前兩三期談過了被動語態的變法及在什么情況下要用被動語態。
這里要談的是:如何處理某些句子的被動語態。
先看看雙賓語句子如何變成被動語態。
大家知道,英語有些句子含有兩個賓語:直接賓語和間接賓語。例如:
“The crowd gave the guest a warm welcome ”里,就有雙賓語。一個是直接賓語“a warm welcome” ;另一個是間接賓語“the guest”。
在變成被動語態時,其中一個賓語要成為主語。在一般情況下,我們多以間接賓語為主語,直接賓語留在原位,如:
“The guest was given a warm welome by the crowd ”。
但是,如果重點在直接賓語,直接賓語便要變成被動語態的主語,如:
“We will offer any capable applicant a competitive salary.”要變成:
“A competitive salary will be offered to any capable applicant.”
接著,讓我們看看名詞分句如何變成被動語態,例如:
“People generally feel that social workers are offering valuable services for the public.”這句子可以“it ”作為主語,然后,把名詞分句移到句子后頭去:
“It is generally felt that social workers are offering valuable services for the public.”
另外一種變法是把名詞分句的主語轉為被動句的主語,接著把名詞分句的動詞變成不定式動詞:
“Social workers are generally felt to be offering valuable services for the public.”
最后,談談怎樣把不帶“to”的不定式動詞變成被動語態。例如:
“We saw them go out”和“He made her work”這兩句話里, “go out”和“work” 不帶“to ”,但是當它們變成被動句時,“ to ”出現了:
“They were seen to go out.”和“She was made to work.”
在結束本文之前,順便指出中英文句子結構的一個差異,就是中文含有被動意義的句子,不一定要用“被”字,但在譯成英文時,卻要變成被動語態。例如:
①燈關掉了:The light was turned off (不是:The light turned off)
②會議延期舉行:The meeting will be put off. (不是:The meeting will put off)
③這件事必須保密:This matter should be kept secret.(不是:This matter should be secret)
④發展計劃提早完成:The development project was completed before schedule.
⑤我們學校去年建造了一個新的電腦室: Last year, a new computer room was built in our school.
⑥在舊社會,婦女是受輕視的:In the old society,women were looked down upon.