英语名词用法：从lose heart看可数名词的抽象用法

2023-09-25 13:11:06来源：新东方在线

从lose heart看可数名词的抽象用法　　

The scientist from whom the government heard the bad news never lost heart when he was in trouble. 这个句子中，为何不说lose a heart, lose the heart, 或者lose his heart呢? 　　

heart本来是可数名词，意为“心；心脏”：Your heart is the organ in your chest that pumps the blood around your body. 在lose heart中，为何不加任何冠词或者物主代词呢？原来，这就是可数名词heart的抽象用法。下面，请仔细体味它的几个抽象用法，均来自权威词典：　　

If you lose heart, you become sad and depressed and are no longer interested in something. （lose heart：失去信心；灰心，泄气）　　

If you take heart from something, you are encouraged and made to feel optimistic by it. （take heart from：从…得到鼓舞；因…振作精神）　　

If something gives you heart, it makes you feel more confident or happy about something. （give sb. heart：鼓励某人；让某人振作起来）　　

If you know something such as a poem by heart, you have learned it so well that you can remember it without having to read it.（by heart：背诵出；靠记忆）　　

通过以上对heart的诠释，我们发现，在这些短语中heart一词已经完全失去了它原有的本义，而被赋予了比喻和抽象的意义（信心；记忆）。又如：Although he failed in this entrance examination, he didn’t lose heart. 这次入学考试他虽名落孙山，但他并不气馁。　　

假如heart之前使用了冠词或者物主代词，那么就是它的具体意义，这时句子还能讲得通吗？　　

此外，我们还见过lose face这个词组。同理，这里的face也不是指具体的“脸”，而是比喻抽象的“面子，尊严”。例如：　　

If Tom doesn’t keep his promise, he’ll lose face. 如果汤姆不信守诺言，他就会丢面子。　　

His careless work made him lose face with his teacher. 他工作疏忽使他在老师面前丢脸。　　

目前一个普遍现象就是，语法书、教辅书和语法文章都喜欢讨论“物质名词和抽象名词转化为可数名词”的用法，然而，很少涉猎“可数名词的比喻用法和抽象用法”。例如：　　

抽象名词的具体化：　　

help 帮助→a help 帮手　　

pleasure快乐→a pleasure快乐的事　　

success成功→a success成功者或成功的事　　

failure失败→a failure失败者或失利的事　　

beauty美丽→a beauty美人或美丽的事物　　

surprise惊奇→a surprise令人惊奇的事　　