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less用法的方方面面

2016-05-26来源:和谐英语

less用法的方方面面

1. 用作名词,表示“较少”“更少”,主要用作宾语;但有时也用作主语或表语。如:

I want much less please. 请不要给我那么多。

There’s less to do in this job than the last. 这份工作没有上份工作量大。

The purchase price is less if you pay by cash. 付现金的话,价钱便宜些。

2. 用作形容词,作为 little 的比较级,通常与不可数名词连用。如:

Less oil was produced this year than last. 今年产油比去年少。

I received less money than the others did. 我比别人收到的钱少。

口语中有时可用于可数名词前,但不少语法学家反对这一用法,建议学生不要仿用。如:

I did expect more food and less people. 我的确期望食物更多而人更少。

3. 用作副词,可修饰形容词或副词,表示程度;也可修饰动词,表示次数、程度或数量等。如:

Which book is less difficult? 哪本书较不困难?

Would you mind speaking less quickly? 你可否别讲得那么快? 

Eat less, drink less, and sleep more. 少吃,少饮酒,多睡觉。

It rains less in London than in Manchester. 伦敦的降雨量比曼彻斯特少。

3. 比较 less than 与 less…than:除用于比较结构外,前者还可表示数量等“不到”“不足”,后者表示“不像象(如)……”“与其……不如……”等。如:

It cost me less than ten dollars. 我花了还不到10美元。

The baby’s less ugly than you. 这孩子不像你那么丑。

I regard him less as my teacher than as my friend. 与其说我把他当作老师,不如说我是把他当作朋友。

4. 在通常情况下,even less, much less, still less 可视为less的加强说法,表示“更少”“少得多”等。如:

Much less soup please. 请不要给那么多汤。

You know even less about it than I do. 你对此事知道得比我还少。

但有时它们是习语,表示“更不用说”“更何况”。如:

The boy didn’t have a girlfriend, much less a wife. 那男孩连女朋友都没有,更不用说有妻子了。

I don’t suspect him of negligence, still less of dishonesty. 我不相信他会粗心大意,更不想象他会不诚实。

如果后接动词,要注意与前面所用动词相同的形式。如:

The baby can’t even walk, much less run. 这婴儿连走路都不会,更不用说能跑了。

He’s too shy to ask a stranger the time, still less speak to a room full of people. 他连向陌生人打听时间都不好意思,更不用说向一屋子人讲话了。

若是用于引出一个句,其后通常接倒装语序。如:

He is not interested in her; much less is he in love with her. 他对她并不感兴趣,更不用说爱她了。

4. 比较 no less than, no less…than与not less than:

(1) no less than 有3个意思:(www.hxen.net)

①表示“多达”“有……之多”,用于强调数量之多。如:

There were no less than fifty wounded. 受伤者多达50人。

He paid no less than $10,000 for it. 他为此付了1万多美元。

②表示“简直”“与……没差别”。如:

It’s no less than a scandal. 这简直是一桩丑闻。

It is no less than robbery to ask for so much. 要求这么多,简直跟抢劫没两样。

③表示惊奇或出乎意外,意为“原来就是”“正是”。如:

He was no less than the mayor. 他原来就是市长。

(2) no less…than 意为“与……一样”“不比……差”,强调两者具有同等性。如:

He is no less wise than you. 他跟你一样聪明(他并不比你笨)。

A dolphin is no less a clever animal than a dog is. 海豚与狗同样都是聪明的动物。

比较:A whale is no more a fish than a horse is. 马不是鱼,鲸也不是鱼(即鲸不是鱼就如同马不是鱼一样)。

(3) not less than 意为“不下于”“至少”。比较:

He has no less than seven daughters. 他有7个女儿之多。

He has not less than seven daughters. 他至少有7个女儿。