古德明:In+ ing動詞

問: In fighting for their rights, they were united as one這一句,起句的 In字可以刪去嗎?

答:「 In+ ing動詞」,指「做某事的時候」,這句式通常用來說行動的目的或後果。馬克.吐溫小說 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court第四章有一句說: In trying to escape from him, I sprang into the top of a tree two hundred cubits high at a single jump(我想逃離他,只一跳,就跳到二百腕尺高的樹梢上)。又如: In saying so, he showed his ignorance(他那樣說,顯示了自己的無知)。讀者示下那一句,是說「他們爭取權利,團結一致」。「團結」、「那樣說」、「跳上樹梢」等,目的或後果就是「爭取權利」、「顯得無知」和「想逃離他」。

此外,說兩件同時發生的事,其一通常可用 ing動詞表達,例如: Smiling, he looked at me(他面露微笑,望着我)。這一句,不可改為 In smiling, he looked at me,因為「笑」或「望着我」都不是目的或後果。

然則可不可以說 Fighting for their rights, they were united as one以及 Trying to escape from him, I sprang into the top of a tree?答案是「可以」,只是和原句意思稍有不同,把句子前後說的事,當作幾乎同時發生的兩件事。至於 Saying so, he showed his ignorance一語就不大妥當,因為把 saying so和 showed his ignorance當作兩件事,就沒有了「那樣說的後果是令他顯得無知」含義,句子讀起來有點古怪。