D．other

15． ________ the teachers came on the trip.

A．Neither of

B．Nobody of

C．None

D．No one of

16．I have classes ________ day, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

A．each other

B．every other

C．one another

D．all other

17．Ed and Jim have arrived, but ________ in the class aren't here yet.

A．other

B．others

C．the others

D．the other

18．John, Peter and Bill ________ have obtained a reward.

A．each

B．every

C．every one

D．both

19．These books, which you can get at any bookshop, will give you ________ you need.

A．all the information

B．all the informations

C．all of information

D．all of the informations

20．It is reported that ________ adopted children want to know who their natural parents are.

A．the most

B．most of

C．most

D．the most of

21．Radio, televisions and press ________ of conveying news and information.

A．are the most three common means

B．are the most common three means

C．are the three most common means

D．are three the most common means

22．The Grapes of Wrath, a novel about the Depression years of the 1930's, is one of John Steinbeck's ________ books.

A．most famous

B．the most famous

C．are most famous

D．and most famous

23．Daniel gets meant and eggs from his chickens. He sells ________ eggs to his neighbors.

A．his a few

B．some these

C．what any his

D．a few of his

24． ________ days we have been busy fighting drought.

A．These all last few

B．These all few last

C．Last few all these

D．All these last few

25．I know there is a coin in your left hand. But what's in your ________ hand?

A．other

B．another

C．the other

D．others

26．I waited until Tom and Jack arrived. Then ________ began to do the experiment.

A．all of them

B．the three of us

C．three of us

D．both of us

2．辨别改错。

27．Since (A)the 1950's, (B)folk music has had a significant (C)influence on (D)many popular vocal and instrumental music.

28．For (A)hundreds of years, sailors relied on echoes to warn them (B)of (C)another ships, icebergs, or cliffs in (D)foggy weather.

29．Polar (A)bears are bowlegged and pigeon-toed, adaptations that enable (B)this massive animals to (C)maintain their balance as they (D)walk.

30．(A)Rarely has a technological development had as great an impact on as (B)much aspects of social, economic, and cultural (C)development as the (D)growth of electronics.

31．Cloud droplets and ice crystals (A)first form on certain (B)types of small particles of (C)dust or (D)another airborne materials.

32．Yogurt contains (A)a higher (B)percentage of lactic acid than (C)another fermented (D)milks.

33．Almost (A)every fruits and vegetables contain riboflavin; (B)the richest sources are (C)leafy green vegetables (D)such as spinach, kale, or turnip greens.

34．(A)Before the formation of (B)labor unions, individual workers had almost (C)not voice in determining their wages, hours, or working (D)conditions.

35．The factory is experimenting (A)with a new kind of (B)drug that will have (C)less side (D)effects.

36．(A)Fewer people (B)reside in Newfoundland than in (C)other any Canadian province (D)except Prince Edward Island.

37．The Texas Panhandle region, (A)in the northwestern (B)part of the state, produces more wheat, (C)cotton, and grain sorghum than (D)any of other area of Texas.

38．Seven (A)of planets rotate in the same direction (B)as their orbital motions, (C)while Venus and Uranus rotate in the (D)opposite direction.

39．Because the tachinid fly is a parasite of (A)harmful insects, (B)much species (C)have been imported into the United States (D)to combat insect pests.

40．(A)Migration of animals may be initiated by physiological (B)stimuli such as reproductive changes, external pressures such as weather changes, or (C)a combination of (D)either types of changes.

41．Bacteria are (A)either plants nor animals, but are (B)single-celled organisms that reproduce (C)most commonly (D)through binary fission.

42．(A)Sagebrush flourishes in the (B)dry soil of the western (C)plains, where (D)other many plants cannot grow.

43．(A)None two butterflies have (B)exactly the same (C)design (D)on their wings.

44．The evolutionary adaptation of (A)a particular species of (B)animal over time occurs in response to (C)environmental conditions, including (D)others animals.

45．(A)Proteins form (B)the most of (C)the structure of the body and also (D)act as enzymes.

46．If they (A)will not accept a check, we (B)shall have to pay (C)the cash, though it (D)would be much trouble for both sides.





Chapter 4


第四章　形容词


在前面的三章里，我们讨论了名词和限定词，现在该讨论“名词短语”的另一个组成成分——形容词了。在这里，我们将首先总结形容词修饰名词时的位置特点（包括前置修饰和后置修饰）；然后讨论形容词的比较级与最高级的构成及其相关用法；最后，我们将比较以-ing和-ed结尾的形容词（如interesting/interested）意义上的区别。因此，本章内容安排如下：

4.1　形容词在名词短语中的位置

4.2　形容词的比较级和最高级的构成形式

4.3　形容词的比较级和最高级的用法

4.4　Interesting or interested?





4.1　形容词在名词短语中的位置

形容词在名词短语中可以放在被修饰名词的前面或后面，于是便构成前置修饰和后置修饰。因此，本节主要讲述前置修饰名词和后置修饰名词。

4.1.1　前置修饰名词

一、单个形容词在名词短语中的位置

在一个名词短语中，若是单个形容词作定语修饰一个名词，其结构通常是“限定词＋形容词＋名词”，即形容词要放在名词的前面、限定词的后面。请看下表：



请看例句：

9　I am reading an interesting book. 我正在看一本有趣的书。

10　He has a beautiful smile. 他面带灿烂的微笑。

11　He is my best friend. 他是我最好的朋友。

再比如下面的名词短语：

12　a typical mistake 一个典型的错误

13　the popular songs 流行歌曲

不过，读者要注意，修饰something，anything，nothing，everything，somebody/someone，anybody/anyone，nobody/no one和everybody/everyone等不定代词的形容词要后置。例如：

14　I have something important to say. 我有一些重要的事情要说。

15　There is something wrong with my computer. 我的电脑出故障了。

二、多个形容词修饰名词时的词序排列

一个中心名词若有多个形容词修饰，此时这些形容词先后的位置关系要遵循一定的规则。这个规则一般是：

观点形容词（opinion adjective）＋描绘形容词（descriptive adjective）

所谓“观点形容词”，即完全是表述个人主观上对事物的看法的形容词。如：good，lovely，beautiful，handsome，comfortable等。

所谓“描绘形容词”，又称为描述事实形容词（fact adjective），即用来描述事物本身固有特征的形容词，是对事物进行客观上的表述，如事物的颜色（blue，yellow，dark，white）、事物的形状（round，square）等。请看下表：



由于事物客观上的属性可以有许多种，因此，描绘形容词又有以下进一步的分类。请看下表：



综上所述，在名词短语中，名词前面的形容词修饰语的排序可能是：

限定词（my, the, three, this）—观点形容词（beautiful, famous）—尺寸大小（large, small, long）—形状（round, square）—新旧（new, old, ancient）—颜色（white, yellow）—国籍、出处或产地—质地材料—中心名词。

16　Li Bai was a famous ancient Chinese poet. 李白是中国古代一位著名的诗人。

17　This beautiful, big, old, red, Chinese wooden table was my grandmother's.

这张红色的、中国式的旧木桌是我奶奶的，它又大又漂亮。

18　On a table in my home library rests an attractive little old yellowed book printed in 1551.

在我家书房的桌上放有一本外观很精致、发黄了的旧书，是1551年出版的。

19　There was a large round wooden table in the room. 房间里有一张很大的圆木桌。

20　The man was carrying a small black plastic bag. 那男子当时手里正拿着一个小黑塑料袋。

从以上例句我们看到，最靠近名词的形容词是表示事物的材料、质地的，因为它是与名词的关系最为密切的，因而必然要紧靠名词。另外，如果有表示“用途（purpose）”的修饰语，则其位置是“材料＋用途＋名词”，即表示“用途”的修饰语要紧靠名词。请看例句：

21　a crystal, drinking glass 一个水晶制的喝水用的玻璃杯

这里的drinking就是表示“用途”的，所以要比表示“材质”的crystal还要靠近名词，对此读者要注意。

思维训练

Exercise 4.1.1 (Keys: 此处)

选择最佳答案填空。

1．a ________ dress that the movie star wore.

A．silk, long, gorgeous, red

B．red, long, silk, gorgeous

C．gorgeous, long, red, silk

D．long, gorgeous, silk, red

2．a pair of ________ boots that were kept in the stable.

A．smart, brown, leather, riding

B．brown, smart, riding, leather

C．leather, brown, smart, riding

D．riding, smart, brown, leather

3．a ________ glass which we used for special occasions.

A．tall, Czech, drinking, crystal, rare

B．rare, tall, Czech, crystal, drinking

C．drinking, Czech, crystal, rare, tall

D．Czech, rare, crystal, drinking, tall

4．the ________ beach we walked along hand-in-hand.

A．wind-swept, sandy, Florida, vast

B．Florida, sandy, vast, wind-swept

C．vast, wind-swept, Florida, sandy

D．Florida, vast, sandy, wind-swept

5．a ________ scarf knitted by my grandmother.

A．stripy, warm, winter, woolen

B．winter, woolen, warm, stripy

C．woolen, winter, stripy, warm

D．warm, stripy, woolen, winter

6．a ________ cake that was in the baker's window.

A．chocolate, delicious, round, mouth-wateringly

B．round, mouth-wateringly, delicious, chocolate

C．mouth-wateringly delicious, round, chocolate

D．mouth-wateringly, chocolate, delicious, round

4.1.2　后置修饰名词

我们知道，单个形容词作定语，一般是置于被修饰的名词前面。但形容词短语作定语，一般只能置于被修饰名词的后面，即充当后置定语。请比较：

1　1) a typical mistake

2) a mistake typical of beginners of English

妙语点睛

这里我们看到，在例1）这个名词短语中，单个形容词typical作定语，放在被修饰的名词mistake前面。而在例2）这个名词短语中，typical后面接有介词短语of beginners of English，构成形容词短语，此时整个形容词短语typical of beginners of English后置修饰名词mistake，即作后置定语。

精品译文

1）一个典型的错误

2）一个英语初学者会犯的典型错误

2　1) the popular songs

2) the songs popular in the 1970s

妙语点睛

这里我们看到，在例1）这个名词短语中，单个形容词popular作定语，放在被修饰的名词songs前面。而在例2）这个名词短语中，popular后面接有介词短语in the 1970s，构成形容词短语，此时整个形容词短语popular in the 1970s后置修饰名词songs，即作后置定语。

精品译文

1）这些流行歌曲

2）这些在20世纪70年代流行的歌曲

这里讨论的形容词作定语的语序问题，对于读者在写作造句过程中应该有所启发，比如我们造出的句子可以不再是表意单一的、形容词前置修饰的这样的简单句子，而可以是表意更加丰富的、形容词短语后置修饰的复杂句子，而且这样还能显得你的句式结构灵活多变。这就需要读者能够善于构造形容词短语。下面我们就向大家揭示形容词短语的构造规律，请读者在写作中注意灵活运用。形容词短语的构成主要可以有两类，一类是“形容词＋补足语”构成的形容词短语，即在一个形容词的后面接一个介词短语或一个非谓语动词短语作它的补足语。另一类是多个形容词并列使用，从而也构成形容词短语。

一、“形容词＋补足语”构成的形容词短语

这类形容词短语因其后的补足语不同，又可以分为三小类，即“形容词＋介词短语”、“形容词＋不定式短语”以及“形容词＋动名词短语”。请看例句：

1．形容词＋介词短语

3　a jacket similar to yours

妙语点睛

这里的形容词短语similar to yours后置修饰jacket。

精品译文

一件与你的（夹克）类似的夹克

4　A campaign on the harsh terrain of a nation as large as California could be longer and more difficult than some predict.

妙语点睛

这是2003年3月20日布什在对伊拉克开战时的讲话。这里的形容词短语as large as California后置修饰nation。其中第一个as是副词，修饰large；第二个as是介词，因此as California是介词短语。

精品译文

在一个和加利福尼亚州一样大的充满险恶地形的国家进行战争，意味着战争的时间可能比预想的要长，困难可能要更大。

形容词的后面除了接介词短语外，还可以接非谓语动词短语作它的补足语，从而构成形容词短语。这里的非谓语短语主要是不定式短语或动名词短语。请看例句：

2．形容词＋不定式短语

5　parents eager to support their children's efforts

妙语点睛

这里的形容词短语eager to support their children's efforts后置修饰parents。该形容词短语是由形容词eager接不定式短语to support their children's efforts构成。

精品译文

非常乐意支持孩子的父母们

6　Students brave enough to attempt the course deserve to succeed.

妙语点睛

这里的形容词短语brave enough to attempt the course后置修饰students。该形容词短语是由形容词brave接不定式短语enough to attempt the course构成。

精品译文

敢于尝试学这门课的学生当获成功。

3．形容词＋动名词短语

7　a waiter busy serving the guests

妙语点睛

这里的形容词短语busy serving the guests后置修饰waiter。该形容词短语是由形容词busy接动名词短语serving the guests构成。

精品译文

忙于服务客人的服务生

有时我们还可以在形容词的后面接一个that从句来构成形容词短语。请看例句：

8　If a diamond is heated without oxygen, it will turn to graphite, a form of carbon so soft that it is used as a lubricant.

图解难句



妙语点睛

这是1997年12月份的一道TOEFL考试语法题。这里的形容词短语so soft that it is used as a lubricant是由形容词soft后接that从句构成。这里的so...that是一个表示结果的固定搭配。该形容词短语后置修饰名词carbon，然后整个名词短语a form of carbon so soft that it is used as a lubricant作graphite的同位语，是对graphite作进一步解释说明。

精品译文

金刚石在无氧的条件下加热，就会变成石墨。石墨是碳的一种形式，它极软，可以作为润滑剂。

在上面的例句中，构成形容词短语的中心形容词与其补足语（如介词短语）都是紧密地连在一起的。但有时候两者之间也可能会插入其他成分，因而造成形容词与其补足语被分隔。这种形容词短语被分隔的情况往往会增加句子理解的难度，因为读者很可能看不到形容词与其补足语遥相呼应的语义联系。我们来看下面这道考研真题：

9　Vitamins are organic compounds necessary in small amounts in the diet for the normal growth and maintenance of life of animals, including man.

妙语点睛

这是1996年的考研完形填空题。我们看到，这里有一个形容词necessary，它置于名词compounds的后面了。由此我们可以判断，这里的necessary不应该是一个孤立的形容词（否则就要前置修饰compounds了），而应该与其后面的某个成分构成形容词短语，所以要后置修饰名词compounds。那么现在的问题是，necessary是与后面的哪个成分构成语义上的呼应呢？知道necessary基本用法的读者都应该知道，necessary通常与介词for构成搭配，所以整个句子的逻辑结构如下图所示：



也即：Vitamins are organic compounds necessary in small amounts in the diet for the normal growth and maintenance of life of animals, including man. 这里的形容词短语necessary...for the normal growth and maintenance of life of animals, including man被分隔开了，即在necessary和for引导的介词短语之间插入了另外两个介词短语in small amounts和in the diet。我们可以把它们提取出来翻译。

精品译文

维生素是一种有机化合物，尽管在饮食中的含量很少，但却是所有动物（包括人类）正常生长和延续生命所必不可少的。

还有一种不同于上述形容词短语分隔的情况，即是把单个的形容词提到名词前，而把形容词的补足语留在名词的后面。请看例子：

10　1) a man taller than John

2) a taller man than John

妙语点睛

这里我们看到，在例1）这个名词短语中，形容词短语taller than John作为一个整体紧密地连在一起，后置修饰man。而在例2）这个名词短语中，它却被分隔开来，其中taller前置修饰man，而介词短语than John后置修饰man，这里的than John是与taller遥相呼应的。

精品译文

比约翰的个子要高的男子

二、多个形容词并列构成的形容词短语

两个或两个以上的形容词（短语）并列作定语，一般是放在被修饰词的后面，而且还用逗号将形容词与句子的其他部分隔开。这时，作定语的形容词通常是对所修饰词作补充性的说明或解释。

11　He bought a set of furniture, simple and beautiful.

妙语点睛

并列的形容词短语simple and beautiful后置修饰furniture。

精品译文

他买了一套家具，既简朴又美观。

12　All countries, large or small, should be equal.

妙语点睛

并列的形容词短语large or small后置修饰countries。这个形容词短语就具有让步状语的意味，可以改写成让步从句whether they are large or small。

精品译文

所有国家，不论大小，都一律平等。

13　This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty and the powerful... It was aimed at ordinary, working-class Londoners, black and white, Muslim and Christian, Hindu and Jew, young and old.

妙语点睛

这是英国伦敦市长肯·利文斯通（Ken Livingstone）针对2005年7月7日发生在伦敦的自杀式炸弹袭击（on the suicide bombings in London, 7 July, 2005）说的一番话。这里并列的形容词短语black and white, Muslim and Christian, Hindu and Jew, young and old后置修饰名词Londoners。

精品译文

这不是针对有权有势者的恐怖袭击……而是针对普通的伦敦工人阶级，包括黑人和白人、穆斯林和基督徒、印度教徒和犹太人、年轻人和老年人的袭击。

上面例句中的形容词短语是由两个单个的形容词并列组成的，当然还有单个的形容词与上面讨论过的“形容词＋补足语”这样的形容词短语并列而成。比如下句：

14　Each person has his or her own purpose and distinct path, unique and separate from anyone else's.

妙语点睛

并列的形容词短语unique and separate from anyone else's后置修饰path。该短语是由单个的形容词unique与形容词短语separate from anyone else's并列而成。