BBC news 2010-08-14 加文本

否定转移

英语中最常见的否定是用否定副词not来表示。英语的否定可分为一般否定和特指否定。一般否定通过not否定句子的谓语来否定全句，特指否定的not否定句子的特定部分。但有时，对句子某一部分的否定不通过直接否定那一部分，而是通过否定句子的谓语来实现。这种变特指否定为一般否定的现象叫做否定的转移(transferred negative)。常见的否定转移有下列几种情况：

    一．当think，suppose，believe，imagine，fancy，guess，should say等表示主观意见和猜想的动词在句中作谓语时，按习惯其宾语从句的否定通常转移到主句。例如：

    1.There'd be men who I didn't think would want to be fooling around with him. 我认为有人不愿和他鬼混。

    2.We don't suppose he will pay. 我们认为他不会付钱。

    二．在seem，feel，taste，sound，appear作联系动词的句子中，特别是seem，按习惯以它的否定来代替其他部分的否定。例如：

    1.English doesn't seem easy to learn. 英语好像不容易学。

    2.It didn't seem during those years that there could be anyone else who might share my own peculiar tastes. 在那些年月里，似乎没有人会有我这样的特殊情趣。

    类似的情况还有半助动词happen。例如：

    He didn't happen to be at home. 他碰巧不在家。

    三．以because引导的从句或because of引导的介词短语在句中作原因状语时，其否定常常转移。例如：

    1.I don't teach because teaching is easy for me., and nor do I teach because I think I know answers, or I have knowledge I feel compelled to share with others. (＝ I teach not because… neither because…) 我当教师，并不是因为我觉得教书轻松……也

不是因为我认为自己能够解答各种问题，或者因为我有满腹学问，觉得非与别人分享不可。

    2.I didn't go there because of his request. (＝I went there not because of his request.) 我不是因为他的要求而去的。

    在有些情况下，否定显然是在主句，而不在从句，并未转移。例如：

    I couldn't concentrate because I was so hungry, because I hadn't had my breakfast. 我无法集中精力，因为我很饿，因为我没有吃早饭。

    有时，特指否定和一般否定界线不明，因而产生歧义。例如：

    I didn't go because I was afraid. 特指否定：我去了，但不是因为我害怕。一般否定：我没有去，因为我害怕。

    当句子是一般否定时，为避免歧义，在口头表达时，需在because前稍作停顿。在书面表达时，可在because前用逗号将从句和主句分开。

例如：

    He didn't go to school, because he was ill. 他没去上学，因为他病了。

2.Alabama is the first US state to sue since the Deepwater Horizon rig, owned by Transocean and leased to BP, exploded in April and sent millions of gallons of oil into the sea.

这句话的主干是：Alabama is the first US state。to sue...是动词不定式做后置定语，修饰state。since引导时间状语从句。owned by and leased to是过去分词做后置定语，修饰Deepwater Horizon rig。

3.Sierra Leone's Human Rights Commission has called on South Africa to hand over uncut diamonds allegedly given to the supermodel Naomi Campbell by the former Liberian President Charles Taylor.

这句话的主干是前面半句。given to是过去分词做后置定语，修饰uncut diamonds。call on sb to do要求某人做某事。