(b)这种结构还可以指动词的宾语而言:
The case is light enough for me to carry.相当于:
The case is so light that I can carry it.
这箱子很轻,我搬得动。
After a few minutes the coffee was cool enough(for us) to drink.
几分钟后,咖啡凉了一些,(我们)可以喝了。
(c)这种结构也可以指介词的宾语而言:
The ice was thick enough to walk on.
冰厚得上面可以走人。
The light was strong enough to read by.
光线亮得足可以看书。
2 enough既可作代词用,也可作形容词用:
He doesn’t earn enough(money) to live on.
他挣的钱不够过日子的。
We haven’t enough time to do it properly.
我们没有足够的时间把这件事做好。
She had enough sense to turn off the gas.
她还有点脑筋,知道关掉煤气。
have+enough+抽象名词结构常常可以用have+the+名词结构替代:
She had the sense to turn off the gas.
她还有点脑筋,知道关掉煤气。
He had the courage to admit his mistake.
他有勇气承认自己的错误。
I hadn’t the patience to listen to any more.
我没有耐心再听下去了。
但这里time之前的the可省略:
We haven’t(the)time to do it properly.
我们没有足够的时间把这件事做好。
3 副词+enough+不定式:
He didn’t jump high enough to win a prize.
他跳得不够高,没能得奖。
He spoke slowly enough for everyone to understand.
他说得很慢,每个人都听得懂。
C so+形容词+as+不定式:
He was so foolish as to leave his car unlocked.
他真傻,车都没有锁。
这种说法可用来代替上面B1中的enough结构,但必须注意He was foolish enough to leave his car unlocked的含义既可以是他实际这样做了,也可以是他可能这样做,即他傻到竟会不知道锁车的地步;而 He was so foolish as to leave则意指他实际上这样做了。
像上边讲的so…as结构的那种用法不常见,但它用为一种请求形式则是很常见的:
Would you be so good as to forward my letters?相当于:
Would you be good enough to forward my letters?
劳驾把我的信件转给我,好吗?
这两种形式之间并无含义上的差别,但千万不要遗漏as。(关于其他形容词+不定式结构参见第26节与第27节。)
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[Amber demo]
253 位于句首或句末的不定式短语
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某些特定的不定式短语既可位于句首,有时也可位于句末。不定式的这种作用与修饰全句的状语相似(参见第40节):
To be perfectly frank,you’re a bad driver.
非常坦率地说,你车开得不好。
To be honest, I just don’t like him.
说老实话,我就是不喜欢他。
To be fair(to him), he wasn’t entirely to blame.
说句公平话,这事不能都怪他一个人。
To cut a long story short, we said,‘No!’
长话短说吧,我们没有同意。
To tell you the truth,I’ve never met him./I’ve never met him, to tell
you the truth.
给你说真的,我从没见过他。
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[Amber demo]
254 不定式的进行式
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A 形式
to be+现在分词:
He seems to be following us.
他好像在跟着我们。
B 用法
不定式的进行式可用于:
1 助动词之后:
They’ll be wondering where you are.
他们会纳闷你在哪里。
—He may/might be watching TV.
—He can’t/couldn’t be watching TV.
—他可能在看电视。
—他不会在看电视。
There are no programmes today because of the strike.
由于罢工,今天没有节目。(否定的推论)
He must be coming by bus.
他一定是乘公共汽车来。(推论)
You shouldn’t be reading a novel.You should be reading a textbook.
现在你不该看小说,你应该看课本。
2 appear,happen,pretend,seem之后:
He appears/seems to be living in the area.相当于:
It appears/seems that he is living in the area.
(看来)他似乎就住在这一带。
He appeared/seemed to be living in the area.相当于:
It appeared/seemed that he was living in the area.
当时(看来)他似乎就住在那一带。
I happened to be standing next to him when he collapsed.相当于:
It happened that I was standing next to him when he collapsed.
他倒下的时候我恰巧站在他旁边。
He pretended to be looking for a book.相当于:
He pretended that he was looking for a book.
他假装在找书。
3 hope和promise之后,或agree,arrange,decide,determine/be determined,plan,undertake之后,但用于hope和promise后更常见:
I hope/hoped to be earning my living in a year’s time.相当于:
I hope I will/I hoped I would be earning…
我希望在一年内能自食其力。
determine/be determined,plan等词可代替上面句子中的hope,然而意思稍有不同:
I promised to be waiting at the door when he came out.
我答应在门口一直等到他出来。
agree, arrange, decide, determine/be determined, plan, under-take等词可代替上面句子中的promise,意思各不相同。
4 在被动时态的 believe, consider, suppose, think等之后:He is believed to be living in Mexico.
据信他现在住在墨西哥。(参见第306节。)
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[Amber demo]
255 不定式的完成式
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A 形式
to have+过去分词:
to have worked
to have spoken
B 与助动词连用
1与 was/were连用表示未完成的计划或安排(参见第114节):
The house was to have been ready today.
这座房子本应该今天竣工。