1.……not so much…… as (but)……与其说……还不如说……
2.……not so much that……as (but) that…… 与其说……还不如说……
3.……not so much as…… (=not even)甚至于不……,连……也不……
4.……might as well……as…… 与其说……还不如说……
例1:He is not so much a teacher as a scholar.
译文:与其说他是老师,还不如说是学者。(注意翻译时动作的对象)
例2:It wasn't so much his appearance I liked as his personality.
译文:与其说我喜欢他的外表,不如说我喜欢他的品格。
例3:It's not so much that I don't want to come but I just haven't got the time.
译文:倒不是因为我不想来,而是我根本没有时间。
例4:He didn't so much as say thank you after all we'd done for him.
译文:我们为他干了那么多事,他甚至连谢谢都没有说一声。
例5:You might as well throw your money into the sea as lend it to him.
译文:与其将钱借给他,还不如把钱丢进大海。(注意翻译时动作的对象)
[注意]:more……than……
1.she is more beautiful than her sister. 她比她姐姐漂亮。
2.George is more intelligent than aggressive. 与其说乔治言行放肆,不如说他聪颖过人。
以上第1句是more……than结构的一般用法,即在两个不同的事物之间就同一方面作比较;而第2句是就同一个人的两个不同方面作比较。因此要译成“与其说……还不如说……”。
more……than结构在上述1.2两句中的用法也适用于less……than结构,得出相反例如:
1.John is less daring than quick-witted. 与其说约翰胆大,不如说他脑子灵活。
2.George was less intelligent than aggressive. 与其说乔治聪颖过人,不如说他言行放肆。
几个不定代词的固定搭配:
have none of:不参加;不准;不接受
I will have none of your stupid ideas!我才不接受你那愚蠢的想法!
He was offered a job but he said he'd have none of it.他有一个工作机会,但他说他不接受。
none but (=nothing but):只有(=only)
None but the brave deserves the fair.只有英雄才配得上美人。
She chose none but the best.她只选最好的。
She is nothing but a child.她只不过是个孩子。
none other than:(表示惊讶)不是别人,正是……(= no one else but)
It's none other than Tom! We thought you were in Africa.
none the +比较级词+ for:毫不,一点也不
He spent 2 weeks in hospital but he's none the better for it.他在医院里待了两个星期,但一点也没好转。
My car is none the worse for wear.我的车子一点也没有损耗。
none the wiser:不知情
If we take only one piece of cake, mother will be none the wiser.如果我们只拿一小块蛋糕,母亲是不会知道的。
none too:(在形容词或副词前)不太;一点都不
The service in this restaurant is none too fast.这家旅馆的服务一点效率都没有。
anything but:①除——之外什么都(此处的but等于except)②决不(=not at all)
I eat anything but (except) fish.除了鱼,我什么都吃。
She is anything but a good cook.她决不是个好厨师。(即:除了好厨师,她什么都是。)
anything of:①(疑问句/条件句)一点点;②(否定句)一点也(没有)
Is he anything of a poet?他有一点点诗人的样子吗?
I haven't seen anything of him lately.最近我没有见过他。
for anything:(否定句)(给什么都)不,决不
I won't go there for anything.我决不去那里。
or anything:(意味着还有其他的可能性)
If Bernard wants to call me or anything, I'll be here all day.如果伯纳德要找我或什么的,我整天都会在这儿。
if anything:若有任何不同的话
If anything, my new job is harder than my old one.要说有什么不同的话,我的新工作反而比旧工作要难些。
or something:或什么的(表示说话者不能肯定)
She is a stewardess or something.她是空姐或什么的。
something like:有点像,大约
An airship is shaped something like a cigar.飞船的形状有点像雪茄。
something of a……:多少有点,有几分像,略懂
he's something of a book collector.他有几分像书籍收藏家。 something to/in:(叙述等)有些道理
There's something to/in what you say; I'll take your advice.你说的有些道理,我会接受你的建议
have/be something to do with:与……有关
I think Guy Fawkes had/was something to do with a plan to blow up the bridge.我想盖佛克跟图谋炸毁桥梁有关。
nothing but (= none but = only):仅仅,只不过
We could see nothing but fog.除了雾之外我们什么也看不见。
for nothing:①免费的;②徒劳的;③无缘无故的
She got the ticket for nothing.她免费得到那张票。
All our preparation for nothing! No one's even come to the party.我们为宴会所作的准备都白费了! 连一个人都没来。
They quarreled for nothing.他们无缘无故地争吵。
make nothing of:(常和can一起用)不理解;不重视,轻视(= think nothing of)
I could make nothing of the passage.我不理解这篇文章。
He makes/thinks nothing of working ten hours a day.他不在乎一天工作十小时。
to say nothing of:更不用说(= not to mention/without mentioning)
Three people were badly hurt, to say nothing of damage to the building.三个人受了重伤,建筑物的损害更不用说了。
have nothing to do with:与……无关
I have nothing to do with the accident.我与这场事故无关。
nothing if not:格外地;非常地(= very/much/extremely)
He was nothing if not clever.(= He was very clever.)他格外聪明。
nothing of:无……的部分;无……的气质
There was nothing of the lady in her behavior.她的举止根本没有淑女的气质。
区别:
all but 几乎,差一点,除……以外其余都是
but for 要不是
but that+从句:若不是……
例1:She all but fainted when she heard the news.
译文:她听到这一消息时几乎晕倒了。
注:此句中a11 but意为nearly,almost.
试对比:
All but the little children thought that the trip was exciting.
译文:除了小孩,大家都认为这次旅行是激动人心的。
此句中all but意为a11 except.
例2:But for the rain we should have a pleasant journey.
译文:要不是下雨,我们的旅行本来是愉快的。
例3:He would have helped us but that he was short of money at the time.
译文:若不是他那时缺钱,他是会帮助我们的。
注
1)but that引导的从句中谓语用陈述语气。
2)but that有灵活的译法。
如:Nothing would satisfy that child but that I place her on my lap.(那孩子什么都不要,只要我把她抱在怀里。)
“名词+or+名词”结构中or后的名词是同位语,应译为“即……;或者称……”
例1:Moreover, technology includes techniques, or ways to do things, as well as the machines that may or may not be necessary to apply them.
译文:再者,除机器外技术还包括技艺,即制作方法,而动用这些技艺并不一定都需要机器。
“only + to do”意为“……,结果却……”,即表示与句子谓语动作的目的相反的结果。
例1:They don't have to pay for expensive seats at the theatre, the cinema or the opera, onlyto discover, perhaps, that the show is disappointing.
译文:他们不必花钱去戏院、电影院或歌剧院买价格很贵的票,(如果去了)结果却可能发现,所演的节目令人失望。
例2:They hurried there only to find the meeting canceled.
译文:他们匆匆忙忙赶到那儿,结果却发现会议被取消了。
not more/-er than与no more/-er than结构
比较:
John is not better than Tom.
John is no better than Tom.
前一句表示“约翰不比汤姆好”,属于普通的比较结构;后一例用了no情况就不同了。no better than相当于as bad as,含义是两人一样坏。这里,“no+形容词或副词比较级+than”所表示的可以说是该形容词或副词的反意。
例如:no richer than = as poor as 和……一样穷
no bigger than = as small as 和……一样小
no later than = as early as 和……一样早
同样:
I have not taken more than six courses this semester.
I have taken no more than six courses this semester.
上述结构与表示前后都否定的no more……than (= not……any more than)又有所不同:
例:A whale is no more a fish than a horse is.(鲸和马同样不是鱼。)
另外,在某些结构中,单独使用more than 也能表示否定概念:
例1:That is more than I can tell. 我简直不能说。
例2:My trip to Beijing is more than sightseeing. 我去北京不仅仅是旅游观光而已。
no more……than……(= not……any more than)和……—样都不……(表示前后都否定)
例1:The heart is no more intelligent than the stomach, for they are both controlled by the brain. 心脏和胃一样都无智力可言,因为它们都是由大脑控制的。
例2:There is no reason they should limit how much vitamin you take, any more than they can limit how much water you drink.
译文:他们没有理由限制你服用多少维他命,就像他们不能限制你喝多少水一样。
例3:More and more Afro-Americans see him as a tricky enemy who has no more love for them than he has for the Congolese.
译文:越来越多的美国黑人认识到他是个诡计多端的敌人。他仇视美国黑人,正像他仇视刚果人民一样。(直译:…,他不爱美国黑人,正像他不爱刚果人一样。)
注释:not……any more than是no more……than的一种强调形式。
例如:
1.Jack is no more intelligent than John.(=Jack is not intelligent any more than John.)
杰克与约翰一样都不聪明。
2.A man can no more fly than a bird can speak.(=A man cannot fly any more than a bird can speak.)人不会飞翔,就像鸟不会说话一样。
3.As a nation, the French are no more eager to 1earn about their wartime failings than are the Japanese.(=As a nation, the French are not eager to learn about their wartime failings any more than are the Japanese.)
作为一个国家,法国正如日本一样不积极地从他们的战争失败中吸取教训。
上述例句表明,no more……than并不表示比较,而是表示比喻,含有比喻意义的比较级用于否定时,than后面的从句不用否定式,但译成汉语时要用否定式。而与上述句型意义相反的是:no less……than,意为:“和……同样是……”。例如:
Human is no less an animal than a monkey is.人和猴都是动物。
而no less than的意思为:“简直是,实在是”,例如:
1.It is no less than blackmail to ask such a high price.如此索要高价,简直是敲诈。
2.It is no less than a scandal.这实在是一件丑闻。
not nearly (=by no means,far from)远不
例1:The food supply will not increase nearly enough to match this, which means that we are heading into a crisis in the matter of producing and marketing food.
译文:食品供应将远远赶不上人口的增长,这就意味着我们在粮食的生产和购销方面正面临危机。
注:
1.this是指上面提到的“到21世纪初世界人口将增加到60亿或70亿”。
2.又如:There are not nearly enough people here to do the job.(这里的人手远远不够承担这项工作。)
“更不用说”的表示法:
much less
still less
以上两短语引导的词组或从句,表示一种追加的否定,less是由little的比较级,所以这两个词组只能用于否定句中,可译为“更不用说,更不必说”。
to say nothing of
not to speak of
not to mention
let alone
这四个词组也意为 “更不用说”,也是一种追补的说法。但它们与much less和still less有所不同。这些词组可以随前一句的意思而定,即前一句是肯定,则追加的也是肯定意义;如果前一句是否定,则追加的是否定意义
例1:I could not agree to, much less participate in such proceedings.
译文:我不能同意这种行为,更谈不上参加这些行动了。
例2:He knows little of mathematics, and still less of chemistry.
译文:他几乎不懂数学,更不用说化学了。
例3:I did not even see him, still less (= much less) shake hands with him.
译文:我看也没有看见过他,哪里还谈得上同他握手呢?
例4:In old China, here was hardly any machine-building industry, to say nothing of an electronic industry.
译文:在旧中国,几乎没有什么机器制造工业,更不用说电子工业了。
例5:Sally takes singing and dancing lessons, to say nothing of swimming and tennis lessons.
译文:莎莉学了唱歌和舞蹈课,而且还学了游泳和网球课。
例6:At that time they could not afford the ordinary comforts of life, not to speak of luxuries.
译文:那时他连普通生活都不能维持,更不要说奢侈品了。
例7:They have three fine sons, not to speak of their two 1ovely daughters.
译文:他们有了三个好儿子,而且还有两个可爱的女儿。
例8:I don't know algebra or geometry,not to mention calculus.
译文:我连代数、几何都不懂,更不必说微积分了。
例9:A11 they have to do is press a button,and they can see plays, films, operas and shows of every kind, not to mention political discussions and the latest exciting football match.
译文:他们所要做的只是按一下电钮,就能看到各种戏剧、电影、歌剧和各式各样的演出,而且还能看到各种政治辩论和最近举行的激动人心的足球赛。
例10:I can't add two and two, let alone do fractions.
译文:我连2加2都不会,更不要说做分数题了。
注意:美国成语词典认为let alone只能用于追加的否定。但是,有的词典认为,该短语也可以引导追加的肯定。例如:There were five people in the car, let alone the luggage and the two dogs.
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