“名词+after+名词”类结构的用法

1. 主要意思

我们这讨论的主要是 A after A 的用法， 即after 前后两个名词完全一样，且其前不用任何限定词，其大意为“一……又一……地”，翻译时需视具体语境而定。如：

The rain fell day after day. 雨一天又一天地下个不停。

Week after week the drought continued. 干旱持续了许多星期。

Prices continue to rise month after month. 近几个月价格持续上涨。

The police were catching the same kids stealing time after time. 警察一次又一次地抓同一些孩子在偷东西。

有时翻译比较灵活。如：

You will get a perfect result time after time if you follow these instructions. 如果你遵循这些用法说明，每次都会得到最佳的效果。

2. 主要句法功能

A after A 这类结构在句子中具有以下语法功能：

(1) 用作主语。如：

Wave after wave of aircraft passed overhead. 一批又一批飞机从上空掠过。

Day after day went by, and still no message arrived. 一天天过去了，一直还没有消息。

Row after row of orange trees stretched to the horizon. 一排排橙子树绵延不绝。

Wave after wave of pent emotion poured out. 郁积的感情似滚滚波涛，奔涌而出。

Speaker after speaker mounted / took the platform to denounce the policy. 演讲者一个接一个走上讲台谴责这项政策。

关于A after A 这类结构用作主语时，其后谓语动词的数的问题：

① A after A 这类结构用作主语时，谓语动词通常用单数。如：

Ant after ant comes out from the hole. 蚂蚁一只只地走出洞口。

There was post after post criticizing the Minister. 批评部长的贴子一个接一个。

Truck after truck was set ablaze as the fire spread. 火势蔓延，卡车一辆接一辆地起火了。

② 若用于 A after A of + 复数名词，则其后的谓语动词通常用复数。如：

Range after range of mountains crowd the horizon. 地平线上山峦层叠。

On the shelves were rank after rank of liquor bottles. 架子上是一排排的酒瓶。

(2) 用作宾语。如：

He fired shot after shot. 他一枪一枪地发射。

They faced wave after wave of fresh troops. 他们遭遇了一批又一批增援的部队。

She lay awake for hour after hour (=for many hours, continuously). 她躺着，很久不能入睡。

Allied planes launched wave after wave of air attacks on the city. 一批又一批的盟军飞机袭击了这座城市。

He was wading through page after page of boring statistics. 他吃力地一页页看着乏味的统计数字。

They string together image after image until the documentary is completed. 他们把一幅幅画面拼起来直到完成了纪录片。

We’ve had meeting after meeting (= many meetings) to discuss this point. 我们已经开了一次又一次的会议来讨论这个问题。

(3) 用作状语。如：

I’ve told you time after time not to do that. 我一再告诉过你不要做那样的事。

She hates doing the same work day after day. 他讨厌日复一日做同样的工作。

I felt I was doing the same old thing week after week, month after month. 我觉得自己周复一周、月复一月地干着同样的事。

The howling of wild animals kept him awake night after night. 野兽的叫声让他每个晚上都睡不着。

He’s worked in that same office week after week, year after year, since he was 18. 18岁开始，他就一直在同一个办公室工作，一周复一周，一年复一年。

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本文摘自《飞扬英语语法系列之名词》（金盾出版社）