Ask & Learn闻问切英语口语: Luxury or Luxuries?
2014-05-19来源:易贤网

Ask & Learn闻问切英语口语:Luxury or Luxuries?

读者 Anthony 读报时看到下面两句:

1. Daily baths were a luxury that most families could not afford.

2. It is revealing to realise that some so-called necessities in modern life - showers, changes of clothes, keeping up our looks, and many others - may be luxuries that can be done without.

Anthony 问为什么在第一句 daily baths 这个众数的主语后面是一个单数的补语 luxury,而第二句中 so-called necessities 也是众数,后面的补语 luxuries 却用了众数?

我们先看看比较简单的第二句。句中的necessities 是指showers、changes of clothes、keeping up our looks 一类的日常活动,我们可以很清楚地一、二、三……一项一项数出来,所以后面的宾语luxuries,也是以众数出现,这不难明白。

我们再看回第一句。表面上daily baths 也不是众数吗?其实我们应该这样去理解:这里的daily baths 指的不是洗了多少个澡,而是每天可以洗澡这事,因此也就应该把它看成是单数了。

换句话说,这里的daily baths,或者应该看成 "taking daily baths"。

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