seem 用法和詳解. 另外seem+as if 又是什麽類型句子？

seem 用法

問：I can’t/couldn’t seem to get to sleep. 這種有關seem 用法的句型無論在意義上或結構上都很難理解。請解釋。

答：這是seem 用法簡單句裡句子成分之間的否定的轉移。它與帶有受詞子句的複雜句中的否定的轉移有許多相似之處(參見think2, 3 條) 。

I can’t seem to get to sleep.

在語意上等於:

It seems that I can’t get to sleep. 看來我無法入睡。

這就是說can’t 實際上是針對get to sleep 來說的, 而不是針對seem 來說的:

I seem not to be able to get to sleep.

這種句型在語意上表示: 主詞所表示的人盡力想做某事, 但做不到或未能做到。

1. I can’t seem to do it. 我好像是幹不了。
2. They can’t seem to concentrate 他們似乎不能集中精力。

除了seem 之外, 在簡單句中允許否定轉移的動詞還有appear:

The baby doesn’t appear to be awake. (= The baby appears not to be awake.)
這孩子似乎還沒睡醒。

as seems likely / as it seems likely

見it12

It seems as if (as though)

問：It seems as if you are the first one here.
看來你是第一個來這兒的。
請問seem用法+as if 子句是什麼類型的子句?

答：CGEL 對此類句型的分析如下:

“The verbs… seem, appear, look… are complemented by an adverbial clause beginning as if…”
(…seem, appear, look..等動詞可由as if引導的副詞子句來補足……)

這就是說, CGEL 的作者們仍把as if 子句看作是副詞子句, 同時, 又把它看作是seem, appear, look 等連綴動詞的補語。我們認為這種分析方法有其不妥當之處。大家知道, 在含有副詞子句的句子裡, 如果把副詞子句去掉, 句子在結構和語意上仍是完整的。但是, 在It seems as if(as though) ⋯ ⋯句子裡, 如果去掉as if 子句, 則句子無論在結構或語意上都是不完整的, 因此這裡的as if 子句更像是一個述語子句(參見It seems that) 。請分析下面的例句:

1. It seems as if there will be an election soon. 看來很快就要舉行選舉了。
2. It seems as if the weather is improving. 看來天氣要好起來了。

(參見It looks as if)

It seems that

問：It seemed that the headmaster would come to our class.請問that 子句是什麼子句?

答：有的文法學家(例如《英語文法劄記》的作者薄冰教授等) 認為that 子句是主詞子句, 是全句的真實主詞, 而it 是它的形式主詞。但這種解釋會遇到一個無法解決的困難:

主詞子句可以提前, 而這裡的that 子句卻是無論如何也不能提前的:

× That the headmaster would come to our class seemed.

比較:

It seemed strange to my brother that I liked physics.
→ That I liked physics seemed strange to my brother.

這說明seem 之後必須跟有主詞補語(述語), 才能把that 子句放到句首, 否則句子便不能成立。
因此, 對於你所問的句子我們必須作另外的分析: 此類句型中的it 是無人稱it (impersonal it) 或虛設it (expletive it), 充當句子的主詞。它只是填補句法上的空缺, 並無實際含義。seem 在這裡是連綴動詞, 要求有主詞補語 ; that 子句便是它的主詞補語。從資訊上看, 主詞補語總是表示新資訊, 具有較大的資訊載荷:

• The blue dress is oldest. 這藍色的衣服很舊。
• The oldest dress is blue. 最早的那件衣服是藍色的。

而在It seems that 句型中, that 子句總是新資訊的載體:

1. It seemed that everyone was satisfied. 看來每個人都很滿意。
2. It happened that the weather was exceptionally cold. 碰巧天氣非常冷。
3. It appears that he followed my advice. 看來他聽取了我的勸告。

It doesn’t seem that

問：It doesn’t seem that we can get our money back.句中的否定是針對主句的, 還是針對that 子句的?

答：seem, appear, look as if (look like) 等動詞, 與表示看法的動詞(believe, think, imagine, suppose, fancy, reckon) 一樣, 也允許否定的轉移。

It doesn’t seem that we can get our money back.≈ It seems that we can’t get our money back. 看來我們不能把我們的錢要回來了。

但是, 有時候也可能不是否定的轉移:

It just didn’t seem that it would rain.
不像是要下雨(或好像不會下雨) 。

Seem not to/don’t seem to

問：有一本英文正誤手冊說:
Wrong: He seemed not to hear me.
Right: He didn’t seem to hear me.
請問上面所說的“病句”真的是病句嗎?

答：上面的兩種seem 用法都是正確的。該書所認定的病句並非是什麼病句。請考察下面的實例:

1. They can’t seem to concentrate. = They seem not to be able to concentrate.
   他們似乎不能夠集中精力。
2. Pierre seemed not to have heard the news.
   皮埃爾似乎沒有聽到過這個消息。
3. He doesn’t seem to be at home. = He seems not to be at home.
   他似乎沒有在家。
4. He seemed not to have grasped what she really meant.
   他似乎沒有領會她話的真正意思。
5. I don’t seem to lack anything. = I seem not to lack anything.
   我似乎什麼都不缺少。
6. He did not seem to have changed. = seemed not to have changed.
   他似乎沒什麼變化。

seem to have done

問：seem to have done 與seem to do 有什麼區別?

答：在seem (appear, happen) 之後使用動詞不定詞的一般式, 表示動詞不定詞所表達的動作、狀態是與動詞seem (appear, happen) 同時發生的。在seem (appear, happen) 之後使用動詞不定詞完成式則表示動詞不定詞完成式所表達的動作、狀態是在動詞seem(appear, happen) 之前發生的。

1. He seems to have missed train. 他似乎沒有趕上火車。
2. He seems to have lost all desire to write. 他似乎失去了一切寫作願望。
3. He didn’t seem to have changed. 他似乎沒有改變。

小練習：請選出正確的答案。（留言作答）
The earth seems _________ originally part of the sun.
A. to be
B. it is
C. it belonged to
D. to have been