Secret Lady Daily English 20060815
Posted on 七月 14, 2008
Filed Under Secret Lady Daily English | Leave a Comment
Q：The company was to blame for shrinking revenues 这一句，可不可以改作 The company was blamed for shrinking revenues ？
A：The company was blamed / was to blame for shrinking revenues 两个说法都正确，只是意思有点不同。
Blame 有两个意思，一是「责备」，用法和普通及物动词（ transitive verb ）相同，有主动（ active voice ）和被动语态（ passive voice ），例如：
He blamed the pedestrian for the accident / The pedestrian was blamed for the accident （他责备那个引起这宗意外事故的行人/那行人因引起这宗意外事故而被责备）。
Blame 的另一个意思，是「应负上过失的责任」或「应受责备」，习惯用在 be to （即 am to 、 was to 等）之后，例如：
The pedestrian was to blame for the accident （论这宗意外事故，过失在那行人）。这一句的 pedestrian 看似句子主词（ subject ），却可以说是 blame 的受词（ object ），所以 blame 之后不可再有受词。这句式颇为奇怪，不少初学者都感迷惑，也没有其他主动、被动语态。
读者也许会问： The pedestrian was to be blamed for the accident 不是被动语态吗？按 be to 一般解作「将会」， He was to blame the pedestrian for the accident / The pedestrian was to be blamed for the accident 即「他将会责备那行人引起这宗意外事故」，这是上述 blame 的第一个意思，和 The pedestrian was to blame for the accident 不同。
读者说的两句，
The company was blamed for shrinking revenues，意思是「由于收入减少，公司受到责备」，
The company was to blame for shrinking revenues，意思是「收入减少，过失在公司」
Comments
Leave a Reply