問:以下一句,there is to know四字,在句中的文法結構很奇怪,意思是什麼?──God knows everything there is to know about mankind。
答:這一句是說:「關於人類,所有可以知道的事,上帝都知道。」英文有「there is+名詞+to+原形動詞(infinitive)」這句法,表示「有……可做/須做等」,例如:(1)There is much to see(有很多東西值得看)。(2)There were many problems to solve(有很多問題要解決)。讀者示下那一句,全寫是God knows everything(that there is to know)about mankind,括弧中的五字是關係子句(relative clause),修飾everything,而這子句的文法結構等於「there is+名詞(that)+to+原形動詞」。Everything(that)there is to know意思就是「所有可以知道的事」。
Everything之後用(that)there is to ...這寫法,頗為常見,謹多舉兩個例子:(1)I told him everything there was to tell about the matter(這件事所有細節,我都告訴了他)。(2)Everything there is to do has been done(要做的一切,都已經做了)。
問:Out of sight, out of mind一語,貴欄譯做「一時不見,便告忘懷」或「在遠情轉疏」。廈門大學外文系《綜合英語成語詞典》譯做「久別情疏」,先生認為怎樣?
答:這成語往往是指某人一離去,就給忘掉,不一定是「久別」,例如:I forgot about him as soon as he went away. It was a case of "out of sight, out of mind"(他一離去,我就把他忘卻,正是「不在眼前,拋諸腦後」)。
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