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职称英语语法:第二讲

10

第二讲 名词的数

名词的数:

重点应了解和掌握以下内容:

1、名词的可数和不可数:

与汉语不同,英语中名词要区分可数与不可数。

笼统地讲,物质名词,如:water(水), iron(铁), wood(木头)等, 和抽象名词,如:democracy(民主), freedom(自由), happiness(幸福)等为不可数。

不可数名词前不能加a (an),后面不能加s (es),这是考试中对此类题目判断的重要依据。

2、以下名词为不可数名词:

news(消息) information(信息)
furniture (家具) equipment(设备)
advice (劝告) weather(天气)
work*(工作) clothing(衣服)
baggage(行李)

work作 "工作" 解释时为不可数名词,"找工作"不能说to find a work, 应为to find a job; work作"著作"、"作品"解时是可数名词,如:Deng Xiaopin's works (邓小平著作)/ a work about Deng Xiaopin (一件关于邓小平的作品);作 "工厂" 解释时,单复数同形:a steel works (一个钢铁厂) / two chemical works(两家化工厂)

实例:

We have a large staff but there ______ in the office.

A. haven't many furnitures
B. aren't many furnitures
C. hasn't much furniture
D. isn't enough furniture

解题思路:根据名词数的概念A、B肯定错,不必考虑;C、D的主要差异是"hasn't"与 "isn't", 句子中有there,说明该句是there be句型,故正确答案为D.题中staff, office 等词与解题无关。

注意辨别句子中斜体词的数及其意义:

There is still much room for improvement. (仍有许多改进的余地)

He has published two important papers on this subject. (他在这个课题上已发表了两篇重要论文。)

3、以下名词单复数同形:

means(手段) headquarters(司令部)
works(工厂) species(物种)
aircraft(飞机) Chinese(中国人)
sheep(羊) fish(鱼)
中国的计量单位:li(里), yuan(元), mu(亩)等

实例:

Every means has been tried out, but without satisfactory results. (每个方法都试过了,但结果不令人满意。)

4、形式上是复数的学科名称,如physics , statistics, dynamics 作单数看待;时间、距离、钞票、重量等复数,可以看作一个整体作单数处理,如:Two days is not enough for me to finish the task. (要我完成此项任务两天是不够的。)

5、名词做另一名词的修饰语:

一般用单数形式,如:a college student中的college 为单数形式。

注意:

(1) 以下名词做另一名词修饰语时要用复数形式:sport → a sportsman (运动员)/ sale → a sales department(销售部) / savings → a savings account (储蓄存款)/ communication → a communications satellite (通讯卫星) / greeting → a greetings cable(慰问电)
(2) 不规则名词修饰另一名词时数的变化:a woman doctor (一个女医生) → two women doctors (两个女医生) / the Chinese women's volleyball team (中国女排) / a children hospital (儿童医院)

6、family(家庭), group(小组), police(警察),committee(委员会), team(组), box(盒), audience(观众)等词,可以是单数,也可以是复数,关键要看题目所给的提示,例如:

The whole box of matches _____ wet; I couldn't light a simple one
A. was
B. is
C. were
D. are

解题思路:这道题如果没有后半句I couldn't light a simple one,是没办法解答的。这句话提示了两点:

(1)时态为"过去时",故B、D已不可能了;
(2)"a simple one"说明是指盒子内的一根根火柴,故答案为C.试想,如果我们把后半句改为 "I had to throw it away", 那么正确答案应是A.

所以,看清题目的提示对于解题是非常重要的。

7、注意以下表达方式中名词的复数形式

to be / make friends with(友好 / 交朋友)
to change places with (交换位置)
to make preparations for(为…作准备)
to give regards to(向…问好)
to make matters worse(把事情弄糟)
to hurt feelings(伤害感情)
to be all smiles(满脸堆笑)
to take sides (偏袒某方)
to have words with(吵架)
to burst into tears (突然哭了)

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