19.1　主语表示法

19.1.1　主语表示法

主语可以用下面这些成分表示：

1) 名词：

Another rocket is going to be launched next week. 下周将发射一枚新的火箭。

Are there other universes outside our own? 我们的宇宙之外还有别的宇宙吗？

2) 代词：

Who's on the phone? 谁来电话？

Nobody knows the answer. 没人知道答案是什么。

3) 数词：

Two-thirds of them are college students. 他们中间三分之二是大学生。

First went to the Chinese team. 第一名由中国队获得。

4) 动名词：

Reading French is easier than speaking it. 阅读法语比讲法语容易。

There's no knowing how long he'll be away. 没法知道他将离开多久。

5) 不定式：

To compromise appears advisable. 妥协可能是明智的。

It is an offence to drop litter in the street. 在街上乱扔杂物是犯禁的。

6) 词组：

To each according to his work is a socialist principle. 按劳分配是社会主义的一个原则。

Safety First is our slogan.“安全第？”是我们的口号。

7) 从句：

What she saw gave her a little fright. 她看到的情况使她有点吃惊。

Why he did it will remain a puzzle forever. 他为什么这样做将永远是个谜。

8) 名词化的其他词类：

A is the first letter of the English alphabet. A是英语字母的第一个。

The well-to-do had their cares also. 富裕的人也有他们的烦恼。

在口语中有时还可能用副词、介词短语作主语：

Slowly is exactly how he speaks. 他说话就是慢吞吞的。

Out on the lake will be all right. 到湖上玩玩倒不错。

Between 8 and 9 will suit me. 8点到9点之间对我合适。

19.1.2　动名词作主语

1) 动名词可直接作主语：

Dancing bored him. 跳舞使他厌烦。

Putting in a new window will involve cutting away part of the roof. 安一个新窗户得拆掉一部分房顶。

Keeping hens is her hobby. 养鸡是她的爱好。

Thus rowing is a sport. 因此划船是一种运动。

Going to the movies is a popular pastime. 看电影是一种大众化的消遣。

Being lost can be a terrifying experience. 迷路有时是很可怕的。

Slow cooking make tougher meat tender. 慢火可以把较老的肉炖烂。

Not being punctual makes him unreliable. 不准时使他变得不可靠。

2) 有时，动名词前可以有一代词或名词所有格表示其逻辑上的主语：

Their coming to help was a great encouragement to us. 他们来支援对我们是很大的鼓舞。

Mary's grumbling annoyed him. 玛丽的嘟嘟囔囔使他厌烦。

Rose's going won't be of much help. 罗丝去不会有多大帮助。

有时还可名词化，前面带有冠词：

The reading of the will took place in the lawyer's office. 遗嘱是在律师事务所宣读的。

A ringing of bells marks the end of the old year. 一阵钟声标志着旧年的结束。

3) 有时可用先行词it作形式主语，而把作主语的动名词放到后面去：

It's no use asking me. 问我没用。

Is it any good trying? 试一试有好处吗？

It doesn't matter throwing that away. 把它扔掉没有关系。

It's a waste of time your talking to him. 你和他谈是白费时间。

关于用动名词、不定式和从句作主语可参阅下面多节。