the 的用法及固定搭配

the

1.the通常用作冠词,有时用作副词。以下从2到29讲的是冠词,从30到34讲的是副词。

2.哪里该用the,哪里不该用the,变化很多,一切该从习惯,不是几条规则所能包括的。在这本词典里讲到不少,如at night,at nights和by night三种表达方式里没有the,但in the night里有the(参见night 3)。往往用the和不用the意思不同,如in front of和in the front of(参见front 1),keep house和keep the house(参见house 1),out of question 和out of the question(参见question 1)。

3.the有时有“的确那一个而不是其他”、“那唯一的”、“那最著名的”、“那最典型的”或“那最理想的”的意思。例如:

  • That is the book I was looking for. (那正是我刚才正在找的那本书。)
  • That is the word to be used here. (那是这里该用的唯一的词。)
  • He is the poet of the day. (他是现代最著名的诗人。)
  • Mary was the landlady. (玛丽是最典型的女房东。)
  • This is the drink for hot weather. (这个是热天最理想的饮料。)

在这种用法里,the该特别重读,手写该加上一横线在下面,印刷用斜体。the的重读,一向作[ðiː],但因为the在不重读的时候通常作[ðə],近几年来也有人在重读的时候读作[ðə],如把the book读作[ˈðəˈbʊk]。

有时重读的the跟重读的a相对。例如:The lecture deals with the novel, not a novel. (这演讲论述长篇小说这文学类型,并不论述某一本长篇小说。)

4.the通常不用在人名、地名或其他专有名词的前面,但有例外:

(1)the用在姓的复数形式的前面,指“…家的人们”,如the Browns。the Browns也许指Brown家全体的人们,也许指Brown家的弟兄们、姐妹们、夫妇们、父子们、母女们,总之指Brown家的两人或两人以上。有一个不合理而合乎习惯的用法该注意:如把the John Browns用来指Brown夫妇和他们的子女,事实上只有John Brown自己叫John Brown,他的妻和子女并不叫John Brown。the Stuarts指英国Stuart王朝。the Ptolemies指埃及Ptolemy王朝。说“唐朝”、“宋朝”等英美人也往往用the T'angs, the Sungs等,实际是不合理的。

(2)Messrs Brown和the Messrs Brown都可以说。注意Brown作单数形式。

(3)the Mrs Browns里的the不可省去。注意Browns作复数形式。

(4)the Miss Browns和the Misses Brown里的the不可省去。参见miss 7

(5)the Brown children,the Brown brothers,the Brown sisters,the brothers Brown,the sisters Brown等表达方式里的the不可省去。

(6)Chairman Mao,Premier Zhou,King George,Queen Elizabeth,General Lee,Professor Clarke等前面没有the,但下面各种表达方式里习惯有the:

  • the Archduke Ferdinand,the Tsar Peter,the Emperor Napoleon,the Empress Wu(武则天)
  • Chairman Mao,Premier Zhou,King George,Queen Elizabeth,General Lee,Professor Clarke等都很普通。但下面各种表达方式都是美国报纸用语:
  • Author Jack London, Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Critic J. Moore, Translator L. S. Greene, Lawyer P. Harrison, Farmer Wilson, Carpenter Maxwell

(7)用Reverend或Rev. 称牧师时前面可以用the或The,也可以不用,参见reverend

(8)下面各种表达方式里都没有the:

dear John, poor John, little John, dear little John, poor little John, young John, old John, beautiful Jane Brown, Immortal Shakespeare, honest James, Heroic Stalingrad, Ancient China, Elizabethan England, Feudal Europe

但the wise Solomon(聪明的所罗门[圣经人名]),the ambitious Caesar (有野心的恺撒[古罗马皇帝])等表达方式里习惯有the,因为那形容词是表示那个人的特性的。相似的有the restless Byron,the dreamy Alice,the frightened Harry,the disappointed Edward等。the younger Pitt和the elder Pitt(都是英国政治家,都叫William Pitt,前者是子,后者是父)等表达方式里也习惯有the。参见young 2

(9)the用在姓的前面有时指有那个姓的最著名的人,例如假定某地有许多姓Brown的人,那最著名的是John Herbert Brown,the Brown便指John Herbert Brown。这样用法的the和3里所讲的the相同,该特别重读,手写该在下面加上一横线,印刷用斜体。

(10)在苏格兰和爱尔兰the用在族长的姓的前面,如the Mackintosh和the Macgillcuddy。

(11)the用在人名或地名前面有时指跟那个人或那地方相像的人或地方。例如:

  • Lu Xun(鲁迅)has been called the Gorky of China.
  • Which city in England do you think may be called the Shanghai of the West?

(12)the用在人名或地名前面有时指某时的某人或某地,有时指有那个名字的某一个个别的人或物。例如:

  • When he came back, he was no longer the Brown we had known twenty years before, nor did he find Tsinan the Tsinan he had then known.
  • The semi-feudal, semi-colonial China we used to live in is now a thing of the past.
  • The William Moore I know is a doctor.
  • The Cambridge, where Harvard University is, is so named in honour of the English university town.

(13)复数形式的地名前面有the。例如:

  • the Alps(山脉)
  • the Rockies(山脉)
  • the Cotswolds(苏格兰的小山脉)
  • the Ural Mountains
  • the Berkshire Hills
  • the East Indies(群岛)
  • the British Isles
  • the Philippine Islands
  • the Highlands(苏格兰的山区)
  • the Lowlands(苏格兰的平原区)
  • the Midlands(英格兰的中区[各郡])
  • the Potteries(英格兰的瓷业区)
  • the Netherlands(国)
  • the United States (of America)(国)
  • the Americas(南北美洲[的各国])
  • the Carolinas(美国的North Carolina和South Carolina两州)
  • the Dakotas(美国的North Dakota和South Dakota两州)

山脉名即使没有Mountains,Hills或...s,前面也有the,如the Altai和the Tianshan(天山)。

(14)河名、海名和洋名的前面有the。例如:

the Thames, the river Thames, the River Thames或the Thames River (参见river), the Yangtze River, the Huanghe, the Volga, the Rhine, the Ganges, the Baltic (Sea), the Caspian (Sea), the Pacific (Ocean), the Atlantic (Ocean)

但英国的地名Stratford-on-Avon,Stoke-on-Trent等里的Avon,Trent等虽然也是河名,却没有the。

(15)关于湖名前面有the或没有the,参见lake

(16)关于山名...Hill前面有the或没有the,参见hill 3

(17)关于路名...Road前面有the或没有the,参见road 3

(18)Argentine,Crimea,Hague,Punjab,Riviera,Sahara,S(o)udan,Transvaal,Tyrol和Ukraine各词的前面习惯有the,参见各词条。Hague前面通常用The,很少用the。

(19)East End(伦敦的东区),West End(伦敦的西区),East Side(纽约的东区),West Side(纽约的西区),English Channel, Persian Gulf各种表达方式前面有the。

但下面各种表达方式的前面没有the:

  • Buckingham Palace(白金汉宫)
  • London Bridge
  • Scotland Yard(伦敦警察厅)
  • Westminster Abbey(威斯敏斯特教堂)

Province of Jiangsu等表达方式前面有the,但Jiangsu Province等表达方式的前面没有the。

(20)船名前面可以有the(或The),也可以没有。在海军界往往不用the(或The),但在一般的文字里通常有the(或The)。用了the(或The)往往可以避免误解,如Queen Mary has just started里的Queen Mary也许指人,也许指船,但The Queen Mary has just started里的The Queen Mary一定指船,不指人。

(21) the Park Hotel, the Bedford(旅馆名),the Spreadeagle Inn, the George(客栈名),the Holborn(餐馆名),the Grand Theatre和the Shaftesbury(戏院名)各种表达方式里习惯有the。假使没有了the,Bedford,Holborn和Shaftesbury是地名,George是人名。

(22)书名、报纸名和杂志名的开首往往有The,如The Concise Oxford Dictionary, The Times和The Humorist。在不以The开首的书名、报纸名或杂志名前面也往往加上the。但假使原来以A开首,便不可有the,如A Dictionary of English Usage,决不可说the A Dictionary of English Usage。假使原来以人名开首或全名是人名,也不可有the,如不可说the Gulliver's Travels和the David Copperfield。但可以说The Dictionary of English Usage on the table is the new edition和The Gulliver's Travels I have borrowed from the library is a cheap reprint。

Bible前面有the。Scriptures前面有the,但Scripture前面没有the。

The Vicar of Wakefield里有The,但Oliver Goldsmith's (The) Vicar of Wakefield里的The可有可无。比较下面两句:

  • I advise you to consult The Oxford Companion to English Literature on the shelf.
  • I advise you to consult the Oxford Companion to English Literature on the shelf.

第二句里的the Oxford Companion to English Literature可能有三个意思:(a)书名里原来没有The或A。(b)书名的第一词原来是The。(c)书名的第一词原来是A。

(23)注意下面三句里的the:

  • A new Jack Lindsay and a new James Aldridge have just appeared, I have bought the Aldridge only. ([现代英国作家]Jack Lindsay的一本新著作和[现代澳洲作家]James Aldridge的一本新著作刚刚出版,我只买了Aldridge的那本新著作。)
  • He wants to sell the Turner. (他要出卖这张[英国19世纪画家Joseph Mallord William]Turner所作的画。)
  • She is sitting in the Ford. (她正坐在这辆Ford牌的汽车里。)

(24)文学作品或艺术作品的名称开首没有The的有时前面也加上the,表示它是著名的,如the Paradise Lost(英国诗人John Milton的长诗)和the Mona Lisa(意大利画家Leonardo da Vinci的名画“蒙娜·丽莎”)。

(25)United States (of America), United Kingdom和United Nations各种表达方式前面必须有the,但它们的简写形式(U.S.(A.), U.K.和U.N.)前面有时没有the。

5.注意下面各句里的English前面的有the或没有the:

  • Does he understand English?
  • Does he understand the English?
  • Is he making a study of the English language?
  • Does he study English literature?
  • Is this translated from the English?
  • This French word is derived from the English.
  • Can he translate from English into Chinese?
  • What is the English for "电木"?
  • He likes the story, but does not like the English.

第一句里的English统指英语,前面没有the。第二句里的the English指“英国民族”。第三句里用language,前面有the(参见language)。第四句里用literature,前面没有the(参见literature 1)。第五句里的English是from的宾语,有English original或English of the author的意思,前面有the。第六句里的English有English origin的意思。第七句里因为Chinese前面没有the,所以English前面也没有the。但加上the也可以。第八句里的English有English word或English expression的意思,前面有the。第九句里的English有English of the story的意思,前面有the。

6.比较下面各语:

  • Byron the poet(1.那著名的诗人拜伦[不是别人]2.就诗人而论的拜伦[不是就人而论或就革命者而论的拜伦])
  • Byron, the poet(拜伦,那著名的诗人)
  • Byron, a poet(拜伦,一个诗人)
  • Byron, poet(跟Byron, a poet意思相同,人名词典等参考资料里往往没有a)
  • the poet Byron(诗人拜伦[不是其他诗人,也不是其他拜伦])

7.下面每组里的三句意思相同(the..., a...和...s都统指...):

  • The dog is a faithful animal.
    A dog is a faithful animal.
    Dogs are faithful animals.
  • I hope this dictionary will prove of great value to the Chinese studentof English.
    I hope this dictionary will prove of great value to a Chinese studentof English.
    I hope this dictionary will prove of great value to Chinese studentsof English.

第一组里的第一句最不普通,第三句最普通。第二组里的第二句不很自然。

注意不说The dogs are faithful animals和This dictionary will prove of great value to the Chinese students of English。下面两句都有the...s,注意指“某个民族”或“某种人”:

  • The Germans are an intersting people.
  • He says he keeps away from the lawyers and the doctors.

一般人统指狗说the dog或dogs而不说the dogs,统指蔷薇花说the rose或roses而不说the roses,动物学家说the dogs,植物学家说the roses。但该注意动物学家所说的the dogs指“狗科”的一切动物,植物学家所说的the roses指“蔷薇科”的一切植物,都是学术上的说法。统指一般的狗,动物学家也说the dog或dogs,统指一般的蔷薇花,植物学家也说the rose或roses。例如:

  • The dog is a faithful animal.
  • Dogs are faithful animals.
  • The rose is a beautiful flower.
  • Roses are beautiful flowers.

8.注意下面第一组里有the,第二组里没有the:

  • Do you play the violin?
    Do you play the piano?
    Do you play the flute?
  • Do you play football?
    Do you play tennis?
    Do you play chess?

下面有两点该注意:

(1)第一组里的名词是乐器名,第二组里的名词是运动项目名。

(2)第一组里的the不可改作a,也不可把the...改作...s。

9.下面每组里的两句意思相同,

  • It is sold at a yuan the catty.
    It is sold at a yuan a catty.
  • I bought these booklets at five yuan the copy.
    I bought these booklets at five yuan a copy.

每组里的第一句不及第二句普通。the的这种用法主要流行在英国。

10.下面两句都作“这本书一千一千地售出”解:

  • This book sells by the thousand.
  • This book sells by thousands.

第二句不及第一句普通。

下面三句里的by the...不可改作by...s:

  • They sell it by the catty. (他们把这东西论斤出售。)
  • He works by the day. (他按日工作。)
  • The boat is hired by the hour. (这船按小时出租。)

11.下面三种表达方式意思不同:

  • on Monday(1.在最近过去的星期一 2.在以后的第一个星期一 3.在每星期一)
  • on the Monday(1.在那个[或已过,或未来的]星期一 2.在每星期一)
  • on Mondays(在每星期一)

12.the用在指人的词的前面有时指那种人的特性。例如:

  • The poet in me was then born. (我便在那个时候生出了诗人的性格。)
  • There is still much of the schoolboy in him. (他仍旧有学童的性格。)

也可以说the poet in us,不说the poets in us。

the用在指物的词的前面有时指跟那东西有关的事物。例如:

  • Peter is too fond of the bottle. (彼得太喜欢喝酒。)
  • He went on the stage at thirty. (他在30岁开始登台演戏。)

13.病名前面有时有the,有时没有,有下面两点该注意:

(1)gout,measles,smallpox,toothache等词的前面现在没有the比有the普通。

(2)creeps(肉麻感),dumps(忧郁病),horrors(惊恐病)等词都有俚语性质,前面习惯有the。

14.关于the twenties,the eighties等表达方式,参见eighty。the 1950's是20世纪50年代。

15.下面每组里的三种表达方式意思相同,注意第一种表达方式里有the,第二种表达方式和第三种表达方式里没有the,第三种表达方式最不普通:

  • the fifth book
    book five
    book fifth
  • the second World War
    World War Il
    World War Second

16.the用在形容词或分词前面指:

(1)…的人们。例如:

  • the poor and the rich(穷人和富人)
  • The sick are here cared for. (病人在这里被看护着。)
  • The wounded and the dying were rushed to hospital. (受伤的人和垂死的人被急送到医院去。)

(2)…的一个人。例如:

  • The deceased (死者) was a great friend of mine.
  • The accused (被告) was soon acquitted.

(3)…的一切。例如:

  • Many readers loved the sensational. (许多读者爱好骇人听闻的一切事情。)
  • He has no eye for the beautiful. (他没有审美的眼光。)

(4)…的一件事。例如:

  • The unexpected always happens. (1.意料不到的事情常会发生。2.天有不测风云。)
  • The inevitable was not long in coming. (不可避免的事不久就发生了。)

可以说the leisured rich(有闲的富人),the hungry poor(饥饿的穷人),the aged poor(年老的穷人),all the bereaved poor of the district(那地方的失去了亲人的穷人)等。

17.两个或两个以上的名词在连用的时候往往省去the,如下面每组里最后一句里的斜体的名词前面没有the:

  • The man sat alone.
    The dog sat alone.
    Man and dog sat together.
  • The boy came up to me.
    The girl came up to me.
    Boy and girl came up to me together.
  • This is good for the body.
    This is good for the mind.
    This is good for the soul.
    This is good for body, mind, and soul.

下面各句里的斜体的名词的前面也没有the:

  • The relations between parent and child are excellent.
  • Information about it is eagerly sought alike by friend and foe.
  • Rider and horse fell.
  • The article deals with the contact between East and West.
  • That is a sonata for violin and piano.
  • I often make mistakes on a typewriter that I never make with pen or tongue.
  • Please pass me pencil and paper.
  • The horizon is the apparent meeting place of earth and sky.
  • Doctor, nurse, and patient have become the best of friends.
  • References must be made to chapter, section, paragraph, page, and line.

from beginning to end, from head to foot, from top to bottom, from cellar to attic, live from hand to mouth (勉强生活着), keep body and soul together (勉强生活着), cannot make head or tail of (不了解)等表达方式里也没有the。这种the的省略也是同一性质的。

18.在亲密些的文字和口语里,往往在father,mother,uncle,nurse,cook等词前面省去the。例如:

  • Father is coming home tomorrow.
  • We are spending a pleasant holiday with mother.
  • Uncle has written us a very charming letter.
  • When the children were playing in the park, nurse talked to a friend.
  • Where is cook off to?

19.在重要职位名称的前面往往省去the。例如:

  • He held the post of (the) headmaster for fifteen years.
  • He is (the) manager of a bank.
  • She is (the) editor of a magazine for women.
  • John, (the) king of England, signed Magna Charta in 1215.

20.在呼唤语前面没有the。例如:

  • Shall I fetch the book, professor?
  • My eyesight is still weak, doctor.

21.在“膳食,一餐(meal)”的名称前面通常没有the。例如:

  • Breakfast is ready.
  • He has asked her to lunch.
  • They left the house after dinner.
  • She came too late for tea.

22.在下面各句里习惯用the而不用物主代词。例如:

  • The stone strunk him in the eye.
  • He touched me on the shoulder.
  • He caught me by the arm.
  • She patted the baby on the head.

注意He touched us on the shoulder里不用shoulders, She patted the babies on the head里不用heads。

23.属于最高级的词前面和序数词前面通常有the,如the youngest boy in the class和the second chapter。但有下面几种例外:

(1)在最高级的意味削弱的时候,如with best wishes和with kindest regards。

(2)在用在谓语里的属于最高级的副词的前面。例如:

  • The story I like best is a long novel.
  • She says she works best early in the morning and worst late at night.
  • What most pleased him (或What pleased him most) was the familiar style of the book.

(3)在most作“大多数(的)”解的时候。例如:

  • Most children like these stories.
  • Most exercise is beneficial.
  • Most of the children like these stories.
  • Most of the exercise is beneficial.

第三句和第四句里的Most of...在美国有时作The most of...,参见most 6

(4)在most作“很(very)”解的时候。例如:

  • It is most kind of you to say so.
  • Her letter is most interesting.

(5)在把属于最高级的形容词用在表示情感(emotion)的时候,比较下面每组里的各句:

  • He is a man of wide sympathies.
    He is a man of very wide sympathies.
    He is a man of the widest sympathies.
    He is a man of widest sympathies.
  • His lecture proved of profound interest.
    His lecture proved of very profound interest.
    His lecture proved of the profoundest interest.
    His lecture proved of profoundest interst.
  • I was in close touch with them.
    I was in very close touch with them.
    I was in the closest touch with them.
    I was in closest touch with them.

每组里的第四句表示情感,但最不普通。

(6)在表语形容词的前面。例如:

  • The river is deepest at this point.
  • It is coldest at midnight.

但必须说This is the deepest part of the river和We have the coldest weather at midnight。

24.有许多习语是一个介词后面接着一个名词,那个名词的前面没有the。例如:

at hand, at home, in bed, in question, on foot, on purpose

有许多习语是一个及物动词后面接着一个名词,或一个不及物动词后面接着一个介词和一个名词,或一个及物动词后面接着一个名词和一个介词,那个名词的前面没有the。例如:

  • catch fire, follow suit, go to school, lose sight of

25.比较下面每组里的两句:

  • The girl Imet at the door told me so.(我在门口遇到的那个女孩子这样告诉我。)
    A girl I met at the door told me so.(我在门口遇到的一个女孩子这样告诉我。)
  • The thirty-five persons are rhe inhabitants of the village.(那二十五个人是那个村的全部居民。)
    The thirty-five persons are inhabitants of the village.(那三十五个人是那个村的居民。)
  • He came with his children a week ago, and the three of them arestill staying with us.(他和他的子女们在一星期以前来,他们一共三人现在还跟我们住在一起。)
    He came with his children a week ago, and three of them are stillstaying with us.(他和他的子女们在一星期以前来,其中三人现在还跟我们住在一起。)

26.在报纸、杂志和书的标题里往往省去the,在广告和商业文件里也往往省去the。例如:

  • (The) Geneva Conference Opens on 17 July(标题)
  • (The) U. S. President in (the) West(标题)
  • Write for (the) free booklet. (广告)
  • Apply to (the) above address. (广告)
  • Use (the) coupon today! (广告或商业文件)
  • Copies of (the) catalogue will be sent shortly. (商业文件)

27.在电报、熟人之间的通信和日记里往往省去the。例如:

  • (I shall) Arrive (at the) office (on) Monday. (电报)
  • Father said (the) football match was a great success. (通信)
  • Perfect weather. (I) Spent (the) whole morning preparing (the) report on (the) Elements of English Phonetics. (The) Cat sat watching (the) goldfish, reminded me of Thomas Gray's poem. (日记)

28.在注解和定义里往往省去the。例如:

  • See (the) next word. (注解)
  • Circle: a space enclosed by a curved line every point of which is (the) same distance from (the) centre. (定义)

29.下面两种表达方式意思相同:

  • the nineteenth and the twentieth century
  • the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries也有人说,但不好,因为这好像说一共有两个或两个以上的19世纪和20世纪。

比较下面每组里的两句:

  • I wish to see the secretary and the treasurer.(secretary 和treasurer是两个人。)
    I wish to see the secretary and treasurer.(secretary和treasurer 是一个人。)
  • The boys and the girls are educated separately.
    The boys and (the) girls are educated together.
  • The father and the son disagree.
    The father and (the) son agree.

Father and son disagree和Father and son agree也可以说,参见17

比较下面两种表达方式:

  • the black and the white cat(两只猫,一黑一白)
  • the black and white cat(一只黑白猫)

the black and white cats可能有四个意思:(1)两只猫,一黑一白。(2)两只黑白猫。(3)两只以上的猫,有黑有白。(4)两只以上的黑白猫。为避免误解起见,该改作:

  • the black and the white cat (1), the two black-and-white cats (2),
  • the black and the white cats (3), the black-and-white cats (4)

其中(4)也可以作“两只猫,一黑一白”解。

30.the往往在属于比较级的形容词或副词前面用作指示副词,作“为了那个”或“到那个程度地”解。例如:

  • Now that he has taken a long rest, he looks the better.
  • If you start now, you will be back the sooner.
  • I am the more interested in his work because he is my cousin.
  • As the hour approached, she grew the more nervous.

none the better, none the less等表达方式里的the就是这个指示副词(参见none 7)。nevertheless里的the也是(参见nevertheless)。

不要以为用在属于比较级的形容词或副词前面的the一定是副词,如下面两句里的the是冠词,不是副词:

  • I do not know which of his parents is the more interested in his work.
  • I do not know which of his parents is the more keenly interested in his work.

31.属于比较级的形容词或副词前面用了副词the,后面不可有than。假使那the不是副词而是冠词,后面也不可有than。参见than 7和8

32.so much the better和so much the worse两种表达方式很普通。严格地说,so much better(或worse)和the better(或worse)意思相同,so much the...有重复的毛病,但事实上so much the better(或worse)很普通。

33.在30里说过,指示副词the作“为了那个”或“到那个程度地”解。决不可在没有这种意思的时候随意用它,如下面两句里的the该删去:

  • That is surely a very important question, but we are the more interested in an entirely different one.
  • We must not expect any help from him, he is the more likely to interfere with our work.

34.从30到33所讲的the是指示副词,下面三句里的斜体the是关系副词,作“到某个程度地”解:

  • The sooner the better. (愈早愈好。)
  • The more learned a man is, the more modest he is (或is he). (一个人学问越好,越是谦虚。)
  • The more he tried to sleep, the more he could not. (他越想要睡着,越睡不着。)
  • She sang the worse, the more she practised. (她练习得越多,唱得越不好。)

下面几点该注意:

(1)一般说来,句子里有了关系副词the,必须也有指示副词the,下面两句不算正当:

  • The darkness increased the farther we advanced into the woods.
  • Men are only too willing to enjoy the amusement afforded by the buffoon, but they will treat him with increased contempt the more he serves them.—Hilaire Belloc

第一句可以改作It was the darker the farther we advanced into the woods。第二句可以改作Men are...with the more contempt the more he serves them。

(2)通常关系副词the在前,指示副词the在后。如第一、第二和第三句,偶尔指示副词the在前,关系副词the在后,如第四句。

(3)关系副词the用在从句的开首,不可用在从句的主语的后面,如不可说He tried the more to sleep, the more he could not或She sang the worse, she practised the more。

(4)the...the...通常用在短句里,往往是省略句,如第一句The sooner the better。

(5)第二句里用he is或is he都可以。同样地,下面每组里的两句都可以说:

  • The more you read, the better you will write.
    The more you read, the better will you write.
  • The harder he worked, the happier he felt.
    The harder he worked, the happier did he feel.

(6)比较下面四句:

  • The more time you devote to your studies, the better.
  • The more the time you devote to your studies, the better.
  • The more the time that (或which) you devote to your studies, the better.
  • The more time that (或which) you devote to your studies, the better.

第一句最好。第二句等于The more the time that (或which) you devote to your studies is, the better。虽然不错,但不很自然。第三句等于第二句,也不很自然。第四句是错误的,该把that(或which)去掉,成为第一句。

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