在每次的SAT考试中,语法部分对于逻辑主语判断的考察几乎会占到三分之一,着实是一个不小的比例。虽然这个部分大部分题目类型比较浅显易懂,有些甚至一步可以找出答案,但是考官如果换个出题思路,不加以提示,考生又会陷入其套。因此笔者在此举两个例子为大家支招,有效地走出迷宫,寻得真相。
一般对于逻辑主语的考察思路可以是:先出现ing分词, 或ed分词,或同位语,或时间状语,或比较对象,然后来让考生判断其针对的对象是谁,是人或物;这种句子结构一般比较简单,可以是:
-ing, SVO
-ed, SVO
Like/unlike/ compared with …., SVO
When/while –ing, SVO
When/ while –ed, SVO
One of /As a ….., SVO
(SVO 代表主谓宾
比如我们来看道较为典型的题目(2010,10/S 10, 3:
Recalling how difficult it is to park a car at the airport, our decision was taking the train.
Our decision was taking the train
Our decision was to take the train
We decided to take the train
Taking the train is what we decided to do
It was our decision to take the train
根据这道题目的非谓语recalling, 我们得知做这个动作(回忆,想起的必定是人,所以一步可以得知答案是C,主语确定为WE,我们。
但是根据笔者教授SAT的经验,发现同学在考试或平时的训练中却存在共同的问题,就是出题者的句式一旦稍作变化,同学们就不知所以,出现错误。例如:
1. 句式颠倒莫困惑
Tomato soup appeals to all age groups and can be made particularly delicious if adding sweet red peppers. (2011.1/S 10, 6
delicious if adding
delicious by the addition of
delicious, adding
delicious, add
delicious, by the addition of
不用说,同学们应该看出病句D,E, 而C存在逻辑主语错误。而总有同学提出疑问,为什么A选项也是错误的呢?原文如果翻译为“番茄汤如果加上甜甜的胡椒粉会诱惑到所有人,而且特别好吃。”, 看似非常流畅,为什么就出错了呢?这里很多同学在考试的时候都是受到中式思维(Chinglish的影响。其实很多时候,虽然中文的翻译读上去挺通畅的,但是大家容易忽略其英语语法的有效性和严谨程度,而这一点也正是SAT语法特别强调的。在此题中如果选A, If adding 的施动者为前面提到的tomato soup, 试问番茄汤又岂能自己去加上胡椒粉呢?因此if adding 用法违背了逻辑主语的判断,正确答案应为B(by the addition of 。 在这里,考官只是把我们常看到的非谓语动作放在了主要句子的后面,而并非常见的句型(-ing, SVO, 但性质没有变过,同学须注意。
2. 从句中见真功夫
The agency reports that by rigorously enforcing state regulations, industrial pollution has been successfully reduced to acceptable levels. (2010.1/S10, 14
industrial pollution has been successfully reduced to acceptable levels
acceptable levels of industrial pollution have been successfully reduced
a reduction of industrial pollution to acceptable levels has succeeded
they have succeeded to reduce industrial pollution to acceptable levels
it has succeeded in reducing industrial pollution to acceptable levels
在that 之前,主句部分已经结束,由that带起从句,而从句中有一个by doing 形式的结构(by enforcing state regulations, 做enforce这个动作的主语只可能是人或者组织,工业污染或其减少都不可能自己实施规章制度,因此答案锁定在D和E. 再细看之前主句的主语为agency, 单数,因此答案选择E(it 指代agency. 此处也是提醒同学切勿觉得翻译顺畅就没头脑地选择了A选项!
有意思的是,在2012年10月的考题中出现了类似的题目:
Our tour guide requested that, while hiking through the national park, our garbage not be thrown on the trails.
our garbage not be thrown
our garbage should not be thrown
not to throw our garbage
we did not throw our garbage
E. we not throw our garbage
这也是2012年10月考试中IS题中出得最好的一题。有同学可能根据“抓句子主干”而忽略了插入语,很容易选B 但是此次的插入语中有重要句型即非谓语hiking(和刚才一题的by rigorously enforcing state regulations一样,ing形式出现在从句,不太显眼,容易被忽视,所以从句中的逻辑主语必须是hiking动作的发出者,因此把答案锁定D,E 接下来根据request后面的搭配,sb. request/demand/require/suggest/advise that sb.(should do…而且should 可以省略,所以是E
类似的题目在(Identify Sentence Error 中也层出不穷。例如:Quincy took Dan to Derek’s home for a visit (A, never imagining (B that five years would pass (C before seeing (D Derek again. NO ERROR (E ( 2008.5/S6, 29
根据上一题的经验,屏蔽Chinglish的思路,我们不难发现, 正确答案为D选项。因为seeing的逻辑主语是从句中的five years, 而five years 又怎么去看Derek呢?真是令人哭笑不得。seeing的逻辑主语应该是人才对。这里还需提醒大家,如果要改的话也不能改成he saw, 因为he还会造成“模糊指代”的问题呢。每个机关都要把握住哦!其余选项的时态以及用法都是正确的。
OG P534/S6, 21
Ms. Kovak proudly displayed her research group’s(A most ingenious invention(B, a vacuum cleaner that empties its own(C dust bag when pressing a button (D. NO error (E
一目了然,D选项错误,因为原文中pressing 的逻辑主语是vacuum cleaner, 吸尘器又怎会自己去按按钮呢?绝对错误了,可以改成pressed 或者 sb. press.
再来看一道比较有意思的题目 OG P534/S6,16
During(A my most recent(B trip, I came across(C a wonderful antique store wandering(D in the old quarter of the city. No error (E
我们应该明白wandering表示闲逛,漫步,逻辑主语应该为I,我。但是放在这样的语言环境中,它可以认为是修饰antique store的后置定语,(例如the boy watching TV: 看电视的男孩儿因此存在歧义。它的中文解释也贻笑大方了,解释为“在最近一次旅行中,我在城市老街偶遇了一家很棒的逛来逛去的古玩店”。而正确的意思应该是“在我闲逛的时候,偶遇了一家很棒的古玩店。”所以我们选出D选项,在wandering前面加上一个逗号,就行得通啦。
惊喜的是,这样的题型的确现在已经成为了一种流行趋势。因为在最新的2013年1月和2013年5月的考试中反复考了“辨明逻辑主语”的题目, (Improving sentence中本来就很多,现在IE题中也增多了这样的题目。
例:Using it as a writing material in ancient Egypt, papyrus was made from a type of plant that flourished in the Nile Valley. no error (2013.1
纸莎草papyrus 不能自己用自己,所以A选项应该为used
Although snowing furiously, all the students who had come to visit the campus intended to continue the tour of the college grounds rather than go home. no error (2013.5
学生们不可能自己去下雨,因此A选项应该为Although it snowed heavily, 当时有同学选了D (go home选项,觉得应和之前to continue一样 介词平行,但是须知rather than之后的确是可以不带to直接加原形动词。
小结
通过分析,其实我们可以悟出逻辑主语的题目相当明了,只要大家能够准确判断出句型(主句和从句的关节处,他们的主谓分别是什么,判断出非谓语动作的施动者,自然不会掉入出题者所设的圈套。此外对分词结构要敏感,一看到ing或者ed分词形式即刻条件反射判断它的逻辑主语是不是正确。
送给大家一句谚语,the proof of the pudding is in the eating. (欲知布丁味,必待亲口尝. 建议同学们在题海中多尝试,多体验,也要多总结规律,更要多将这种语法结构熟练运用到写作中。千万不要因为句型一变,就不知所云。