英语句首否定是否倒装

英语句首否定是否倒装

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摘 要：文章从“句首否定引起倒装的条件和句首否定不引起倒装的条件”两个方面举例详细论述了英语句首否定是否倒装的问题，说明牢记句首否定是否倒装的条件并掌握其规律对阅读理解英语句子，学好英语大有帮助。

关键词：句首否定 倒装 不到装 条件

在英语句子中, 一般的词序是主语在前, 谓语在后, 称为自然语序(natural order)。但有时由于语法结构、语气强调或修辞手段上的需要, 可以把谓语的全部或部分移到主语前, 这种现象称为倒装(inversion)。倒装分为全部倒装和部分倒装。把谓语的全部移到主语前为全部倒装(full inversion)；而把谓语的部分移到主语前为部分倒装(partial inversion)。句首的否定倒装与一般疑问句的形式相同，属于部分倒装。

倒装是英语学习中非常重要的一个语法现象, 在历年的大学英语四、六级考试中都有该类题型出现，尤其是句首否定倒装，经常给考生设置一些陷阱，很容易让考生失分，也很容易让他们对所读的含有句首否定的篇章不知所云。由于此篇篇幅有限，笔者在此只论述句首否定是否倒装的问题。笔者认为，句首否定是否倒装有一定的条件和一定的规律可循。笔者希望在此能够抛砖引玉，让广大考生和英语学习者对句首否定是否倒装这一问题有更加清楚的认识。

1.句首否定引起倒装的条件

1.1. 用于not，never, seldom, little, nowhere, rarely / hardly /scarcely/ barely等表示否定意义的副词以及at no time(决不), by no means(决不), in no case(决不), on no accounts(决不), on no condition(决不), in [under] no circumstances(决不), in vain（徒劳）等表示否定意义的短语开头的句子中。例如：

Not for anything will I give up halfway. 我决不会半途而废。 Never shall I go there again. 我再也不会去那儿。

Seldom have I seen such a remarkable girl. 我很少看见过如此出众的女孩。

Little did I think that we were talking together for the last time.

我没有想到这次谈话竟成诀别。

Nowhere has the world ever seen such great enthusiasm for learning as in our country.

世上没有任何地方有像在我国这样高的学习热情。

Rarely / Hardly /Scarcely/ Barely could she have been faced with so difficult a choice.

她可能极少面临过如此困难的选择。 At no time will China behave like a superpower. 中国决不会做超级大国。

On no account would I need to borrow money from my friends.

我绝对没有必要向朋友们借钱。

Under no circumstances will she let her daughter marry such a man.

她决不会把女儿嫁给这样的一个男人。

In vain did we try to persuade her to give up her plan. 我们劝她放弃计划，她不听。

1.2. 用于no sooner…than…, hardly / barely / scarcely / rarely …when…和not until开头的句型中。例如：

No sooner had we arrived at the campsite than it began to rain cats and dogs.

我们刚一到宿营地, 天就开始下起了大雨。

Hardly / Barely / Scarcely / Rarely had he opened the door when a gust of wind blew the candle.

他刚一开门，一阵风就把蜡烛吹灭了。

Not until the teacher came did he finish his homework. (=He didn’t finish his homework until the teacher came.)

老师来了他才做完作业。

Not until midnight did it stop raining. (= It didn’t stop raining until midnight.)

直到半夜, 雨才停。

1.3. 副词no后接副词用作句首状语。例如： No longer are they staying with us. 他们不再与我们住在一起。

John will retire very soon. No more will his genius delight millions.

约翰快要退休了。他的才华将再也不能为成千上万的人带来欢乐。

1.4. not only （…but also）位于句首引导两个并列的分

句。Not only引导部分倒装。例如：

Not only is he a scientist, but also he is a poet. 他不仅是个科学家，还是个诗人。

Not only did our teacher speak more correctly, but also he spoke more fluently, too.

我们老师不仅讲得更正确，而且更流利。

1.5. neither, nor引导的句子，表示“也不……”。例如： If you won’t go, neither shall I. 如果你不去，我也不去。

I didn’t read the notice on the bulletin board, nor did he. 我没看布告栏上的通知，他也没看。 “Nor am I an educated man.” he said. 他说：“我也不是个受过教育的人。”

Neither could theory do without practice, nor could practice do without theory.

理论没有实践不行，实践没有理论也不行。

1.6. 前置宾语由“not a+名词”或“not a single +名词”构成。例如：

Not a word would he say. 他一句话也不肯说。 Not a finger did I lay on him. 我没有指责过他。

Not a single mistake did she make. 她根本没有犯过错误。 2. 句首否定不引起倒装的条件

2.1. 句首的否定词或短语只用来否定句中的某一个词或某一个成分。例如：

Not long ago it rained. 不久前下过雨。

Not far away it was raining very hard. 不远处正下着大雨。 Not all that glitters is gold. 并非闪光的都是金子。

Not long after Edison invented the gramophone, he started work on an electric lamp.

爱迪生发明了留声机后不久，接着又着手研制电灯。 2.2. 句首的否定意义已被随后的另一否定词或其他词所抵消。例如：

Not infrequently they go abroad. (= They quite often go abroad.)

他们经常出国。

Not unreasonably one may expect results from him. 有理由希望从他那里得到结果。

No more than three people came to my class,

unfortunately.

很遗憾，只有三个人来上我的课。

实际上，上面两种情况是有规律可循的。一般来说，这些貌似否定的短语实为肯定，都已经没有了否定的意义，不用倒装。我们在英语学习中一定要注意辨别这些看似否定实为肯定的短语。例如：

Not long ago = short time ago Not long after = a short time later Not long before = a short time before Not far away = near

Not far from here = near here Not infrequently = frequently

Not unexpectedly = expectedly Not unreasonably = reasonably Not unnaturally = naturally Not all = some

Not everything = something Not everybody = somebody No more than = only

2.3. 置于句首的not only (…but also), neither…nor只连接并列的主语。例如：

Not only men but also women and children are affected by the new law.

这部新法不仅对男人有影响，对妇女儿童也有影响。 Neither the old nor the young had to say a word. 老人和年轻人都不必说什么。

2.4. 句首的否定词no用来否定句中的主语。例如： No force on the earth can hold back the wheel of history. 世上没有任何力量能够阻止历史车轮的前进。 No one man could have done it. 没有一个人能单独完成这件事。 No law says Buddy has to become a poet. 没有法律规定巴迪必须成为一名诗人。

2.5. 置于句首的否定词hardly, barely, scarcely用作否定限定词用于主语名词词组中，构成否定句。例如：

Hardly anybody believes it. 几乎没人相信这一点。

Barely any arms were accumulated before the war. 战前，几乎没有堆存有任何武器。

Scarcely any enemy planes were left undamaged after our attack.

敌机受到我们攻击以后，几乎没有完好无损的了。 2.6. 置于句首的not one, not a (single)等修饰主语的可数名词且起强调作用。例如：

Not one battle was left behind. 没有留下一个瓶子。

Not a word came from her lips. 她没讲一句话。

Not a single one of her neighbors gave her any help. 没有一个邻居帮助过她。

实际上，以上四种情况可总结归纳为：如果位于句首的否定词只限制修饰句子中的主语，句首否定不用倒装。

综上所述，我们不难看出，按照通常的惯例，句首否定多引起倒装，但是在某些特定的条件下，句首否定是不引起倒装的。因此，我们在英语学习中，要牢记句首否定是否倒装的条件并掌握其规律，这样，我们对英语句首否定是否倒

装的问题就会有更加清楚的认识，我们就能更好地理解英语，学好英语，用好英语。

【参考文献】

[1] 张道真《实用英语语法》商务印书馆出版1982 [2] 徐立吾《当代英语实用语法》湖南教育出版社1985 [3] 张振邦《新编英语语法教程》上海外语教育出版社 1999 [4] 简清国、林茂竹《英汉多功能词典》外语教学与研究出版社、建宏出版社（台湾）1997

[5] 《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》商务印书馆、牛津大学出版社 2004