“泛指”与“特指”的转化与活用

 　　泛指（GENERIC REFERENCE）和特指（SPECIFIC REFERENCE）是每年高考必考的一组概念，在英语中广泛使用。“泛指”是指普遍、不确定的人或事物，而“特指”则是指具体、特定的人或事物。在实践中，这两个概念是可以灵活运用且相互转换的。下面分几个方面谈谈：

　　一、“泛指”与“特指”的多种表达

　　说起“泛指”，我们马上想起不定冠词(a/an)，其实不带冠词的不可数名词和复数名词都可以表“泛指”， 有些表“不定”概念的限定词（another, some, a few, most, enough, hundreds of, plenty of等 ）也可以充当这个作用。例如:

　　I want to buy a book/some books. Books are of great use. Air is all around us.

　　I will stay there for a few days/another few days.

　　“特指”经常由定冠词（the）或表“特定”概念的限定词（物主代词，指示代词，名词所有格等）来充当。假如将“中国的第二大河流”说成 “China’s the second longest river” 是不妥当的， 因为China’s 和the 在“特指”的概念上是重复的。“那个门破了的教室”既可以译成 “the classroom whose door is broken”也可以说成 “the classroom the door of which is broken”，因为 “door” 前应该有个表“特指”的限定词。同样，“with one’s help/ take one’s place” 可能在另一场合会变成“with the help of/ take the place of”。

　　在表达“倍数”时，我们常常看到这样一个公式：“倍数 + the + 名词(size/height/ length) + of ”。如果把它改为“倍数 + 表特指的名词/代词”就可以更好理解的下面的句子了：

　　① The size of the newly¹ broadened² square is four times that of the previous one. (That=the size)

　　② I offer ten times the money that Antonia has borrowed. =I offer ten times what Antonia has borrowed. (what=the money that 定语从句)

　　③ You can’t imagine that rats eat 40 to 50 times their weight.（their weight=the weight of rats）

　　二、“泛指”与“特指”的转化

　　“泛指”与“特指”在不同的语境中并非一成不变，它们是可以转换的。

　　（一）“泛指”转化为“特指”

　　1．① I spent many happy hours with them.

　　② This picture reminds me of the many happy hours I spent with them.

　　2．① I bought a few books in the bookstore.

　　② The few books I bought in the bookstore are written in English.

　　3．① I don’t feel like drinking water.

　　② I don’t feel like drinking the water from this well.

　　4．① Cotton played an important part in Industrial Revolution³.

　　② The most important thing about cotton in history is the important part that it played in Industrial Revolution.

　　5．① I have done a little to help you.

　　② I hope the little that I’ve been able to do has been of some use to you.

　　以上的②句中的划线部分都是由于有一个定语限定而转化为“特指”。

　　另外，在一些限定词的后面只能接泛指的名词，如：a lot of, plenty of, dozens of, hundreds of等。然而，有些却可以增加一个 “of”，便只能后接特指的成分：

　　后接表“泛指”的名词 后接表“特指”的名词/代词

　　some (students) some of （the students）

　　a good many （people） a good many of （the people）

　　most of （us）

　　a dozen a dozen of （these apples）

　　five hundred five hundred of （them）

　　（二）“特指”转化为“泛指”

　　1．When the spaceship traveled above, a new-looking earth appeared before us, an earth that we had never seen before. 当宇宙飞船在上空运行时，一个全新的地球出现在我们面前，以往我们都不曾看过。

　　2．It is a world of wonders, a world where anything can happen.(2004福建卷)

　　3．It’s really fun to walk alone with a full moon hanging in the sky.

　　4．Having been overseas⁴ for half a century, he returned and found himself in a brand-new China.

　　本来“the earth/ the world/ the moon/ China”都是特指的，但是，如果增加一些修饰成分之后，指不同时期、不同角度看到的或不同形状的“地球、世界、月亮、中国”的话，它们就转化为泛指了。

　　5．I knew a John Lennon, but not the famous one. (2005高考山东卷)

　　John Lennon是一个著名歌手，当然是特指。句中的a John Lennon= another person whose name happened to be John Lennon, 是泛指。

　　6．① He, who led the USA through these years, was shot⁵ on April 14, 1865 at a theatre in Washington⁶, D.C.

　　② He who doesn’t reach the Great Wall is not a true man. 不到长城非好汉。

　　第一个He=Abraham Lincoln，是特指，要用非限制性定语从句；第二个He= anyone，是泛指。

　　7．①—What new subjects are you going to have in the second grade?(特指)

　　—I’m going to learn a second foreign language.（表“又一”，泛指。）

　　② No one can have a higher IQ (=an IQ which is even higher) than the taller of the twin brothers.

　　③ The most diligent⁷ student in our class have a most（=very）interesting book.

　　一般情况下，在比较级、最高级、序数词中用 “a/an”表“泛指”，用 “the”表“特指”。

1 newly   

adv.新近，最近；重新，再度；以新的方式

参考例句：

• Have you reviewed for this newly published novel?你给这本新出版的小说写书评了吗？
• It is a newly planted tree and it has not established yet.这是一颗新栽的树，还没有扎下根来。

2 broadened   

使…变宽，扩展( broaden的过去式和过去分词 )； 增长（经验、知识等）

参考例句：

• The advertisements of costume in Paris broadened his outlook. 巴黎的服装广告使他大开眼界。
• This broadened my vision and knowledge. 这件事使我打开了眼界，增长了知识。

3 revolution   

n.革命，大变革；旋转；周期，循环

参考例句：

• The earth makes a yearly revolution around the sun.地球每年绕太阳一周。
• This volume records the history of the country's revolution.这卷书记载了这个国家的革命历史。

4 overseas   

adj.海外的；adv.在海外

参考例句：

• Her man has been sent overseas by his employers.她的丈夫已被雇主派往海外。
• Many firms are focusing on increasing their markets overseas.许多商行都专注于扩大国外市场。

5 shot   

n.炮弹，射击，射手；v.射击，发出，发芽；vbl.射击，发出，发芽

参考例句：

• He shot a wild duck.他射中一只野鸭。
• All the children shot out their hands for the money.所有的孩子突然伸出手来要钱。

6 Washington   

n.华盛顿特区(是美国首都)

参考例句：

• His birthplace is Washington,but he lives in San Francisco.他出生于华盛顿，但住在旧金山。
• They, together with my father,have gone to Washington.他们和我父亲一起去华盛顿了。

7 diligent   

adj.勤勉的，勤奋的

参考例句：

• He is the more diligent of the two boys.他是这两个男孩中较用功的一个。
• She is diligent and keeps herself busy all the time.她真勤快，一会儿也不闲着。