“泛指”与“特指”的转化与活用(在线收听

   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 newly broadened 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 Revolution.
  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 overseas 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 shot on April 14, 1865 at a theatre in Washington, 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 diligent 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”。
  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/listen/vocabulary/396622.html