章振邦《新编英语语法》Lecture-4

Lecture4NounandNounPhraseClassificationofNounsNumberFormsofNouns(名词的数)UnitNoun(Partitive)(单位名词)FunctionofNounPhrasesClassificationofNounsWordformationLexicalmeaningGrammaticalformSimplenounsCompoundnounsDerivativenounsCommonnounsPropernounsCountablenounsUncountablenounsSimplenouns:anounthatcontainsonlyonefreemorpheme.

man,chair,land,ship,water,gas,faith…Compoundnouns:anounthatiscomposedoftwoormoremorphemes.

armchair,farmland,seaside,forget-me-not…Derivativenouns:anounthatcomesfromaverb,anadjectiveorasimplenounwithaffix.

arrangement,greatness,ability,expectation…P41Ex.4ACommonNoun个体名词IndividualNoun(boy,house,tiger,insect)集体名词CollectiveNoun(family,team,cattle,police)物质名词MaterialNoun(air,snow,bread,rice)抽象名词

AbstractNoun(glory,honesty,failure,education)ProperNounApropernounisanameusedforaparticularperson,placeorthing,andspeltwithacapitalinitialletter.Anderson,China,SanFrancisco,BritishAirways,NationalPeople’sCongress,theDemocraticParty,TheNewYorkTimes,theStateCouncil,ChinesePeople’sPoliticalConsultativeConference,the12thFive-YearPlanCountandnon-countnounsAcountnoun(orcountablenoun)isanounthathasapluralandwhichcancollocatewithnumbersandwithsuchdeterminersasa(n),many,few,these,those,several,etc.Anon-countnoun(oruncountablenoun)isanounthatcannotgowiththeabove-mentionedwords.FunctionofnounphrasesThenounphrasecanfunctionasalltheelementsinthesentenceexceptthepredicateverb.AsSubject:

Childrenatplayseldomrememberwhattimeitis.

Theboysquarrellingoverthegameeachinsistedthattheotherwasunfair.FunctionofnounphrasesAsSubjectComplement:

Thatwasanattractivelittleblackchair. Mygrandfatherdiedamartyrtohisrevolutionaryideal.AsObject:

Theygavehimafirst-rateeducation. Inthehall,Isawsomeextremelyvaluablepictures.FunctionofnounphrasesAsObjectComplement:

Theyelectedhimchairmanoftheboard. TheSchoolBoardhaveappointedhersuperintendentofthecity’sschools.AsAppositive:

Mr.Brown,directorofthecoalmine,shouldberesponsiblefortheaccident. Alice,aprofessorofthedepartment,willbeinvitedtoourEnglishEvening.FunctionofnounphrasesAsPrepositionalComplement,(orPrepositionalObject):

Weteachersshouldbeconcernedaboutthestudents’moralculture. Withinthehousenothingstirs.InthegardenIcanhearthesingingofbirds.Icanheartherustleoftheirwings.FunctionofnounphrasesAsAdverbialandConjunction:

Hereturnedlastnight. Aphotoistakeneachtime(=whenever)thisbuttonispushed. Shephonedherparentsthemoment(=assoonas)shereachedthehotel.Numberformsofnouns①Regularandirregularplural

Individualnounsareallcountableandthereforehavesingularandpluralforms.Theregularpluralisformedbyadding–sor–estothebase(e.g.,photos,tomatoes,boxes,wives,etc.),whiletheirregularpluralisnotformedintheabovewaybutbyothermeanssuchasbychangingtheinternalvowelorbychangingtheendingofthenoun(e.g.,tooth–teeth,man–men,mouse–mice,child–children,ox–oxen).P42-44Irregularpluralsalsoincludesomewordsofforeignorigin,borrowedfromGreek,LatinorFrench(knownas“foreignplurals”).Someborrowedwordshavetwopluralforms:aforeignpluralandanEnglishplural.Forsomenouns,theirsingularandpluralnumbersharethesameform.P44P45P45②Numberformsofthecollective,material,abstractandpropernoun

a) Numberformsofthecollectivenoun:Somecollectivenounsarecountable,somearenot.Countablecollectivenounsbehavejustlikeindividualnouns.Anuncountablecollectivenounhasnopluralform.Ifwewanttocountthenumber,wehavetouseakindofindividualnounrelatedsemanticallytothecollective.Somecollectivenounshavebothsingularandpluralforms:(Pleasereferto2.3.3onP27.)P46b)Numberformsofthematerialnoun:Materialnounsaregenerallyuncountableandhavenopluralforms.Buttherearesomesuchitemsthatcanbeusedeitheruncountablywhenusedtomeanthematerialitself,orcountablywhenusedinothersenses:sand–sands;water–waters;food–foods;fruit–fruits;coffee–coffees; rubber–rubbers;stone–stones;egg–eggs;lamb–lambs;onion–onions;P51c)Numberformsoftheabstractnoun:Abstractnounsaremostlyuncountable,e.g.:

Honestyisthebestpolicy.

Knowledgeispower.Buttherearesomeabstractnounsthatarecountablelikeindividualnouns,e.g.:

victory/avictory/twovictories

Therearealsoabstractnounsthathavepluralendingsbutareuncountable.Forinstance,

Heisinfinancialdifficulties.Heisinseveraldifficulties.×

Inthecaseofsomeabstractnouns,thepluralendinghastheeffectofchangingthemeaningofthebase,e.g.:

Theteachersmetonceayeartoexchangeexperience. HaveyouhadmuchexperienceinteachingEnglish? PleasetellusaboutyourexperiencesinAfrica. MylifeinChinawasanunforgettableexperience. Wetoldeachotherourexperiencesabroad.Moreexamplesofabstractnounsthathavebothsingularandpluralforms:

relation–relations;youth–youths;worry–worries;distraction–distractions;business–businesses;kindness–kindnesses;Someabstractnoncountnounshavesemanticallyrelatedindividualnounsastheircountableequivalents:

laughter–laughs;work–jobs;correspondence–letter,notes,etc. photography–photos;permission–permit;music–songs;fun–joy;homework–exercises;P51SomeEnglishnounssuchasfamily,room,mouth,ear,etc.seemtobeonlycountablenouns.However,theycanexpressabstractsensesincertaincollocations:

tohavetoomuchfamily(=tooheavyfamilyburden) tohavetoomuchwinter(=atoolongspellofcoldweather) tohavetoomuchmouth(=totalktoomuch) tohavetoolittleear(=tobenotinclinedtolistentoothers) tohaveroomfor(=tohaveaneedfor) tofeelthepatriotrise(=tofeelthepatrioticfeelingsrise)SomeEnglishnouns(fool,man,coward,coquette,scholar,poet,politician,sportsman,etc.)thatareusuallycountablecanbecomeuncountablewhenreferringtopeople’sfeatures:

tobefoolenough(=tobefoolishenough); moreofafool(=morefoolish); lessofafool(=lessfoolish); asmuchofafoolas(=asfoolishas); toomuchofafool(=toofoolish); Hewasenoughofamantotellthetruth.P51d)Numberformsofthepropernoun:

Propernounsareuniqueinreferenceandthereforehavenopluralforms,exceptforsuchpropernamesastheUnitedStates,thePhilippines,theNetherlands,etc.whicharethemselvespluralinform.Whenapropernountakesapluralending,ittakesonsomecharacteristicsofacommonnoun,e.g.:

HaveyouinvitedtheBrowns? TherearetwoMissSmiths/MissesSmithintheclass.P48Ex4B,4CPartitivesPartitivesarealsocalledunitnouns.①Generalpartitives②Partitivesrelatedtotheshapeofthings③Paritivesrelatedtovolume④Paritivesrelatedtothestateofaction⑤Partitivesdenotingpairs,groups,flocks,etcGeneralpartitives这类单位词包括piece,bit,item,article,

它们的搭配能力很强。特别是piece,bit

apieceofadvice/armor/bacon/bread/cake/chalk/cloth/coal/coke(cf.Coke=Coca-Cola)/evidence/furniture/ice/information/land/meat/music/news/paper/research/sugar/work;

abitofadvice/bread/grass/news/trouble/wood,etc.

anitemofnews;anarticleoffurniture;Partitivesrelatedto

theshapeofthingsacakeofsoap;abarofchocolate;adropofwater;agrain（颗粒）ofsand;anear（穗）ofcorn;aflightofstairs;ten

headofcattle/cabbage/lettuce;abundleofkeys/sticks/firewood;aloafofbread;alumpofsugar;aspiralofincense;aslice(cf.fillet)ofmeat;Partitivesrelatedtovolumeabottleofink;abowlofrice(cf.atoiletbowl);apailofwater;abucketofwater/milk;aglassofbeer;acupoftea/coffee;ahandfulofclay;twospoonfulsofhotwater;atruckloadofsteel;fourlorryloadsofsand;Partitivesrelatedto

thestateofactionafitofanger/temper/coughing/laughter/fever;apealofapplause/laughter/thunder;aflashoflight/lightning/hope;adisplayofcourage/force/power/skill;Partitivesdenotingpairs,groups,flocks,etcapairofshoes;aflockofbirds;aherdofelephants;alitterofkittens;aswarmofbees;ashoaloffish;aschoolofwhales;abenchofjudges;atroupeofactors;agangofhooligans(cf.