春暖

　　花开

　　各位好，本次的新概念专栏由赛菲尔老师负责，在进入正题之前，我们先来看一个有趣的例子：

　　上图节选自初中新概念学生的作文，题目为“Theadvantagesanddisadvantagesoftravellingalone”。

　　乍一看，小朋友的写作能力还是OK的，既能使用first、second、third来构架起作文结构，又在其中穿插了让步句、条件句以及非限制性定语从句，而且三个观点分别涉及资金、个人情感和效率，满足了多样性。

　　优点夸了这么多，这篇作文是不是就一定能拿到高分呢？

　　很可惜，答案是否定的，问题出在了主语的使用上，通篇的“you”堪比小学生作文中反复出现的“我”、“我们”、“大家”，实在是让人审美疲劳，分数自然被拖了后腿。

　　所以，赛菲尔老师想通过这一篇美中不足的学生作文来谈谈无灵主语在英语写作中的妙用。

　　1

　　什么是“无灵主语”

　　无灵主语（inanimate subject），又叫做物称主语，指的是使用没有生命的事物充当句子的主语成分，例如物品、动作、情感、时间、地点等，这与中文表达中习惯“以人为本”的特点，即常常会把人这个行为主体作为句子主语的情况大相径庭，体现了英语语言所强调的客体思维。

　　在写作时，同学们若能贴近这一强调客观效果的英语思维，适当减少人称主语的使用并多多运用无灵主语，就一定能使自己的文章脱颖而出。

　　2

　　新概念三册中的无灵主语实例及功能

　　冯豪

　　无灵主语可以说是在新概念三册刷足了存在感，80%的课文都涵盖了这一语法点，我整理了三类情况，供同学们参考：

　　1.具体事物做主语，使之具有拟人色彩，画面感跃然纸上。

　　When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London, they were not taken seriously.

　　NCE3 L1 A puma at large

　　Very few of the fifty pence pieces I have given him have found their way there.

　　NCE3 L15 Fifty pence of trouble

　　2.抽象名词做主语，进一步强调该抽象名词的意义和重要性。

　　However, a new type of humour, which stems largely from the US, has recently come into fashion.

　　NCE3 L29 Funny or not

　　3.Therebe句型，既暗含了人称主语，又满足了表达的灵活性。

　　Just as Mrs Richards was entering the dining-room, there was a knock on the front door.

　　NCE3 L13 ‘It’s only me’

　　The sea bed was scoured with powerful nets and there was tremendous excitement on board when a chest was raised from the bottom.

　　NCE3 L33 A lost ship

　　冯豪

　　三. 使用无灵主语丰富作文叙事

　　在理解了无灵主语的定义以及熟悉了这一语法在新概念三册的实际使用之后，我们可以尝试着把它融入于日常写作之中，通过适当地改变句式，使语言更生动、表达更地道。

　　01

　　我想到一个好主意。

　　有灵主语版：Ithoughtofanidea.

　　无灵主语版：A good idea came into my mind.

　　02

　　轮到他发言时，他却突然失去了信心。

　　有灵主语版：Hesuddenlylosthisconfidencewhenhehadtogiveapresentation.

　　无灵主语版：His confidence deserted him when he had to give a presentation.

　　03

　　人们越来越关注农民工的生活状况。

　　有灵主语版：Peoplehavepaidmoreandmoreattentiontothelivelihoodsofmigrantworkers.

　　无灵主语版：Increasing attention has been paid to the livelihoods of migrant workers.

　　最后，我们来看看怎么使用无灵主语来使第一张图中的学生作文焕然一新吧：

　　原文：

　　Travelling alone, which is my favourite, has many advantages. First, you only need to pay money for yourself, so you don’t have to pay large sums of money and you don’t need to worry about others. Second, travelling alone enjoys more privacy, you can do whatever you want. You can be freer and don’t have to listen to others. Third, if there aren’t so many people, you can have a quicker trip, which means you don’t have to waste time visiting one place.

　　通过无灵主语的置换之后：

　　Travelling alone, which is my favourite, has many advantages. First, you only need to pay for yourself, so large sums of money will be saved and there is no need to worry about others. Second, travelling alone enjoys more privacy. A freer trip grants that you can do whatever you want. Third, if there aren’t so many tourists, a quicker trip will be experienced, which saves time on visiting one place.

　　可以发现，在使用无灵主语替换一部分原有的“you”之后，不仅避免了语言的重复，还进在精简原文的基础上带来了新的句型，一举N得，作文整体也瞬间向高上大的目标更进一步。

　　所以赛菲尔老师在这里向各位同学推荐，在写作中引入无灵主语这一贴合英语语言习惯的表达以丰富作文的叙事与层次。

　　文 /新东方英语学习部新概念中心冯豪老师