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有些简单的英语语法问题,学习考试是一回事,真正使用又是一回事。比如:“a total of”后面应该是单数还是复数?这个问题是因审稿人的一个错误问题而起。
查了一下中文网,这个问题没说清楚。查了一下英文网,似有一个意见较为合理。
比如有这么一个问题:
A total of 10 babies is sleeping. (A)
A total of 10 babies are sleeping. (B)
Ten babies in total are sleeping. (C)
上面三句话那句正确?结论是A错误,B和C正确。
原因是 集合名词(collective noun)“total”在满足下面三个条件时要以复数处理:
it is explicitly used with the word, number, or the word, number, is implied (in a strict sense*),
the items being counted are identified/clarified/specified, AND
the size of the number is given.
也就是说,如果“total”明白无误地与“number”一起使用,或者明确在指数量(严格地说,后面是否能插入“number”),后面如果为可数名词,并且有明确的数目大小或多少时,要用复数形式。
如:
A total of number of 3500 students were at the seminar. [Plural]
A total [number] of 11 shells are in my possession. [Plural]
如果只满足上面第1和2,但不满足条件3时,用单数:
The total number of students in attendance was unbelievably large. [Singular]
其他如下面的例子也是没有全满足上述条件时用单数的情况:
My total is 11. Theirs is much higher. [Singular]
'How many pennies do we now have?' 'The current total is 22.' [Singular]
但细说起来,在英国英语和美国英语中,“total”后面应该是单数还是复数还是有差别的。如:
There are ten babies. [Universally correct]
There are ten babies in total. [Universally correct]
There are a total of ten babies. [Plural. British?]
There is a total of ten babies. [Singular. American?]
见:
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