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a quantity of/quantities of的用法区别
编辑:admin 时间:2015/8/12 9:01:10 来源:高中学习网

     a quantity of+名词 和quantities of+名词做主语时,谓语动词用单数还是复数,不同的参考书有不同的说法,请问,究竟该怎么用?

答:该问题主要涉及的知识点为:quantity 与后面谓语动词单、复数搭配(即主谓一致)。但是关于quantity 与谓语单复数搭配,现在说法不统一。主要有两种观点:

1、与词形保持一致

a quantity of /quantities of 不管后面接复数还是单数(包括不可数)名词,只看quantity 本身。即:a quantity of 中的quantity 是单数,谓语动词就用单数;quantities of 中quantities 是复数,谓语动词则与复数保持一致。例如:

Quantities of nuts were on the table.
A quantity of nuts was on the table.

2、与意义保持一致

这种观点认为,不应该看a quantity of / quantities of 本身,而应该看这个词组后面所接的是什么名词,如果后面的名词是单数(或不可数),则谓语用单数;如果名词是复数,那么谓语用复数。这一点与a lot of 相同,即遵循意义一致原则。例如:

There is only a small quantity of wine left.
Great quantities of sand was washed down the hillside by the rain last night.

A large quantity of air conditions have been sold since the summer came.
Huge quantities of oil were shipped to Japan last year.

结论:目前,比较倾向于与quantity 的词形保持一致,即 a quantity of 是单数,quantities of 是复数,而不管后面接单数或复数的名词。例如,某省一道高考题如下:

With many forests being destroyed, huge quantities of good earth ______ each year.
  A. is washing away          B. is being washed away
  C. are washing away        D. are being washed away

  它所给的答案是D. 此题中,earth 是不可数名词,但quantities 是复数,所以谓语采用了复数形式D.

 


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