打印本文 打印本文  关闭窗口 关闭窗口  
从lose heart看可数名词的抽象用法
作者:刘永科  文章来源:本站原创  点击数  更新时间:2013-10-04  文章录入:刘永科  责任编辑:admin

 

lose heart看可数名词的抽象用法  

   

■山东 刘永科  

   

有网友问: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?   

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. 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  

honor荣幸an honor令人感到荣耀的人或事  

       comfort舒适a comfort令人感到安慰的人或事  

shame羞耻a shame令人感到可惜(耻)的人或事         

regret遗憾a regret令人感到遗憾的事  

joy高兴a joy令人高兴的人或事       

danger危险a danger令人感到危险的人或事  

pity遗憾a pity令人遗憾的人或事  

youth青春→a youth青年人  

disappointment 失望→a disappointment令人失望的事

   

 

[1] [2] [3]  下一页

打印本文 打印本文  关闭窗口 关闭窗口