2013年5月10日星期五

古德明: 食用沒有危險




問:Mainland health authorities say poultry products shipped to Hong Kong are safe to eat(大陸衛生當局說,運到香港的家禽,食用沒有危險)這一句,to eat可不可改為to be eaten

答:上述句式,往往令學習英語者感到疑惑,例如家禽是給人吃的,怎麼不用被動語態to be eaten,而用主動語態to eat

按這類句子的主詞(subject),應看作to eat之類動詞的受詞(object)。謹多舉幾個例子供讀者參考:(1I hope this explanation is easy to understand(我希望這解釋容易明白)。(2The sight was horrible to see(這情景怵目驚心)。(3The water was nice to drink(這水很好喝)。(4The dilemma was almost impossible to solve(這困局幾乎無法解決)。留意以上四句,等於說to understand this explanationto see the sightto drink the waterto solve the dilemma等,句子的主詞,其實都是to understand等的受詞。

to understand等動詞,一律是用在形容詞之後,例如easyhorribleniceimpossible等。一般而言,這些形容詞或表示好 壞(如marvellouswonderfulpleasantlovelyhorrible),或表示難易(如hard convenientimpossibledifficult),或表示安危(如safedangerous)。讀者示下那一句,safe to eat自然不應改為safe to be eaten

最後要說的,是impossible可用上述句式,possible卻不可以,例如不可說The dilemma was possible to solve。這是慣用法,不可解釋。