VOA名师答疑2023 系动词和助动词的区别

Hello!

大家好!

This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from Tahir about the difference between linking verbs and helping¹ verbs.

本周《名师答疑》，我们回答塔希尔提出的问题，即系动词和助动词有什么区别。

Hello, What is the difference between the verb “is” in these two sentences?

你好，这两个句子中的动词is有什么不同？

He is a doctor.

他是个医生。

Is he a doctor?

他是医生吗？

I know the first one is a linking verb.

我知道第一个是系动词。

Is the second verb a linking verb or helping verb?

第二个是系动词还是助动词？

Thanks! Tahir.

谢谢!塔希尔。

Thank you Tahir for writing to us.

感谢塔希尔的来信。

Before I answer your question, let’s talk about the difference between linking verbs and helping verbs.

在我回答你的问题之前，我们先谈谈系动词和助动词之间的区别。

A linking verb connects the subject of a sentence with more information about the subject.

系动词将句子的主语与更多关于主语的信息联系在一起。

It is not an action verb.

它不是行为动词。

The verb “to be” and all of its forms are the most common linking verb.

动词to be及其所有形式都是最常见的系动词。

Other linking verbs include, “become,” “seem”, and sense verbs like “feel” and “smell” in some sentences.

其他系动词包括become(成为)、seem(看起来)，以及一些句子中的感觉动词，如feel(感觉)和smell(闻)。

Here is an example of a linking verb.

下面是系动词的一个例子。

My cat is 3 years old.

我的猫3岁了。

The verb in this sentence, “is,” connects the subject “my cat” to more information about him - that he is 3 years old.

这句话中的动词is将主语“我的猫”与关于它的更多信息(它今年3岁)联系在一起。

Helping or auxiliary² verbs are also used along with a main verb.

助动词也与主要动词连用。

Auxiliary verbs “help” the main verb and the rest of the sentence by giving additional³ information about the verb, like tense.

助动词通过提供动词的附加信息，如时态，来“帮助”主要动词和句子的其余部分。

We have three main helping verbs in English “be,” “do,” and “have.”

英语中有三个主要的助动词be、do和has。

Here is an example of a helping verb.

这里有一个助动词的例子。

My cat is watching birds from the window.

我的猫正透过窗户看鸟。

In the sentence the helping verb is “to be” in the third person singular⁴ (is).

在句子中，助动词是to be的第三人称单数形式，即is。

It is helping the verb “watch” along with the present participle ending -ing to become the present progressive⁵ tense.

它帮助动词watch和现在分词结尾-ing一起构成现在进行时。

In this sentence, the verb “is” cannot stand on its own.

在这个句子中，动词is不能独立存在。

It needs a main verb, like “watch.”

它需要一个主要动词，比如watch。

Back to your question, Tahir.

回到你的问题上来，塔希尔。

In your first example the verb “is” is a linking verb.

在你的第一个例子中，动词is是系动词。

He is a doctor.

他是个医生。

The verb “is” connects the subject of “he” with the rest of the sentence that describes the subject.

动词is连接主语he和描述主语的其余部分。

Here the verb “is” can stand on its own without another main verb.

在这里，动词is可以独立存在，不需要另一个主要动词。

So it is not a helping or auxiliary verb.

所以它不是助动词。

The second example is actually a yes or no question.

第二个例子实际上是一个是或否的问题。

We switch the verb to the first position and the subject to the second position to get a question.

我们把动词换到第一个位置，把主语换到第二个位置，就得到一个疑问句。

Is he a doctor?

他是医生吗？

In this question, “is” has a special status called an operator⁶.

在这个问句中，is有一种特殊的地位，称为作用词。

It does not need another helping or auxiliary verb to make a question because it had the role as a linking verb in the original sentence.

它不需要另一个助动词来构成疑问句，因为它在原句中起到了系动词的作用。

Here is another example of a linking verb changing to an operator within a question:

下面是系动词在疑问句中变成作用词的另一个例子：

Is Washington, D.C. the capital of the United States?

美国的首都是华盛顿特区吗？

The answer would be of course “Yes, Washington, D.C is the capital of the United States.”

答案当然是“是的，美国的首都是华盛顿特区”。

In the sentence, the linking verb “is” connects Washington D.C. with the rest of the information about the city.

在句子中，系动词is连接“华盛顿特区”以及关于这座城市的其他信息。

In the question form, “is” begins the question as an operator.

在疑问句中，is以作用词的角色位于问句句首。

It switches places with the subject Washington, D.C. to create the question.

它与主语“华盛顿特区”互换了位置，从而构成问句。

To tell if the verb “to be” is a linking verb or a helping verb, see if there is another verb in the sentence.

要辨别动词to be是系动词还是助动词，看看句子中是否还有其他动词。

If there is, then “to be” acts as a helping or auxiliary verb.

如果有，那么to be充当助动词。

If “to be” is alone and connects the subject to more information about it, then it is a linking verb.

如果to be单独出现，并且将主语与关于它的更多信息联系在一起，那么它就是一个系动词。

Please let us know if these examples and explanations have helped you, Tahir!

请让我们知道这些例子和解释是否对你有帮助，塔希尔！

And that’s Ask a Teacher.

以上就是《名师答疑》。

I’m Faith Pirlo.

我是费思·皮尔洛。

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 auxiliary   

adj.辅助的，备用的

参考例句：

• I work in an auxiliary unit.我在一家附属单位工作。
• The hospital has an auxiliary power system in case of blackout.这家医院装有备用发电系统以防灯火管制。

3 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

4 singular   

adj.个人的，单数的，独一的，唯一的，非凡的；n.单数

参考例句：

• The young man has a singular ear for music.这个年轻人对音乐有非凡的欣赏力。
• The noun is in the singular.这个名词是单数形式。

5 progressive   

adj.先进的；前进的，渐进的；进行式的

参考例句：

• There is often a progressive loss of sight in old age.上了年纪的人视力逐步减退。
• It's a progressive idea.这是一种进步的思想。

6 operator   

n.（机器、设备等的）操作员；电话接线员

参考例句：

• He is a computer operator.他是个电脑操作员。
• The telephone operator connected us.话务员给我们接通了电话。