way. The second sentence with the action verb tells us what the subject did. Many of the words that follow the verbs are not modifiers but other kinds of words that we'll learn about soon.

在每对中，含有连系动词的第一个句子以某种方式描述主语。含有动作动词的第二个句子告诉我们主语做了什么。动词后面的许多词不是修饰语（modifier），而是我们很快会学到的其他类型的词。

AUXILIARY VERBS AND MAIN VERBS 助动词（auxiliary verb）与主动词（main verb）

Compare the verbs in these pairs of sentences:

比较以下成对句子中的动词：

Mr. Morton broke the vase.

Mr. Morton has broken another vase.

Jeff sang an old Irish song.

Jeff should have sung an old Lithuanian song.

Martha won the race.

Martha should have been winning all along.

In the second sentence of each pair, the simple predicate consists of more than one verb. In any sentence, the verb can be one to four words long:

在每对的第二个句子中，简单谓语包含不止一个动词。在任何句子中，动词可以有一到四个词长：

Mr. Morton broke the vase.

Mr. Morton has broken another vase.

Mr. Morton has been breaking vases all afternoon.

Mr. Morton should not have been juggling vases.

In any sentence with two or more words in the verb, the rightmost verb is called the main verb. In the four sentences just above, broke, broken, breaking, and juggling are the main verbs.

在任何动词部分有两个或更多词的句子中，最右边的动词称为主动词。在上面四个句子中，broke、broken、breaking 和 juggling 是主动词。

All the other words in the underlined verb are auxiliary verbs (sometimes called helping verbs). Together the auxiliary verbs and the main verb make the simple predicate, which is the entire verb of the sentence. The simple predicate can be one to four words long and includes only the main verb (which is always present) and its auxiliary verbs (if any).

动词部分中所有其他的词都是助动词（有时称为 helping verb / 辅助动词）。助动词和主动词一起构成简单谓语，即句子的整个动词部分。简单谓语可以有一到四个词长，仅包括主动词（始终存在）及其助动词（如有）。

It is the main verb that determines if the simple predicate is an action verb or linking verb.

正是主动词决定了简单谓语是动作动词还是连系动词。

Here's a list of the auxiliary verbs in English:

以下是英语中的助动词列表：

am are is was were be been being have has had do does did can could shall should will would may might must

There are eight forms of be, three forms of have, three forms of do, three rhyming pairs (can/could; shall/should; will/would), and three m- verbs. Sometimes words like ought to and have to are included among the auxiliaries. We'll discuss those later in Chapter 20.

有八种 be 的形式，三种 have 的形式，三种 do 的形式，三对押韵组合（can/could；shall/should；will/would），以及三个 m- 动词。有时像 ought to 和 have to 这样的词也被列入助动词之中。我们将在第 20 章中讨论这些。

You don't have to memorize the entire list, but you should refer to it often until you can recognize auxiliary verbs when you see them. You should also learn all the forms of the verb be in the first column.

你不必记住整个列表，但应该经常参考它，直到你看到助动词时能够识别出来。你还应该学会第一列中动词 be 的所有形式。

Remember that auxiliary verbs always come before the main verb. Also notice that some auxiliaries can be used as main verbs:

请记住，助动词始终出现在主动词之前。还要注意，有些助动词可以用作主动词：

Rhianna was planning the party. [Was is the auxiliary.] [Was 是助动词。]

Rhianna was early. [Was is the main verb.] [Was 是主动词。]

The Browns have purchased the gift. [Have is the auxiliary.] [Have 是助动词。]

The Browns have the receipt. [Have is the main verb.] [Have 是主动词。]

The Greens do like reading. [Do is the auxiliary.] [Do 是助动词。]

The Greens do the dishes every day. [Do is the main verb.] [Do 是主动词。]

Still other auxiliaries in the list are used only as auxiliaries, as in these examples:

列表中还有其他助动词仅用作助动词，如下例所示：

Al can go.

Al could go.

Al will go.

Al would go.

Al shall go.

Al should just go.

Hal may go.

Hal might tango.

No, Hal must go.

Notice that many of the auxiliaries are present or past forms: Could, should, and would are the past forms of can, shall, and will. We see this usage in sentences like this:

请注意，许多助动词有现在形式和过去形式：could、should 和 would 是 can、shall 和 will 的过去形式。我们在如下句子中看到这种用法：

My uncle can play the harmonica well.

My late uncle could play the harmonica well.

In Chapter 20, we'll see some of these same words used as modal auxiliaries, which often indicate a future possible action:

在第 20 章中，我们将看到这些词中的一部分用作情态助动词（modal auxiliary），它们通常表示未来可能的动作：

If you practiced, you could play the harmonica well.

The verb do is also worth a bit of attention, because we use it in English as an auxiliary for questions and for emphasis:

动词 do 也值得稍加关注，因为我们在英语中将其用作疑问句和强调的助动词：

Does Paula write well?

Yes, Paula does write well.

Did Paula arrive early?

Yes, Paula did arrive early.

When you're learning another language and want to translate an English sentence that uses do for a question or for emphasis, you'll probably find that other languages don't use their equivalent of do in this way.

当你在学习另一门语言并想翻译一个使用 do 表疑问或强调的英语句子时，你可能会发现其他语言并不以这种方式使用其对应的 do。

Sometimes the complete verb is interrupted by another word or two. These usually appear after the first auxiliary verb:

有时完整动词会被一两个其他的词打断。这些词通常出现在第一个助动词之后：

Mr. Morton has actually broken another vase.

Mr. Morton should probably not have been juggling vases.

We will definitely not be inviting Mr. Morton back.

The words that interrupt the verb are adverbs, which we'll learn about shortly.

打断动词的那些词是副词（adverb），我们很快就会学到。

POINTS FOR WRITERS 写作要点

Subject-verb agreement. 主谓一致（subject-verb agreement）

One of the most basic features of English is that the form of the verb sometimes changes to match a change in the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb will have one form:

英语最基本的特征之一是，动词的形式有时会改变以匹配主语的变化。如果主语是单数（singular），动词将采用一种形式：

Pam sings.

Mom drives.

Ed listens.

But if the subject is plural, the verb may take another form:

但如果主语是复数（plural），动词可能采用另一种形式：

Pam and Jim sing.

Mom and Dad drive.

Ed and Alice listen.

The change in the verb for singular and plural subjects is called subject-verb agreement. The verb must agree with the subject.

动词为匹配单数和复数主语而发生的变化称为主谓一致。动词必须与主语保持一致。

Agreement doesn't make the verb change in every case. For instance, the verb doesn't change form when the sentence is about something that happened in the past:

一致并非在所有情况下都使动词发生变化。例如，当句子涉及过去发生的事情时，动词不改变形式：

Pam sang.

Pam and Jim sang.

Mom drove.

Mom and Dad drove.

Ed listened.

Ed and Alice listened.

If you've spoken English since you were young, you probably make the verb agree without even being aware of it because it's second nature to you. We'll look more closely at agreement in Chapter 9.

如果你从小就说英语，你很可能在没有意识到的情况下就使动词保持一致，因为这对你来说是第二天性。我们将在第 9 章中更仔细地探讨一致问题。

May and can.

As you may already know, there is an important difference between the auxiliary verbs may and can. May is often used to ask or grant permission or to indicate possibility:

正如你可能已经知道的，助动词 may 和 can 之间有一个重要区别。may 常用于请求或授予许可，或表示可能性：

May Jim leave the room?

Yes, Jim may.

Jim may leave, but he hasn't decided.

Can is used to discuss ability:

can 用于讨论能力：

Can Jim reach the top shelf?

I think he can.

In everyday conversation, we often confuse can and may, and it seldom matters because our listeners can understand us in the immediate context. In careful writing, the distinction may be important, and failing to observe it is sometimes seen as a mark of a careless writer.

在日常会话中，我们经常混淆 can 和 may，但这很少有问题，因为听者能在即时语境中理解我们。在严谨的写作中，这一区别可能很重要，未能遵守有时会被视为粗心作者的标志。

EXERCISES 练习

2a. In the sentences below, underline the complete predicates. Then enclose the simple subjects and simple predicates in brackets, like this:

在以下句子中，在完整谓语下划线。然后用括号标出简单主语和简单谓语，如下所示：

[Sue] [did call] yesterday.

The family was having coffee.
The family was content.
Without warning, John entered the room.
John made an announcement.
The vases are gone.
The family became furious.
Mr. Morton had struck again.
Mr. Morton had some nerve.
Someday that man will regret his actions.
Mr. Morton's reputation has been damaged by these allegations.
Everywhere people are hiding their vases.
Mr. Morton seems a little strange.

2b. Now, in the sentences that you just examined, identify action verbs (with A) and linking verbs (with L), as in this example:

现在，在你刚才检查过的句子中，用 A 标出动作动词，用 L 标出连系动词，如下例所示：

[Sue] [did call] yesterday. (A)

2c. Finally, identify the auxiliary verbs and the main verb in each sentence you've examined. Remember, if there's only one verb, it must be the main verb.

最后，在你检查过的每个句子中，标出助动词和主动词。记住，如果只有一个动词，那它一定是主动词。