問:People whose job it is to save lives usually work with
a sense of urgency(救人為業者,工作常懷緊急心情)這一句,那it字似是多餘的,可以刪去嗎?
答:那it字有加強語氣作用,可以但不必刪去。這正如It was his lot to lead his country
against the Japs和His lot was to lead his country
against the Japs這兩句,都是說「他的命運,是率領國家對抗日寇」,但第一句用it取代his lot作主詞(subject),語氣較強。
Whose等於and+his / her / their / its,這一點不必多說。文法上,讀者示下那一句,當然可改用and
their而不用whose,即People usually
work with a sense of urgency, and it is their job to save lives。原句假如略去it字,則可改寫作People usually work
with a sense of urgency, and their job is to save lives。這兩個寫法,除了用and
their代替whose,其他用字和原句無別。謹再舉一例,以供參考:Chiang
Kai-shek, whose lot (it) was to lead his country against the Japs, did not fail
to see the communists as the greatest threat to China(蔣介石注定要率領國家對抗日寇,而他也預見共產黨是中國最大的隱患)。
問:Please note that和Please be
noted that這兩個說法,分別在於Please be noted that較為客氣,對嗎?
答:英文沒有Please be noted that這說法。Please
note that即「請注意」,It should be noted that即「值得注意的是」,切勿混合為Please be noted that。