like vs alike 1
問：一九八三年攻讀碩士學位研究生考試英語試題第VI.1 題:
The twins are so much ________ that is difficult to tell one from the other.
A. similar
B. equal
C. like
D. alike
標準答案規定選D, 是否可選C ?
答：選C 也可以。選C 不僅文法上正確, 而且修辭上也無毛病, 也就是說, 選C 並不劣於選D。請看下面的句子:
- He and his brother are very like. (Longman Lexicon of Contemporary English, p. 728) 他和他哥哥長得非常像。
- Then there are Hans and Peter, the twins… and they are very like each other. (Essential English, Book 1, p. 150) 漢斯和彼得是雙胞胎, 他們長得非常像。
Like vs alike 2
問：1. Modern people, alike their ancestors, are curious about the nature of the universe. (TOEFL, 82.1)
2. Expected noises are usually more tolerable than unexpected ones of the alike magnitude. (TOEFL, 86.3)
我不明白為什麼在上面的句子裡用形容詞alike (同樣的, 相像的) 竟是錯誤的。
答：應當記住, alike, 如同其他的以字母a 開頭的形容詞(afraid, alone, asleep, awake等) 一樣, 通常充當述語, 而不能充當形容詞, 更不能用作介係詞, 因此上句中的alike 應改為like:
like 卻可以用作介係詞或形容詞。形容詞like 既可作述語, 也可作形容詞:
- This Pat wasn’t at all like the Pat of his memories. 現在的派特一點也不像他記憶中的那個派特了。
- You are just like what I expected. 你正像我期望的那樣。
- Like father, like son. 有其父必有其子。
- The boys reacted in a like manner. 孩子們反應的方式都相似。
Like vs alike 3
問：(1) Some antibiotics used in the treatment of human disease are like only in that they are obtained from fungi and bacteria. (TOEFL, 1983.8)
(2) The twins are so much _________ that it is difficult to tell one from the other. (攻讀碩士學位研究生入學考試英語試題, 1983 A)
A. similar
B. equal
C. like
D. alike
我看不出上面的試題(1) 有什麼錯誤, 也看不出為什麼試題(2) 不能選C(like) 。
答：出題者的意圖是: like 一般用作介係詞, 用作形容詞時只能充當前置形容詞, 而不能充當述語(此時應當用alike) 。各類標準英語考試的考生應牢記英語測試專家們的這一觀點。英語教師和英語研究者則應進一步掌握現代英語的實際使用情況。實際上用作形容詞的like 也可以充當述語。The American Heritage Dictionary 明確指出: 形容詞like可以用作alike: They are as like as two brothers.請觀察類似的例子:
- They’re as like as two peas. 他們長得一模一樣。
- He and his brother are very like. 他和他兄弟長得很像。
- Then there are Hans and Peter, the twin…and they are very like each other. (Essential English, Book 1, p.150) 然後, 有漢斯和彼得, 這對孿生兄弟⋯⋯他們長得很像。