more than 用法1
問：It is impossible to make more than the wildest guess at how many they kill, but they hungry creatures, not content with only three meals a day. It has been estimated that the weight of all the insects destroyed by spiders in Britain in one year would be greater than the total weight of all the human beings in the country. (New Concept English, Book 4, p.8)
[原譯1] 蜘蛛吃了多少昆蟲, 即使作最大膽的猜想也不能猜到, 但是它們是饑餓的動物, 並不滿足於一日三餐。據估計在英國一年內被蜘蛛消滅的所有昆蟲的重量比這個國家內所有人的總重量還要重。(普教)
[原譯2] 它們消滅的昆蟲之多簡直使我們無法估計, 它們是吃不飽的動物, 從不滿足於一日三餐。據估計, 在英國, 蜘蛛在一年裡所消滅的昆蟲的重量超過這個國家人口的總重量。(《新概念英語學習參考》(四), 外研社, p.4
[原譯3] 蜘蛛究竟殺死多少昆蟲, 也只能瞎猜, 但蜘蛛是吃不飽的生物, 不滿足於一日只吃三餐這一點是肯定的。據估計, 在英國一年內被蜘蛛消滅的昆蟲, 其重量可能大於所有英國人的總重量。(《新概念英語》(四), 朗文出版公司、世界圖書出版公司, p.10)
請分析more than the wildest 的含義及譯法。
答：原譯2 剛說完“無法估計”, 接著卻說“據估計”這不是自相矛盾嗎? 要想真正弄清這句譯文毛病之所在, 必須掌握more than 用法的幾個主要用法。
A. more than + 數詞, 表示“⋯ ⋯以上”、“ 多於⋯⋯”、“ ⋯⋯有餘”。例如:
More than 100 chemical elements are known to man, about 80 are metals. 人類已知的化學元素有100 種以上, 其中約有80 種是金屬。
在這種用法裡, more than 的反義詞是less than。後者一般可譯作“少於⋯⋯”、“不到⋯ ⋯”、“在⋯ ⋯以下”。例如:
In a fission bomb, all the fissionable atoms are used up in less than one millionth of a second.
在原子彈中, 所有裂變原子在不到百萬分之一秒的時間內就會全部消耗完。
B. more than + 名詞(名詞子句或不定詞作名詞), 一般可以譯作“只”、“不僅僅”、“超過”、“遠不止”、“不同於”等。例如:
- We must consider more than the beginning of the motion, however.
然而, 我們必須考慮的不只是運動的初始階段。 - Peace is much more than the absence of war.
和平不僅僅是意味著沒有戰爭。 - Science is more than a mere accumulation of carefully collected facts. It is also a method of solving problems.
科學不僅僅是細心搜集的事實的積累, 它也是解決問題的方法。 - Mathematics, much more than technology, has a life of its won independent of science.
數學與技術不同, 它本身有一段不依賴科學的歷史。
C. more than + 動詞, 一般可譯作“十分”、“大大地”、“遠遠地”、“深為”、“極大地”、“豈止是”、“不僅僅”。例如:
- I am sure conditions over there will more than satisfy your requirements.
我相信, 那邊的條件會大大滿足你的要求。 - He more than smiled, he laughed outright.
他豈止是微笑, 他簡直是大笑了。
more than…can/could 往往可以譯作“不能”。其中的more than 表示否定, 相當於not。例如:
- The beauty of Hangzhou is more than words can describe. (= No words can describe the beauty of Hangzhou.)
杭州景色之美, 是語言所不能描述的。 - That’s more than I can tell you, sir.
這一點我是不能告訴您的, 先生。
D. more than + 形容詞或副詞, 在語意上表示很高的程度, 常常可譯作“非常”、“十分”、“更加”、“深為”、“豈止”、“不僅僅”等。例如:
- He is more than selfish. (= very selfish)
他非常自私。 - She was more than old-fashioned, she was antediluvian.
她不單是守舊, 簡直就是個老古董。 - Man is more than adaptive – he is creative. Man goes out of his way to make conditions requiring new adaptions.
人類不僅具有適應性, 還具有創造性。人類竭盡全力創造條件, 以適應新情況。
現在我們回過頭來研究一下你所提問的例句的原文及其譯法。the wildest guess是指“亂猜”、“不切實際的猜想”、“漫無邊際的猜想”, more than the wildest guess, 根據前面的討論可以看出, 是指“ 超過胡亂猜想的事情”, 可以引申為“ 估計”、“ 比較準確的估計”。
[試譯] 蜘蛛到底能吃掉多少昆蟲? 要想對此作出比較準確的估計, 是不可能的, 但
是蜘蛛是饑餓的動物, 決不滿足於一日三餐。據估計⋯⋯
小練習：請選出正確的答案。（留言作答）
“Won’t you have more meat?” “No, thanks, I’ve had _______ enough already.”
A. beyond
B. more than
C. greater than
D. more plenty
more than用法2
問：My new glasses cost me _________ the last pair that I bought.
A. as much as three times
B. three times more than
C. three times as much as
D. as much three times as
(《新編大學英語四、六級常考詞題庫》, 中國廣播電視出版社, 1996, p.402)
書上給的答案為C。能否選B 呢?
答：這道試題有錯誤。選B 也是同樣正確的, 而且它的意思與C 相同。見much 用法10, n times more than。
more than 用法3 (more+ than 子句)
問：He often sat in a small bar, drinking and smoking considerably more ________.
A. than is good for his health
B. than his health
C. than that he is healthy
D. than good health.
如何分析than 子句?
答：請見than 用法1 。
more than 用法 4 (more than a little)
問：If you tell your father what you’ve done, he’ll be more than a little angry. more than a little angry 是指“生一點兒氣”, 還是“非常生氣”?
答：為便於理解, 我們可以把more than 理解為not。more than a little 近似於not a little, 是“很”、“非常”的意思(參見a bit/a little) 。上面的句子可以譯為:
如果你把所做的事告訴你父親, 他會非常生氣的。
more than 用法 5(never more than)
more than 用法 6 (no more)
見no 用法
more than 用法 7 (more…than)
問：It seems, then, that these two branches of science are mutually dependent and interacting, and that the so-called division between the pure scientist and the applied scientist is more apparent than real.
[原譯] 其次, 看來這兩門科學是相互依賴和相互制約的, 在純科學工作者和應用科
學工作者之間的所謂區分要比客觀的更為明顯。(《留學生、研究生英語試題答案》)
請分析more…than 的真正含義。
答：大家知道, more…th an 最常出現在有比較副詞子句的句子裡。
- Think grease offers more resistance to motion than thin oil. (more 修飾名詞)
稠的油脂對運動的阻力比稀的油要大。 - Heavy water is more effective in slowing down neutrons than graphite. (more 修飾形容詞, 幫助effective 構成比較級)
重水使中子減速的效果比石墨好。
但是more…than 還有另一種用法, 就是比較兩種說法的正確程度, 在作者看來, 前一種說法(即more 項) 比後一種說法(即than 項) 更正確一些。中文可譯作“與其說⋯ ⋯不如說”、“與其說⋯ ⋯毋寧說”、“不大像⋯⋯倒像”。例如:
He is more good than bad. = It is more accurate to say that he is good than that he is bad.
與其說他很壞, 不如說他很好。
在這種句型裡, more + 形容詞或副詞並不構成形容詞或副詞的比較級。這個結構有一個很突出的特點, 就是不能以形容詞或副詞比較級的尾碼形式出現。例如, I was more angry than frightened.(我與其說是害怕, 不如說是生氣。), 就不能說成I was angrier than frightened。所以, R.誇克等人把這種結構叫做準對等結構。在這種句型裡, more…than 不僅可以跟形容詞並用, 也可以跟名詞、代名詞、動詞、介係詞片語等並用。例如:
- It is more a poem than a picture. (連接名詞)
它與其說是一幅畫, 不如說是一首詩。 - The present crisis in capitalist countries is much more a political than an economic crisis (連接名詞片語)
資本主義國家目前的危機與其說是經濟危機, 還不如說是政治危機。 - A river that carries so much silt per cubic metre (590 kilograms – over half a ton!) is more like liquid land than water. (連接介係詞片語)
每立方米的水挾帶了那麼多泥沙(590 公斤半噸多!) 的河流, 與其說是河水, 倒不如說是液態陸地。 - He is more diligent than clever.
與其說他聰明, 還不如說他勤奮。 - To some, this may sound more like medieval magic than modern science.
在一些人聽來, 這與其說是現代科學, 還不如說像中世紀的魔術。
[試譯] 由此看來, 這兩門科學是相互依存而又相互影響的。因而理論科學家和應用科學家之間的所謂區分, 與其說是實際的, 不如說是表面的。
more than 用法8 (more than…can/could)
問：In the end, it was more than he could bear. (New Concept English, Book 2, L.38)
我不大瞭解more than…can/could 的用法和意義。請簡析。
答：more than…can/could 是英語裡的一個常見結構。從翻譯角度講, 可以把這裡的more than 理解為not, 表示否定。整個結構一般可譯為“非⋯⋯ 所能⋯⋯”、“不是⋯ ⋯ 所能⋯ ⋯”,“是⋯ ⋯所不能⋯ ⋯”。例如:
- When my old friend Brian urged me to accept a cigarette, it was more than I could bear. (New Concept English, Book 2, L.78)
當我的老朋友布賴恩慫恿我接受一支煙時, 我可再也熬不住了。 - Modern dances proved to be more than the dish could bear, for during the party it capsized and sank in seven feet of water. (New Concept English, Book 3, L.43)
盤子承受不了在它上面跳現代舞的負擔, 舞會進行之中此盤傾覆, 沉入7 英尺深的河水中。 - The cold was more than the children could bear.
那寒冷是孩子們忍受不了的。 - The beauty of the place is more than I can describe.
那地方景色之美, 是我無法描述的。
(參見more than 用法1)
more than 用法 9 (more than one…is/are)
問：More than one person _________(is, are) involved in this case.
不知應當選is, 還是應當選are?
答：more than one 後面跟的是單數名詞, 因此動詞要用單數, 儘管在概念上它具有複數意義。這就是說, 在這裡遵循的是文法一致原則, 而不是概念一致原則(參見many 用法5) 。
- More than one person has been concerned in this.
這件事牽涉的不止一個人。 - There is more than one possible explanation.
可能的解釋不止一個。 - More than one member has protected against the proposal.
不止一個成員反對這個建議。
但是,more + 複數名詞+ than one 結構則需要與複數動詞連用:
more than 用法10 (more than one of…is/are)
問：More than one + 複數名詞作主詞, 其動詞是用第三人稱單數形式, 還是用複數形式?
答：有許多英語文法書和英語辭書著重強調, More than one of + 複數名詞總是使用動詞的第三人稱單數形式:
More than one of the girls has already gone home.
這些姑娘之中, 已經不止一個回家了。
但是, 也能發現動詞用複數形式的實例:
More than one of these gentlemen have in conversation expressed the opinion that…
這些紳士之中, 不止一個在談話中表達了此種觀點⋯ ⋯
more than 用法11 (n times more than)
問：下面的譯文我認為有誤, 不知您以為然否?
(1) The frequency range of signal generator model 900 B is twice broader than that of model 800 A.
[原譯]900B 型信號發生器的頻率範圍比800 A 型寬兩倍。(《翻譯通訊》, 1982, 第5 期)
(2) A is five times longer than B.
[原譯]A 比B 長5倍。
(3) This type of machine uses three times more fuel oil than that type does.
[原譯] 這種類型的機器的耗油量比那種類型的多3倍。(《英語分類句型》, 商務印書館, p.145)
(4) Your house is three ties larger than mine.
[原譯] 你的房子比我的房子大3倍(就是我的房子的4 倍大小) 。(葛傳椝:《英語慣用法詞典》, p.644)
答：有不少英語學者著文說:“在‘倍數+ More than…’的句型中, 翻譯時包括基數在內, 把英語句中的倍數照譯不減”。但是, 我們閱讀大量科技文獻後發現, 這些說法和譯法是不符合英語的實際情況的, 至少說, 是不符合當代英語的實際情況的。事實上,在當代英語裡“A is n times larger than B”與“A is n times as large as B”在意義上是完全一樣的。讓我們援引一段倍數可以驗算的文字, 以資證明。
- In the example shown in the figure, the cylinder on the right is twice as large in diameter, so the areas of the two pistons stand in the ratio of 4 to 1. Therefore, since the total force of hydrostatic pressure acting on the right piston will also be 4 ties larger, we must place 4 weights on it to keep it in equilibrium.
在圖中所示的例子裡, 右面的缸徑是左邊的兩倍, 這樣, 這兩個活塞的面積之比是4 比1 。由於作用在右面活塞上的總的流體靜壓力將會有4倍那麼大, 所以, 我們必須在該活塞上放4個重物來使它保持平衡。 - Torricelli reasons that this air ‘air pressure’ would be unable to push a liquid heavier than water as high as 35 feet, and that a column of mercury, for example, which weighted about 14 times more than water, would rise to only a fourteenth of the height of water, i.e. approximately 2.5 feet. (A Course in Basic Scientific English, p.13)
[原譯] 托裡切裡推論說這一“氣壓”不可能把比水重的液體推到35 英尺的高度, 並舉例說比水重約14 倍的水銀柱, 只能升高達水的高度的1/ 14, 也就是說將近2. 5 英尺。(中譯本)
原文中的mercury which weighed about 14 times more than water 應譯為“比重大約為水的14 倍的水銀”或“比水大約重13 倍的水銀”。
現代語言學家對於n times larger than 的真正含義已作了精確的說明, 我們沒有必要再對此進行爭論了, 也不必再作想當然的解釋了:
Five times as many people came to the demonstration as (did) last time.
= Five times more people came to the demonstration than (did) last time.
[參見as…as 用法5,much 用法10 (n times as much as)]