英语悬垂

一、悬垂结构Dangling Element的定义

一般在一个句子中，修饰语必须清楚地修饰句中某个词或短语，如果它不修饰句中的任何成分，而处于悬浮状态，这样的修饰语即为悬垂结构(Dangling Element)。

Climbing up the tower, the whole city came into our view.

正确的应该是：Climbing up the tower, we can see the whole city.

登上这座塔，我们能看到整个城市。

二、悬垂结构的理解

分词短语在句子中作状语时，其逻辑主语(亦称隐含主语)通常应是整个句子的主语；如果不是，而且其本身也不带自己的主语(如在独立主格结构中)，就被认为是一个语言失误。这个分词就叫做“悬垂分词”(dangling participle)或“无依附分词”(unattached participle)。例如：

(1) Getting down from the bus，my ankle was sprained．

（句子的主语是my ankle，但是独立成分中getting down 的逻辑主语应该是I，并不是句子的主

语，所以这被认为是一个语言失误。）

(2) Driving to Chicago that night，a sudden thought struck me．

（同理，分词短语driving to Chicago that night没有带自己的主语，它的逻辑主语也不是句子的主语a sudden thought，所以也是一个语言失误。）

三、由悬垂结构造成的错误

(1)悬垂分词

误：Being Sunday, they went for a picnic.

正：It being Sunday, they went for a picnic.

正：As it was Sunday, they went for a picnic.

(2)悬垂不定式

误：To swim properly, a course of instruction was necessary.

正：To swim properly, one needs a course of instruction.

(3)悬垂简式从句

误：When a middle school student, his parents were very strict with him.

正：When he was a middle school student, his parents were very strict with him.