高樓低廈,人潮起伏,
名爭利逐,千萬家悲歡離合。

閑雲偶過,新月初現,
燈耀海城,天地間留我孤獨。

舊史再提,故書重讀,
冷眼閑眺,關山未變寂寞!

念人老江湖,心碎家國,
百年瞬息,得失滄海一粟!

徐訏《新年偶感》

2012年6月1日星期五

古德明: 多餘的it?請留意




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 JapsHis 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andhis / 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 thatPlease 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