everybody
問：Everybody shut their eyes.
句中的shut 是否為shuts 之誤?
答：句中的shut 並沒有用錯, 因為這是一個祈使句。要知道, 祈使句的主詞除了you之外, 也可以是第三人稱:
- Nobody move. 都不許動!
- Parents with children go to the front. 帶孩子的父母到前面去。
- Somebody open this door. 哪位請把門打開。
- Nobody say a word about himself. 關於自己的事情請大家一點兒也不要說。
everybody / everyone…they
問：(1) Every man and woman should vote for the candidate of their choice. (Barron’s How to Prepare for the TOEFL)
(2) Every one of the students had to do their own experiment, and then Professor Brown judged the result. (TOEFL)
標準答案規定將their 改為his。但是, 我在英語著作上卻經常遇到everybody…they(their) 的用法, 這究竟是怎麼回事呢?
答：作為各類考試(尤其是託福考試) 的考生, 應當牢記英語試題編寫者們強調正式用法的意圖, 而堅決地按照他們的要求去做題: everybody / everyone / someone / somebody/ anyone / anybody / no one / nobody 的指稱代名詞只可使用he (his), 而不能使用they(their) 。
但是, 作為英語的使用者或研究者, 則應當懂得多一些。
根據托·派爾斯在《名人英語》這篇文章中的材料, 從17 世紀以來, “everyone…they”這個格式用得比“everyone…he”多得多。下面舉幾個例子:
1. Everybody waits on themselves, and it’s practically always supper, not dinner, and nobody dreams of changing their clothes.
2. If someone dislikes it I shall never trust their literary judgment again.
3. Everyone warned you, didn’t they?
實際上, 現代英語學家們也承認了“everybody…they”這類用法的正確性。
4. Everyone thinks they have the answer.
5. Has anybody brought their camera?
6. No one could have blamed themselves for that.
7. (Every one / Each / Each one) of the students should have (their / his) own books.
8. When every man had assembled, the master paid them their wages. (A reference Grammar for Students of English, p. 145) 大家集合齊了之後, 雇主給他們發了工資。
9. Each of the women wore what they liked best. 這些婦女個個都穿著各自最喜歡的衣服。