小议英语中特殊的否定现象

肖钰敏　肖　华

一、形式肯定，意义否定

1. “too ... to ...”结构，表示“太……以致不能……”。例如：

We are too tired to walk any farther. 我们太累不能再往前走。

She is too young to go to school. 他太小还不能上学。

注意：如果too后形容词表示主语的状态、心理活动、情感态度，如glad，easy，ready, anxious, eager， willing， happy， etc.，并与其后的不定式构成固定搭配，这时too含有肯定意义，表示“very, extremely”的意思。例如：

They are too anxious to know the result of the exam.他们极想知道考试结果。

Mr. Brown was too eager to see you. 布朗先生极想见到你。

Im too happy to meet you.见到你非常地高兴。

2. “……否定词 + but + 肯定形式的谓语”，意为“没有……不……”。but是否定意义的关系代词，相当于who / that ... not ... 或without doing。例如：

In their class there is no one but hopes to go to university.

= In their class there is no one who does not hope to go to university. 在他们班没有不希望上大学的人。

There is nobody but makes mistakes.

= There is nobody who doesnt make mistakes.人人都会犯错误。

There is no parents but love their own children.

= There is no parents who dont love their own children.没有不喜欢自己小孩的父母亲。

二、形式否定，意义肯定

1. “cannot ．．． too ．．．” 意为“无论怎样……也不过分；越……越好”。此结构中的not可以换成 hardly，never或scarcely; too可以换成too much , over或enough，其意思不变。例如：

You cannot be too careful. (= You cannot be over careful. / You cannot be careful enough．)你越仔细越好。

A man can never have too many friends．朋友越多越好。

You can hardly be careful enough in choosing friends.择友时越小心越好。

Lei Feng is such a great man that we cant praise him too much.雷锋是一位非常伟大的人，我们无论怎样表扬他都不过分。

2. cannot help doing （= cannot help but do）意为“不得不……；忍不住……”。例如：

We cannot help refusing her offer. （= We cannot help but refuse her offer.）我们不得不拒绝她的建议。

We cant help thinking Lei Feng is still alive.我们总是认为雷锋还活着。

3. hardly / scarcely / rarely…when …以及 no sooner … than 意为“一……就……”。使用此句型时应注意：①主句用过去完成时态，从句用一般过去时态；②hardly / scarely / rarely / no sooner放在句首时，从句采用部分倒装语序。例如：

They had hardly arrived when they started to work. （= Hardly had they arrived when they started to work.） 他们一到就开始工作。

He had no sooner had supper when he went out. （= No sooner had he had supper than he went out.）他一吃完晚饭就出去了。

4. “主语 ＋ 否定谓语 ＋ until + 从句”，意为“ 直到……才……”。

I didnt work until he came back.他回来我才开始工作。

She didnt fall asleep until (it was) twelve.

= Not until (it was) twelve did she fall asleep.

= It was not until (it was) twelve that she fell asleep.直到十二点，她才睡着。

三、形式上否定主句，意义上否定从句

1. appear, seem, feel, look, sound, taste, smell等动词，否定形式在主句，但是否定意义转移到表语部分。例如：

It doesnt seem as if it is going to rain.好像天不会下雨。

It doesnt sound that this story is true.听起来这个故事不是真的。

2. think, believe, suppose, expect, imagine, feel, guess, fancy, assume, reckon, 等动词后面宾语从句的否定词转移到主句中，即主句的谓语动词用否定式，而从句的谓语动词用肯定式。例如：

I dont think she will arrive on time. 我想她不会按时到达的。

I dont believe he will come. 我相信他不会来。

3. 含有否定词的原因状语从句的主从复合句，在形式上虽然是否定主句的谓语，然而在意义上则是否定该原因状语，意为“并不因为……而……”。例如：

The mountain is not valuable because it is high．山并不因为高而具有价值。（山不在高）

Galileo was not ready to accept it just because Aristotle had said so．伽利略并不会因为亚里斯多德说过某事如何如何就轻易相信它。

四、其它几种特殊的否定

1. ... not ... enough to do系双重否定结构，既否定enough前面的内容，又否定后面的动词不定式。例如：

He is not old enough to go to school.他年龄不够大不能去上学。

注意： ... enough not to do 只用来否定不定式。

2. 在appear, seem, happen（碰巧），chance（碰巧）， pretend, expect, intend, want, wish, plan, tend 等动词后面跟动词不定式时，如果要构成否定句，否定词not既可以放在这些动词之前，也可以放在后面的动词不定式之前，意义完全相同，即否定后面不定式的内容。例如：

I didnt happen to be there． （＝ I happened not to be there．）我恰巧不在那儿。

He did not seem to notice us. （= He seemed not to notice us.）他似乎没有注意到我们。

They didnt pretend to see me when I went by． （＝ They pretended not to see me when I went by．）当我经过的时候，他们假装没有看见我。

She does not appear to appreciate your talents. ( = She appears not to appreciate your talents.)她好像不赏识你的才能。

3. 不定代词all， both， every及 every的复合词，副词always， often， entirely与 not一起使用时，表示部分否定，意思是“并非都是”，“不是每个人都”等。例如：

Every man cannot solve the problem．并非每个人都能解决这个问题。

I dont entirely agree with them．我并不完全同意他们的意见。

She isnt often late for school.她并非经常上学迟到。

注意：

1) 当all， both， every等词和带im-，in-， un-，dis-等表示否定意义的前缀的词连用时，表示全部否定的意义。例如：

All their answers are incorrect．他们所有的答案都不正确。

2) 表示全部否定时，我们常使用no， not， nobody， nothing， never， nowhere， neither等词。例如：

None of them can swim．他们都不会游泳。

4. “no + 形容词的比较级 + than …” 意为“和……一样不……（两者皆否定）”。例如：

Alice is no more diligent than Mary. (= Alice is not diligent, nor is Mary.)艾莉丝和玛丽一样不用功。

5. not more ... than意为“并不比……更……”（两者皆肯定，只是程度不同）。例如：

She is not more beautiful than her younger sister. 她并不比妹妹靓丽。

6. “ no more …than …” 意为“与……同样不”。例如：

He can no more siwm that I can fly.他不会游泳就像我不会飞一样。