witness

1.witness（目击者）后面接of或to都可以。例如：I was a witness of（或to）the accident.

2.I was (a) witness of（或to）the accident里的a可有可无。am（或is等）witness of（或to）里通常省去a。即使那主语是复数，也通常用witness而不用witnesses。例如：They were witness(es) of（或to）the accident. stand witness也是这样。例如：We stand witness(es) in this age to the decline of colonialism in Africa.

3.witness（［法律上的］证人）前面往往没有the。例如：Then (the) witness was ordered to keep back.

4.下面一句里的witness通常被当作属于虚拟语气的不及物动词，作“供给证据”解，习惯用在它的主语前面。例如：He is afraid, (as) witness his hesitation. （他是恐惧的，这可以从他的迟疑看出。）把分号改作逗号也可以，as可有可无。但也有人说witness是名词，(as) witness his hesitation=his hesitation (being) (as) witness。