《英语语法大全》原版书名：A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language

《英语语法大全》原版作者：Randolph Quirk, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, Jan Svartvik

说明：蓝色字为语法说明原文，绿色字为语法说明的翻译，黑色字为相关例句和翻译

 

Adjectives with complementation 带补足语的形容词

7.22 Adjectives with complementation (cf 16.68ff) normally cannot have attributive position but require postposition. Compare:

※带有补足语的形容词通常（参见16.88ff）不能放在定语位置上，而是要求放在名词的后面。试比较：

正：a suitable actor

误：*a suitable for the part actor

The complementation can be a prepositional phrase or a to-infinitive clause:

※这种补足语可以是一个介词短语，也可以是一个带to的不定式分句：

I know an actor suitable for the part. [l]

我认识一个适合扮演这个角色的演员。

They have a house larger than yours. [2]

他们的房子比你的大。

The boys easiest to teach were in my class. [3]

那些最容易教的男孩子是我班的。

Students brave enough to attempt the course deserve to succeed. [4]

那些敢于尝试学这门课的学生应该获得成功。

The postpositive structures can of course be regarded as reduced relative clauses:

※当然，可以把这种后置结构看成是缩简的关系分词：

I know an actor who is suitable for the part. [la]

If the adjective is alone or merely premodified by an intensifier, postposition is not normally allowed:

※如果形容词被单独使用，或只被一个强化语所修饰，一般来说，这个形容词就不能放在它所修饰的名词后面：

*They have a house (much) larger.

*The soldiers (rather) timid approached their officer.

 

 

However, if the noun phrase is generic and indefinite, coordinated adjectives, or adjectives with some clause element added, can be postposed, though such constructions are formal and rather infrequent:

※然而，如果名词短语是类指或不定指的，那么并列的形容词或附有某种分句成分的形容词就可以放在它的后面。不过，这样的结构比较正式而且相当少见：

Soldiers timid or cowardly don’t fight well. [5]

胆小或怯懦的士兵打不好仗。

Soldiers normally timid don’t fight well. [6]

平日胆小的士兵不善战。

A man usually honest will sometimes cheat.[7]

平常诚实的人有时也会骗人。

The more usual constructions are premodification or a relative clause:

※更为常见的结构是采用前置修饰或关系分句的形式：

Timid or cowardly soldiers ... [5a]

Soldiers who are timid or cowardly ... [5b]

Soldiers who are normally timid ... [6a]

A man who is usually honest ... [7a]

Like relative clauses, postposed adjectives may be restrictive or nonrestrictive, eg:

※后置形容词和关系分句一样，可以是限制性的，也可以是非限制性的。如：

Soldiers normally timid don’t fight well.

平日胆小的士兵不善战。

[‘Soldiers who are ...’][generic and indefinite noun head] [6]

[‘Soldiers who are ...’][类指或不定指名词中心词] [6]

The soldiers, normally timid, fought bravely.

[‘The soldiers, who were ...’][specific and definite noun head] [6b]

[‘The soldiers, who were ...’][特指或定指名词中心词] [6b]

The adjective of an adjective phrase can often be attributive, leaving its complementation in postposition. Thus, equivalent to sentences [2] and [3] are the somewhat more informal sentences [2a] and [3a]:

※形容词短语中的形容词往往可以放在定语位置上，而它的补足语则放在名词后面。所以例[2a]与[3a]两句和例[2]与[3]两句意思相等，只是文体上[2a]与[3a]不如[2]与[3]正式。

They have a larger house than yours. [2a]

他们的房子比你的大。

The easiest boys to teach were in my class. [3a]

那些最容易教的男孩子是我班的。

 

 

An adjective modified by enough, too, or so can be separated from its complementation if the modified adjective is placed before the indefinite (or zero) article of the noun phrase [8, 9]:

※如果把由 enough, too 或 so 修饰的形容词放在名词短语中的不定冠词（或零冠词）之前例[8, 9]，这个形容词可以和它的补足语分开：

She is brave enough a student to attempt the course. [8]

她是一个有足够勇气选这门课程的学生。

It was too boring a book to read. [9]

With enough, the construction is more common if the adjective is premodified by not, as in [8a]:

※对enough来说，如果形容词被前面的not所修饰，这种结构就更为常见，如[8a]：

She is not brave enough a student to attempt the course. [8a]

她不是一个有足够勇气选这门课程的学生。

But with enough and too, this construction seems to be possible only if the adjective phrase is part of the subject complement or object complement (compare [8] and [8b]):

※但是，对于enough和too来说，只有形容词短语作为主语补足语或宾语补足语的一部分时，这种结构看来才能成立（试将例[8]与例[8b]比较）：

误：*Brave enough a student to attempt the course deserves to succeed. [8b]

With so the construction is also possible if the adjective phrase is part of the subject or object [10]:

※对于so来说，如果形容词短语作是主语或宾语的一部分，这种结构同样可能成立，例[10]：

A man so difficult to please must be hard to work with. [10]

So difficult a man to please must be hard to work with. [10]

一个如此难以取悦的人一定很难共事。

 

 

Exceptionally, certain short prepositional phrases may also premodify an adjective in attributive position: (www.yywords.com)

※在例外的情况下，某些短的介词短语也可以前置修饰一个处于定语位置的形容词：

a by no means irresponsible action

～an action (which is) by no means irresponsible

Compound modifiers usually denoting measurements may have either attributive or postpositive position (note also the foot -feet shift):

※通常表示度量的复合修饰语可以放在定语的位置上，也可以放在所修饰的成分后面（同时注意foot～feet的变化）：

a 5000-foot high mountain (www.yygrammar.com)

～a mountain (which is) 5000 feet high

Note We find the postposition of adjectives in poetry in cases where attributive position is the norm elsewhere in the language, eg:

注：我们可以看到，英语中，在其他地方按规范处于定语位置上的形容词，在诗歌里却往往置于它所修饰的名词之后。如：

Ben Battle was a soldier bold... (Thomas Hood)

 

（待续）