Non-finite Clause - 古德明

2014年11月04日 - 蘋果

問：貴欄日前有以下一句，句子下半截是什麼文法結構？──A British lieutenant was ordered to take the Russian battery, the force to consist of his own company and two other companies（一英軍中尉奉命率領其麾下以及另外兩個步兵連，奪取俄軍砲臺）。

答：句子下半截是個non-finite clause，即「動詞不會變化的子句」。請比較以下句子：

（1）They were to leave for Japan, and their mission was to bomb Hiroshima。

（2）They were to leave for Japan, their mission being to bomb Hiroshima。

這兩句都是說，「他們要去日本，任務是轟炸廣島」。第一句下半截是一般寫法，動詞用單數過去式的was，因為主詞（subject）是單數的mission，又因句子所述是過去的事。第二句下半截用「動詞不會變化的子句」，所以子句主詞their mission即使改為複數形式的their orders，句子所述即使是目前的事，動詞being都不會改變。

讀者說的那一句，下半截就是用類似例句二的寫法，只是用「to＋原形動詞(infinitive)」說未來的事，而不用being說「已是如此」的事，改為一般寫法就是：and the force was to consist of his own company and two other companies。

現謹再舉一例：Hector turned and faced Achilles, his fate hanging in the balance / his fate to be decided by the gods（= and his fate hung in the balance / and his fate was to be decided by the gods赫克特轉過身，和阿奇里斯對敵，生死難料／生死將由諸神決定）。