专有名词可用作可数名词吗

 

一般说来,专有名词具有独一无二的含义,因此它通常没有复数形式,即不可数。但是,专有名词的独一无二性通常是相对的,随着范围的扩大,这种独一无二性便会受到破坏。比如在一个小范围内,可能只有一个Smith,但在一个较大的范围内则可能有两个或多个Smiths, 因此我们有时会见到这样的句子:

There are two Smiths in our school. 我们学校有两个史密斯。

另外,若专有名词转化成了普通名词,也可以是可数的

A Mrs Tadley is waiting to see you. 一位姓塔德利的夫人正等着见您。

A Mr Smith is asking for the manager. 一位名叫史密斯先生的人要找经理。

When he bought the picture he was told it was a Rubens, but he later found out it was a forgery. 有人告诉他那是鲁宾斯的画,但后来他发现那是赝品。

Thousands of Lei Fengs have emerged in China. 中国涌现出了千千万万个雷锋。

There are indeed some big cities in our country, but there doesn’t seem to be a New York or a Tokyo. 在我国的确有些大城市,可似乎没有像纽约、东京那样的城市。