【修辞高峰会】Chapter 12——being的用法
Chapter 12——being的用法
be動詞兩種變化:being和having been,be本身沒有內容,在句子中是能省則省。有需要的時候,通常是要用being的字尾表達進行狀態,或做詞類變化,以及用having been來強調完成狀態,或表示過去時間。假如沒有這些原因存在,那麼在句子中出現being或是having been就屬多餘,應該刪除。
表示進行的狀態: being當現在分詞解釋時,表示進行式的狀態。
A: Why did you say the food was delicious when in fact it was awful? B: I was being polite to our hostess. 如果回答中沒有being,I was polite to our hostess. 就無法表現出「說菜好吃是客套話」的這個意思。這時候就要用being來強調進行狀態,才能將意思表達清楚。
A: Is my car ready? B: It's being repaired and tested. Come back after three.在被動語態的動詞中加上being表示進行狀態。如果沒有being,It's repaired and tested.被動語態的動詞中如果沒有being,那麼剩下的過去分詞就帶有強烈的完成狀態暗示。因此必須用being才能表示進行狀態,否則會語意不清。
同樣的情況也適用於減化子句中,Your car, being repaired and tested, will not be ready until three.是這個形容詞子句的減化:Your car, which is being repaired and tested, will not be ready until three. 如果減化子句中沒有being,就從進行狀態變成完成狀態,意思完全不同:Your car, (which is) repaired and tested, should run without any problem now.
做詞類變化:being可以加在減化子句中做詞類變化,使減化子句符合詞類的要求。
I resent being made to wait.我很討厭別人要我等。being made to wait可視為名詞子句that I am made to wait的減化。减化时如果只留下補語部分made to wait,made to wait是過去分詞片語,屬於形容詞類,不能取代名詞子句做resent的受詞。made to wait這個片語又要保留made的過去分詞形狀,才能表達被動語態。只能在前面加上being,成為being made to wait (動名詞片語),以符合名詞詞類的要求。
Because I am your best friend, I must talk you out of this foolish idea. 副詞子句Because I am your best friend如果照一般做法省去主詞、be動詞與連接詞,只留下補語部分的名詞片語your best friend,就和原來的副詞子句在詞類上有衝突。在前面加上being,being your best friend(分詞片語),可以取代原來的副詞子句
產生句意的差別:加不加being不是詞類的問題,而是句意的不同
I hate your friend. 只是一個人討厭另一個人。加上being就不同了:I hate being your friend.我討厭當你的朋友。being your friend可視為名詞子句that I am your friend的減化。A teacher should have a lot of patience.主詞是單純的「一個人」,動詞可以用have(擁有)。Being a teacher should have patience.(错)being a teacher是一件「事」,不應該用表示「擁有」的have,而要改成:Being a teacher requires patience.
having been 的用法:being的完成狀態就是having been,可以表示過去時間,但是不再有進行式的意味。
Being young is a great feeling.「年輕」是很棒的感覺。Having been young once can be a lousy feeling. 「曾經年輕過」可能是很糟糕的感覺。being young可視為名詞子句that one is young的減化,being young(動名詞)符合名詞的要求,也有進行的暗示。having been young once可視為that one has been young once或that one was young once的減化。如果是後者,was變成being的話,變成being young,無法保留過去式的時間,和句1一樣,無法區分。所以要用完成式,改成 having been young,才能顯示出時間的差別。having been 並無進行的暗示,拼成-ing只是為了詞類變化(變成動名詞當主詞用)。
having been如果在後面有過去分詞(也就是被動語態),通常可以省略。Because the cat has been neutered, it does not do much else besides eating and sleeping. because引導的副詞子句,動詞是被動語態。減化之後:(Having been) neutered, the cat does not do much else besides eating and sleeping.在減化子句中,如果省略掉having been,只留下neutered,意思一樣:(1) having been是現在分詞片語,而剩下neutered—字的話是過去分詞。兩者同樣屬於分詞類,可以取代原來的副詞子句,稱為分詞構句。(2)be動詞沒有意義,省略having been句意沒有變化,唯一失去的是一個完成式狀態。(3)having been的完成式狀態,在省略後不見了。但是neutered是過去分詞,本身有完成狀態的暗示。所以在被動語態的having been Ven構造中,省去having been,只留下Ven,不論在文法句型或是在句意上都不會受到影響。
be動詞兩種變化:being和having been,be本身沒有內容,在句子中是能省則省。有需要的時候,通常是要用being的字尾表達進行狀態,或做詞類變化,以及用having been來強調完成狀態,或表示過去時間。假如沒有這些原因存在,那麼在句子中出現being或是having been就屬多餘,應該刪除。
表示進行的狀態: being當現在分詞解釋時,表示進行式的狀態。
A: Why did you say the food was delicious when in fact it was awful? B: I was being polite to our hostess. 如果回答中沒有being,I was polite to our hostess. 就無法表現出「說菜好吃是客套話」的這個意思。這時候就要用being來強調進行狀態,才能將意思表達清楚。
A: Is my car ready? B: It's being repaired and tested. Come back after three.在被動語態的動詞中加上being表示進行狀態。如果沒有being,It's repaired and tested.被動語態的動詞中如果沒有being,那麼剩下的過去分詞就帶有強烈的完成狀態暗示。因此必須用being才能表示進行狀態,否則會語意不清。
同樣的情況也適用於減化子句中,Your car, being repaired and tested, will not be ready until three.是這個形容詞子句的減化:Your car, which is being repaired and tested, will not be ready until three. 如果減化子句中沒有being,就從進行狀態變成完成狀態,意思完全不同:Your car, (which is) repaired and tested, should run without any problem now.
做詞類變化:being可以加在減化子句中做詞類變化,使減化子句符合詞類的要求。
I resent being made to wait.我很討厭別人要我等。being made to wait可視為名詞子句that I am made to wait的減化。减化时如果只留下補語部分made to wait,made to wait是過去分詞片語,屬於形容詞類,不能取代名詞子句做resent的受詞。made to wait這個片語又要保留made的過去分詞形狀,才能表達被動語態。只能在前面加上being,成為being made to wait (動名詞片語),以符合名詞詞類的要求。
Because I am your best friend, I must talk you out of this foolish idea. 副詞子句Because I am your best friend如果照一般做法省去主詞、be動詞與連接詞,只留下補語部分的名詞片語your best friend,就和原來的副詞子句在詞類上有衝突。在前面加上being,being your best friend(分詞片語),可以取代原來的副詞子句
產生句意的差別:加不加being不是詞類的問題,而是句意的不同
I hate your friend. 只是一個人討厭另一個人。加上being就不同了:I hate being your friend.我討厭當你的朋友。being your friend可視為名詞子句that I am your friend的減化。A teacher should have a lot of patience.主詞是單純的「一個人」,動詞可以用have(擁有)。Being a teacher should have patience.(错)being a teacher是一件「事」,不應該用表示「擁有」的have,而要改成:Being a teacher requires patience.
having been 的用法:being的完成狀態就是having been,可以表示過去時間,但是不再有進行式的意味。
Being young is a great feeling.「年輕」是很棒的感覺。Having been young once can be a lousy feeling. 「曾經年輕過」可能是很糟糕的感覺。being young可視為名詞子句that one is young的減化,being young(動名詞)符合名詞的要求,也有進行的暗示。having been young once可視為that one has been young once或that one was young once的減化。如果是後者,was變成being的話,變成being young,無法保留過去式的時間,和句1一樣,無法區分。所以要用完成式,改成 having been young,才能顯示出時間的差別。having been 並無進行的暗示,拼成-ing只是為了詞類變化(變成動名詞當主詞用)。
having been如果在後面有過去分詞(也就是被動語態),通常可以省略。Because the cat has been neutered, it does not do much else besides eating and sleeping. because引導的副詞子句,動詞是被動語態。減化之後:(Having been) neutered, the cat does not do much else besides eating and sleeping.在減化子句中,如果省略掉having been,只留下neutered,意思一樣:(1) having been是現在分詞片語,而剩下neutered—字的話是過去分詞。兩者同樣屬於分詞類,可以取代原來的副詞子句,稱為分詞構句。(2)be動詞沒有意義,省略having been句意沒有變化,唯一失去的是一個完成式狀態。(3)having been的完成式狀態,在省略後不見了。但是neutered是過去分詞,本身有完成狀態的暗示。所以在被動語態的having been Ven構造中,省去having been,只留下Ven,不論在文法句型或是在句意上都不會受到影響。