多餘的it？請留意 - 古德明

2012年06月02日 - 蘋果 

問：People whose job it is to save lives usually work with a sense of urgency（救人為業者，工作常懷緊急心情）這一句，那it字似是多餘的，可以刪去嗎？

答：那it字有加強語氣作用，可以但不必刪去。這正如It was his lot to lead his country against the Japs和His lot was to lead his country against the Japs這兩句，都是說「他的命運，是率領國家對抗日寇」，但第一句用it取代his lot作主詞（subject），語氣較強。

Whose等於and＋his/her/their/its，這一點不必多說。文法上，讀者示下那一句，當然可改用and their而不用whose，即People usually work with a sense of urgency, and it is their job to save lives。

原句假如略去it字，則可改寫作People usually work with a sense of urgency, and their job is to save lives。這兩個寫法，除了用 and their代替whose，其他用字和原句無別。

謹再舉一例，以供參考：Chiang Kai-shek, whose lot(it) was to lead his country against the Japs, did not fail to see the communists as the greatest threat to China（蔣介石注定要率領國家對抗日寇，而他也預見共產黨是中國最大的隱患）。

問：Please note that和Please be noted that這兩個說法，分別在於Please be noted that較為客氣，對嗎？

答：英文沒有Please be noted that這說法。Please note that即「請注意」，It should be noted that即「值得注意的是」，切勿混合為Please be noted that。