too…to…结构用法解析

too…to…结构用法解析

在“too…to”结构中,整个结构的意思就是“太……以致不能……”。

一、基本形式:too+adj、/ adv、+to do 、其中“to do”修饰“too+adj、/ adv、”作为结果状语或程度状语。“to do”通常包含否定意义。

1、The problem is too hard for a child to understand、(问题太难了,小孩子不能理解。)

2、Examples are too many to cite、(例子太多,举不胜举。)

3、It’s too cold to go in the sea yet、(天太冷,还不能下海。)

4、It’s too long a journey to make in one day、(路程太远,一天之内到不了。)

5、It’s too good an opportunity to miss、(那就是一个不应该错过的极好机会。)

6、It’s too early for us to go yet、(我们现在就去太早了点。)

7、It’s too cold to go swimming、(天气太冷,不能去游泳。)

8、He is too much of a coward(too cowardly) to fight、(她太懦弱,不敢抗争。)

9、It’s too late to shut the stable door when the steed is stolen、(贼去关门,为时已晚。)

10、Lying in the pool of blood,she was too week to speak、(她躺在血泊里,虚弱得说不出话来。) 上述例句中,有的主语与不定式有逻辑上的动宾关系(即句子的主语在逻辑上就是不定式的宾语),有的则没有这种关系。如果存在这种动宾关系,句子的不定式用主动语态或被动语态在意义上常无多少差别。当然,如果不定式采用被动语态,这种逻辑上的动宾关系就变成了逻辑上的主谓关系了。

1、Atoms are too small to see(or be seen)with naked eyes、(原子太小,肉眼瞧不见。)

2、It’s too hot to eat(or to be eaten)、(太烫了,没法吃。)

3、The light is too dim to be used for close work、(这灯太暗,不能用来做细活。)

4、That was too complicated to be expressed clearly inone or tow words、

(那太复杂了,无法用一、两句话表达清楚。)

那究竟什么情况下用主动语态,什么情况下用被动语态呢？一般来说,哪种形式表意更清楚、更自然、更符合习惯,则取哪种形式。

1、Novels in the original are too difficult to read、(主动语态)(原版小说太难读了。)

2、At that time he was too far away to be seen、(被动语态)

(那时,她离得太远,瞧不到她。)

以上这两个例句中的语态调换一下,则会引起意思不清或不自然。

二、当“too…to”结构之前加了not,only,but,all,never等词时,“too…to”结构构成的句子也无否定意义。此时too后的形容词多为表示心情的形容词。因为,在此情况下,这些词加too 在意义上相当于very。

1、One is never too old to learn、(活到老,学到老。)

2、Swimming is not too difficult to learn、(游泳并不十分难学。)

3、We are only too pleased to go with her、(我们非常乐意与她一起去。)

4、Mary knew but too well to hold her tongue on that occasion、

(玛丽深知在那种场合少说为妙。)

5、It’s never too late to mend、(亡羊补牢,犹未为晚。)

6、They are all too satisfied to follow others suit without the pain of thought for themselves、(她们十分满足于依样画葫芦,自己不肯花力气、动脑筋。)

上面所提到的这些词只能与某些形容词或副词连用,用在“too…to”结构中,不能生搬硬套句型。如下面例句:

He is too cruel to sympathy for others、(她太残忍了,对人不会有同情心。)

此例句中,在too cruel 之前不能添加only,but 之类的词,否则会引起逻辑上的自相矛盾。

He is only too lazy to do it himself、(她太懒了,哪会自己去干那种事。)

其中的only也属误用,应该去掉。由此可见,能否在too 之前加上诸如only,but 等词,关键就是too 之后的形容词的意义。常用的形容词有glad,pleased,willing,thankful,good,true等等。

1、At another time I learned that no matter was too small to escape the Prime Minister’s attention、

(另一次,我发现,事无巨细,总理事事关心。)

2、He was an all-round genius、Nothing was too difficult for him to learn、

(她多才多艺,没有她学不会的东西。)

3、The question was so easy、Noone in the world was too foolish to answer it、

(这个问题如此容易,不至于有谁蠢得答不上来。)

三、此结构与ready,anxious,inclined,apt,easy,eager,willing,happy 这一类词连用时,也不再含有否定意义。too不再只与to do 发生关系,而就是修饰too 之后的整个部分了。

1、The old women was too ready to talk、(那位老妇人太饶舌。)

2、He is too ready to find fault、(她最喜欢挑毛病。)

2、The tradesman was too anxious to sell his pens、(这位买卖人十分急于卖掉她的钢笔。)

4、He was too willing to accept Mary’s invitation、(玛丽的邀请她求之不得。)

5、Beginners are too apt to make mistakes here、(初学者特别容易在这儿搞错。)

从这些例句中,我们不难发现,too 不仅没有使句子产生否定意义,相反,它还起了某种强调作用,使之成为一种加强语气的结构。这在教学中要引起注意。

四、在“too…to”结构中,to do前用not加以否定。“too…to”结构通常已含有否定意义,在其中加上not后便形成了“双重否定为肯定”。这样,“too…not to do”所表达的意思就就是:“如此……就是会……”,或“如此……哪能不……”。

1、He was too angry not to criticize her、(她太生气了,哪能不批评她。)

2、The poem is far too beautiful not to be requited here、

(这首诗太美了,这里还要引用一下。)

3、His experience there was too bitter not to be remembered、

(她在那里的经历太惨了,不容她记不得。)

4、Mr、Holmes was too wise not to see the tricks of the criminals、

(福尔摩斯先生如此精明,岂能瞧不出罪犯玩弄的花招。)

5、Tom is too hard-working not to pass the exam、(汤姆这么用功,哪有考不及格的道理。)

6、He read too many books about Africa not to known something about the social customs there、(她读了那么多有关非洲的书,不会不对哪儿的社会习俗有所了解。)

五、“Too…to”与“enough to”与“so…that”的区别:

“too…to”结构与“enough to”与“so…that”,它们间有共同点,也有不同点。

1、共同点:

A、它们都可做结果状语或程度状语。

1)A train was coming near quickly,and the boy was too frightened to move、

(一列火车快速驶近,那个男孩子吓得不敢动了。)

2)When we talk about the universe,we mean notonly the earth,the sun,the moon and the stars,but also all the things too far away to see、

(当我们谈到宇宙时,指的不仅就是地球、太阳、月亮与星星,还有那些遥远的瞧不见的一切。)

3)At the end of six months he had learned enough to read articles and reports in Russian、

(六个月她学习得能瞧俄文版的文章与报道了。)

4)Is the ice hard enough to skate on？(在冰上滑冰,冰硬不硬？)