(五)排除本身的比较级要借助other或else
She is taller than any girls in class.
(本句表达错误,本句中应该在girl前加other,这就排除了和她本身的比较,另外girl不能用复数,因为she只能比其他某个女孩高,不可能比所有女孩加起来还高,应改为: She is taller than any other girl in class.)
(六)比较级前可用副词或短语来修饰表示程度
在同级比较as...as结构前可用almost,nearly,just (about),quite等修饰词。
在优等比较,即“比较级+ than”结构前可用(so) very much,(quite)a lot,a great deal,a bit,somewhat,still,far,by far等修饰词。
例句: Often they chose—and still are choosing—somewhat colder climate such as Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska in order to escape smog, crime and other plagues of urbanization in the Golden Stars. (选自1998年Text 4)
分析: 该句是简单句,in order to escape...作状语表示目的,of urbanization修饰plagues。
译文: 他们常常选择——现在依然这么选择——居住在那些气候较冷的地区,如俄勒冈州、爱达荷州和阿拉斯加州,为的是逃避这个“黄金州”(加利福尼亚州)的烟雾、犯罪以及都市化带来的其他问题。
例句: I also know that people in Japan and Sweden, countries that spend far less on medical care, have achieved longer, healthier lives than we have. (选自2003年Text 4)
分析: 该句是复合句,其中定语从句that spend far less on medical care修饰countries,than we have是比较状语从句。
译文: 我也深知在日本和瑞典这样医疗开销很少的国家,人们获得了比我们更长的寿命和更健康的生活。
(七) more than和more...than
1. more than= over,表示“超过,何止, 极其”,可以修饰名词、形容词、副词、动词或从句,放在动词前常译为“不仅仅,远,大”。
例句: More than two hundred years ago the United States broke away from the British Empire and became an independent country.
分析: 该句是简单句。
译文: 200多年前,美国摆脱了大英帝国,成为一个独立的国家。
例句: The more than 50, 000 nuclear weapons in the hands of various nations today are more than ample for destroying every city in the world several times over. (1998年第18题)
分析: 该句是简单句,短语be ample for sth. /doing sth.意为“足以……”,介词短语in the hands of various nations today作定语修饰weapons。
译文: 今天,各国手中掌握的5万多件核武器足以将世界上的每一座城市毁灭数次。
2. more...than可译为“与其说……不如说……”,即more A than B,译为“与其说是B不如说是A”,强调“more”后的A,反义表达是less A than B,译为“与其说A不如说B”,强调“than”后的B。
例句: What he said is more a story than a joke made for fun.
分析: 该句是复合句,主语是what引导的主语从句,is是谓语,made for fun作后置定语修饰joke。
译文: 与其说他讲述了一个逗人开心的笑话还不如说那是一个相当离谱的故事。
(八) no more than 与 no more...than
1. no more than= nothing more than= only表示“仅仅,只不过”之意。
例句: The individual TV viewer invariably senses that he or she is no more than an anonymous, statistically insignificant part of a huge and diverse audience. (2001年第7题)
分析: 该句是复合句,that he or she is no more than...在句中作sense的宾语。
译文: 电视观众作为个体来说总是觉得,他/她只是众多不同观众中无名无姓的、不值一提的一分子罢了。
2. no more...than...表示“不是……也不是……”或“与……同样不”之意。
(l)no more+名词+than+名词。
例句: Im afraid youve got the wrong person. I am no more a scientist than a mathematician.
译文: 我想恐怕你们搞错了,我既不是什么科学家,也不是什么数学家。
试比较: She is not more a doctor than a technician. (less a doctor than a technician)
译文: 与其说她是医生,还不如说她是技师。
(2)no+形容词或副词比较级+than。
例句: The heart is no more intelligent than the stomach, for they are both controlled by the brain. (1994年第4题)
分析: 该句是复合句,由主句和for引导的原因状语从句组成。
译文: 心脏和胃一样都无智力可言,因为它们都受大脑的控制。
例句: Mr.McWhorters academic specialty is language history and change, and he sees the gradual disappearance of“whom”, for example, to be natural and no more regrettable than the loss of the caseendings of old English. (选自2005年Text 4)