1.介词短语作定语时的移位

 

    这种句型多半由介词of或for等引出，与被修饰的名词及谓语动词往往有搭配的关系。如在前面所举的例子An estimation is made of the number of cells in l cu mm，谓语动词make与主语名词estimation就有搭配关系：make an estimation of（对作出估计）。

 

 

 

    再举两例：

 

    （1）A brief account has been given of the role of microorganisms in infection. （对微生物在感染中的作用已作简短说明。）

 

 

 

    （2）Special care must be taken of the patients with heart disease who have just been operated on. 对刚动过手术的患有心脏病的病人必须给予特别照顾。 

 

 

 

    从这两个例子不难看出引出短语的介词与主语和谓语动词之间的关系：give account of，takecareof。如果作定语的介词短语不移位，主语就太长而谓语太短，很不协调，不符合英语的表达习惯。 

 

 

 

    2.不定式短语作定语时的移位 

 

    在这类句型中，被修饰的名词的同源动词或形容词原本就是要求跟不定式的，用名词后仍然接不定式短语作定语，这时的不定式短语表明其名词的内容或过程。如： 

 

 

 

    The doctors attempted to prevent the epidemic disease from spreading. 

 

    The doctors failed in their attempt to prevent the disease from spreading. 

 

 

 

    类似的词还有plan，promise，ability，capacity等。例如： 

 

    （3）Attempts hav ebeen made to construct protoplasm in the lab. （已多次尝试在实验室里构造原生质。）

 

 

 

    （4）The liver capacity was explained in th eprevious chapter to store carbohydrates as glycogen and to release glucose to maintain the normal concentration of glucose in the blood. （前章已解释了肝脏能以糖原形式储存糖，并能释放葡萄糖以保持血液的葡萄糖正常含量。） 

 

 

 

    （5）The present plan is being undertaken to develop methods for recording and processing the fetal ECG obtained from maternal abdominal electrodes. （计划正在实施，打算建立从母体腹壁上的电极获得胎儿的心电图的记录以及处理的方法。） 

 

 

 

    （6）No definite evidence exists to support that the patient suffers from angina.（没有明确的证据证明病人患心绞痛。） 

 

    这种作定语的不定式短语移到谓语之后 , 很容易被看成是状语而曲解。如第5句中to develop很象目的状语，实际上它是阐明 plan 这个词的内容的，因此在阅读中要特别注意。试比较下面这个句子： 

 

 

 

    The problem should be evaluated in an orderly manner to provide the crucial physiologic information necessary for treatment. 句中不定式短语toprovide作状语表示目的。 

 

 

 

    3.分词短语作定语的移位

 

    分词短语作定语往往与被修饰的名词有主谓关系，可变成定语从句。它与作主语的名词的分隔也常出现在医学英语中。如：

 

 

 

    （7）In our city, five medical colleges have been established, including one in traditional Chinese medicine.（我们市已建立五所医学院校，其中包括一所中医学院。） 

 

 

 

    （8）About 20 papers were presented at theconference reporting the latest advances in medicine. 在大会上宣读了大约20篇有关医学 新进展的论文。 

 

 

 

    句中including改写成which include；reporting改写成which reported等。这类句子中的分词短语很容易与那些作状语用的分词混淆，区别在于作状语用的分词短语是说明谓语的，不能修饰名词。 

 

 

 

    4.定语从句的移位 

 

    定语从句的移位是这几种结构中 常见的一种。从句较短语要长，因此移到谓语后的情况就更多些。如： 

 

 

 

    （9）Nothing should be said that would be distressing to the patient in the event conversation is heard. （不应讲使病人烦恼的话，以免让病人听见。） 

 

 

 

    （10）Thus,due to the action of ultra-violet rays o nthe skin, substances are produced in the skin which get into the blood and accelerate the processes of metabolism in the various organs of the body. （因此，由于紫外线在皮肤的作用 , 皮肤里产生一些物质进入血液，可促进人体各个器官的代谢作用。） 

 

 

 

    （11）Many mild cases are observed in which fever is low and of short duration. （许多轻微病例表现出低热和病程短。） 

 

 

 

    以上各句虽都是移到谓语之后的定语从句，形式稍有差异：第9 句由关系代词that引出，第10 句由which引出，而第11句的关系代词前带有介词in。偶尔还会有关系副词引出的定语从句被移到句末。如：The day will come when cancer is curable. 

 

 

 

    5.同位语从句的移位 

 

    从某种意义上来说，同位语从句与定语从句的功能相似，都是说明和修饰名词的。因此，在医学英语中也能常见到同位语从句的移位现象。例如： 

 

 

 

    （12）After an X-ray examination, the question arose whether this patient should undergo an operation immediately. （X光检查后，问题在于病人是否要立即动手术。） 

 

 

 

    （13）No evidence has been found that rheumatic fever results from persistence of streptococci or their variants in the patient. （还没有证据表明风湿热是由在病人体内存在的链球菌及其变体所引起。 

 

 

 

    6.定语的其它分隔情况 

 

    以上13 个句子着重讨论了在医学英语中名词作主语时，其各类定语及同位语从句的移位。至于其它的定语与其主体的分隔的句子结构本文不作详尽解释 , 仅举几例以作比较。 

 

 

 

    （14）The effects upon the fetus of various drugs are influenced by the size of the dose and the frequency of administration. 句中的修饰名词的介词短语of various drugs被 uponthefetus 所分隔。由of引出的介词短语往往表示名词的属性，应紧跟在名词后。因此，正常词序应是the effects of various drugs upon the fetus。 

 

 

 

    （15）The change in circulation produced by the hot bath has a beneficial effect in cases of stagnation（停滞）of blood in the deeper organ the body. 

 

 

 

    句中过去分词短语produced by the hot bath被介词短语 incirculation隔开。 

 

 

 

    （16）There is a stage at the onset of certain specific diseases, such as measles, rubella（风疹）,chicken pox and pertussis（百日咳）, which may be indistinguishable from the common cold. 
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