内容简介
一位听众来信询问限定词 “no” 和介词 “without” 后应跟名词单数还是复数。比如: “没有糖,不加糖” 的英语表达方式是 “no sugar” 还是 “no sugars”,还是两者均成立?当 “without” 的后面跟可数名词单数时,“without” 和这个名词之间是不是必须加冠词?答案就在本期 “你问我答” 节目中。
文字稿
(关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。)
Jiaying
大家好,欢迎收听 BBC英语教学的 “你问我答” 节目。I'm Jiaying.
Phil
And I'm Phil. Here's the question we're going to look at:
Question
你好,请教一下 “no” 与 “without” 后跟名词单复数的问题。
Phil
This question looks at the determiner 'no', which refers to a zero quantity, and 'without', which as a preposition refers to something being absent. And this question is not just about whether nouns are plural or singular, but also whether they're countable or uncountable.
Jiaying
是的,“no” 可以指 “事物的数量为零,没有…”;“without” 可以指 “没有…,缺少…”。两者的含义有重叠的部分,所以很容易被混淆。在判断包含单词 “no” 或者 “without” 的否定句中,它们的后面跟名词的单数还是复数之前,我们应该先判断名词本身是可数还是不可数名词。
先来看用来表达否定含义的限定词 “no”。
Phil
We use 'no' directly in front of nouns. If a noun is uncountable, then there is no plural form. So, we just use the uncountable noun.
Jiaying
用 “no” 表达 “没有…” 的时候,后面直接加名词。如果名词是不可数的,那么就没有什么复数形式可言,因此直接用 “no + 不可数名词”。听两个例句。
Examples
There's no paper in the printer. You'll need to get some more.
(打印机里没有纸了。你需要再拿一些来。)
We have no time today. Let's try tomorrow.
(我们今天没有时间。咱们明天再试试。)
Jiaying
如果 “no” 后面跟的名词是可数的,那么多用这个名词的复数形式。听两个例句。
Examples
There are no trains tomorrow. You'll have to get a bus.
(明天没有火车运行。你必须得坐公共汽车。)
It was late and no students were left in the library.
(那时已经很晚了,图书馆里没有学生了。)
Phil
This sounds fairly straightforward, but there are some things to look out for. Some nouns can be either countable or uncountable, and this is often the case with food and drink related ones.
Jiaying
由于一些名词既可以作可数名词,也可以作不可数名词使用,所以我们来特别讲解一下这种情况。这类名词通常和 “食物” 或 “饮料” 有关。比如:“sugar” 在指 “糖” 这种调料的时候,是不可数名词,但当它用来表示 “一块糖、一份糖” 的时候,则作可数名词使用。来听两个使用了 “no + sugar/sugars” 的例句。
Examples
There's no sugar in the cupboard, so we need to buy some more.
(橱柜里没白糖了,所以我们需要再买一些。)
This is the coffee with no sugars – have this one. Mine's got three sugars. You won't like it.
(这杯咖啡里一块糖也没有,你喝吧。我的这杯里面放了三块糖。你不会喜欢的。)
Jiaying
虽然 “no” 的后面可以跟可数名词单数,但 “no + 可数名词单数” 这个结构听起来文学性较强,它有可能是过时的旧式说法或固定表达中的一部分,所以并不常见。来听两个使用了 “no + 可数名词单数” 的例句。
Examples
We are going to leave no stone unturned when looking for the person who did this.
(我们将不遗余力地寻找肇事者。)
No writer is better than her at writing science fiction.
(没有哪位作家比她更擅长写科幻小说。)
Phil
So, it is possible to use singular nouns after 'no', but it's not common. If you're unsure, stick to using plural nouns.
Jiaying
下面来看看 “without”。“Without” 作介词使用时,后跟名词。“Without” 后面的可数名词既可以是复数也可以是单数。有一点需要记住:“without” 后跟可数名词单数时,“without” 和名词之间需要使用相应的冠词。
Phil
Just remember that we don't need an article if the noun is uncountable. Listen to these examples.
Examples
I shouldn't have left home without a coat. It's freezing!
(我不该不穿外套就离开家。天真冷!)
It was an easy journey. We got here without problems.
(一路畅通,我们顺利到达。)
This isn't going to get fixed without money.
(没有钱,这个就修不了。)
Jiaying
我们来总结一下前面讲过的内容:限定词 “no” 的后面可以直接跟不可数名词,当 “no” 后跟可数名词时,名词多为复数,除非 “no + 可数名词单数” 是一个固定搭配或表达中的一部分;介词 “without” 后面可以直接加不可数名词或可数名词复数,如果它的后面跟的是可数名词单数,那么名词前需要加上相应的冠词。
Phil
We hope that we've answered your question. If you have a question that you'd like us to answer, you can email us too at: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk
Jiaying
你也可以通过微博私信的方式把问题发送给我们,我们的微博账号是 “BBC英语教学”。Bye, everyone!
Phil
Bye.