現代英文中的「倒裝(Inversion)」#7: 「Be」倒裝(「主語--整個限定動詞」例裝的一種)

 


前一篇,我介紹了會觸發「subject-whole verb(主語-整個動詞)」互換位置的第一種情景 — 就是, 一個有「地點性」或「方向性」的副詞組被移動到子句的開頭,而講者/作者想藉由將主語和整個動詞(通常是顯示簡單現在式或過去式的單字字形)交換位置來達至某風格或強調效果。


本篇,我會詳述一下「subject-whole verb」倒裝的第二種情景。它的正式名稱應該是「copular inversion」,但我們可簡單稱它為「”be” inversion」


「be」倒裝是指,當子句中的限定動詞是「be(是)」的字形(作主要動詞而非輔助動詞),那麼位於「predicate(謂語)」位置,即出現在「be」後面的詞組,會與前面的主語交換位置。


這種倒裝大家一定有見過或用過,因為在謂語是名詞組的情況,是相當「正常」的。


例如:


Miss Chan is the principal

(陳女士是校長)


這裡的限定動詞是「is」,即「be (是)」的其中一個字形。在子句的原本詞序中,主語「Miss Chan」出現在正常的開頭位置,而謂語名詞組「the principal」則在「is」之後。


我們知道,如果限定動詞是「be」的字形,在結構和意思上,該主語是「等同」於或「就是」「be」後面的名詞(例如:「Miss Chan=the principal」)。


因此,無論我們是基於強調或風格等任何原因,決定將「be」後面的名詞跟主語互換位置,都是很「正常」的。例如:


The principal is Miss Chan.

(校長是陳女士)


子句主語通常也是名詞組,所以當「be」後面的名詞與主語名詞對調時,並不會出現結構不自然之處,因為只是兩個名詞組對調,兩個也是調到另一個本屬於名詞組的位置。


正如上述例句,如我們想強調「誰是校長」,而非「陳女士是甚麼人」,那麼,用「The principal is Miss Chan」的詞序可能更合適。* ** ***


但假如在某子句中,在「be」之後的不是名詞,而是形容詞組(又稱「謂語形容詞」),出現倒裝時,結構便會出現不自然,因為這違反了現代英文的正常詞序。


所以談到「be」的倒裝時,一般都是指這「不自然」的倒裝,而不是「名詞調名詞」的情況,因為如之前談到的倒裝情景,重點其實都是,它在現在詞序中是不自然的,所以出現時,才達到某特別的強調或風格目的。****


其實,有一種這樣的「be」倒裝的情況,在現代英文中演變成了一個「固定」的表達方式,就是「there is / are / was / were / have been 等」。


原本詞序是:


Two boys are there.

(兩個男孩在那邊)


There are two boys

(有兩個男孩)


「there」本來只是在「be」後面一個簡單的謂語形容詞,意思是「在那裡」。但以「there」開頭,主語移至「be」之後的倒裝版本,卻成為了一個固定表達方式。(這些語言演變,如某表達方式成了固定用語,是自然和隨機發生的,通常難以找出特定的成因。)


因此,大家都應該學過這種由「there」加上「be」的字形,再配合一個名詞組的表達方式,意思是「有甚麼」。其實主語應該是出現在「be」後面的事物,只是它跟「there」換位了。


另一情況時,假如在「be」後面的形容詞組是關乎「地點」的 (像我們描述的上一個情景),為了文字風格等效果而採用這種倒裝,亦是頗常見的。


例如:


Under the tree were two boys.

(樹下之前有兩個男孩)


(原本詞序:Two boys were under the tree.)


Flying in the sky are some beautiful birds.

(天空中正有一些美麗的鳥飛翔著)


(原本詞序:Some beautiful birds are flying in the sky)


第二個例子中,我們把「are flying」界定為限定動詞,然而因為輔助詞是「be」,它後面的部分同時是有謂語作用。那麼,當「flying in the sky」被移到開頭強調時,這種倒裝便被觸發了。


而且一旦被觸發,這種「be」的倒裝就必需出現。否則,當謂語被移前,「be」便會很不自然地在「遺留」在句尾。*****


當然「be」的倒裝並不罕見,但當你想要使用這種句式時,仍須注意倒裝後的語氣和風格真是你想要呈現的效果。


_____________________


小練習:

請以「be」倒裝法重寫以下句子。


  1. A beautiful fountain was in the garden.

  2. An old oak tree is on the hill. 


___________________

補充資訊:


*有一些情況,即便是主語跟謂語名詞調位,也會顯得不自然的,例如當主語是代名詞的時候:


She is the principal.

The principal is she. (不自然)


**就算移至前面的謂語是形容詞而非名詞,上述觀點也同樣成立。如果主語是代名詞,各情景的倒裝通常都不會出現。我在本系列的其他部分也提到這一點。


***不過也有一個特例 —- 某些呈現過往英文文法的書寫(如聖經中的句子)中,主語是代名詞,也會出現「be」的倒裝,而且在調後了的代名詞主語後面,還會連接一組關係子句(relative clause),於句子的最後位置強調地形容那主語。例如:


Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord

(奉主名來的是應當稱頌的)


(「who comes in the name of the Lord 」是形容倒裝後的「he」的關係子句 )


****

我們都知道由「there」加上「be」的字形,再配合一個名詞的表達方式,意思是「有甚麼」。它真正的主語其實是在「be」後面的部分,因此理論上,「be」的字形應該也要呼應後面的主語。


然而,這種以「there」開頭,取代主語原有位置的表達方式在現今已十分固定,甚至連母語人士也經常自然地不會當「be」後面的才是真正主語,而用對應的限定動詞字形。例如:


There are two boys.


There is two boys.* 


(這在許多情景中都是可接受的,尤其日常對話;但「two boys is…* ❌」則絕對是錯誤的。)


這例句中,「be」沒有與後面的主語互相呼應其實是很自然的事。畢竟在正常固定的英文詞序中,主語是在最前面的。反而要視限定動詞之後的部分為主語,對習慣正常詞序的母語人士而言更加不自然。因此大家便下意識地把「there」當成主語,也就沒有將「be」呼應後面的部分了。


所以,我們經常會聽到一些像「There’s two boys」之類的句子,而這在許多情景下都是可接受的,尤其在非正式的書寫和對話時。但假如你仍希望「小心」一點,不要令人誤會你不知道「理論上」,「be」後的才是主語,那麼你在運用這表達方式時,要多留意「be」的字形是否與後面的部分互相呼應了。


*****

不過,要小心另一種包含「there」的固定表達方式:


There she is!

 (她就在這裡!/ 她終於到了!) 


因為某些原因,這固定的感嘆表達方式並不會觸發倒裝,而且「be」是「懸掛」在最後。可能因為「there」被移前,純粹只為加強感嘆的效果而已。

_______________


“Inversion” in Modern English #7:

“Be” Inversion (A Type of “Subject–Whole Verb” Inversion)


Last time, I wrote about the first scenario that would trigger (but not require) “subject-whole verb” inversion in modern English. It is when adverb phrases of “location” or “direction” are moved to the front of a clause, and the speaker/writer decides to switch the positions of the subject and whole finite verb (usually a single word showing simple present or past present form) to achieve a certain emphatic, tonal, or stylistic effect.


This time, I will talk about the second scenario for “subject-whole verb” inversion, which is usually officially called “copular” inversion – but we can simply call it “be” inversion


“Be” inversion is when the finite verb of a clause is a form of “be” (as in the main verb, not just an auxiliary verb), and what is usually in the “predicate” position – the position after “be” – switches places with the subject in front. 


This type of inversion is quite intuitive because it happens often when the predicate is a noun.


For example:


Miss Chan is the principal

(陳女士是校長)


Here, the finite verb is “is,” which is a form of “be.” In the original order of the clause, the subject “Miss Chan” is in the normal front position, and the predicate noun – the “thing” that the subject “is – “the principal,” is behind the “is.”


When the finite verb is a form of “be,” we know that, in terms of both structure and meaning, the subject “equals” the noun that comes after the “be” (e.g. “Miss Chan = the principal”).


As such, it makes sense that we can switch the noun after the “be” with the subject if we need to emphasize this in this meaning for any reason of tone, meaning, or style: 


The principal is Miss Chan.

(校長是陳女士)


This is intuitive because we are dealing with a noun after the “be.” The subject is normally also a noun, and so there is nothing that is even structurally unnatural when we switch this noun after the “be” with the subject noun, like in the sentence above, in which we emphasize “who the principal is” rather than “what Miss Chan is.” * ** ***


When this type of inversion involves not nouns but adjective phrases after “be” (called “predicate adjectives”), however, it is structurally unnatural because it violates the normal word order of modern English, like we have said about all the other scenarios of inversion.


There is one example of this type of “be” inversion that has actually become a “fixed” expression in modern English – the expression “there is / are / was / were / have been etc.”


Originally, the word order is this:


Two boys are there.

(兩個男孩在那邊)


There are two boys

(有兩個男孩)


The “there” is originally a simple predicate adjective after “be,” meaning “over there,” but the inverted version with “there” at the beginning, and the subject switched to after “be,” became a fixed expression (somehow – as language development just naturally happens, very often without a particular reason why it went one way and not another).


So, now, we all learn the fixed expression of “there” plus “be” and then a noun to mean “有甚麼.” The subject is actually the part after the “be.” The subject has been “inverted.” ****


Now, when the adjective phrase after “be” involves “location,” like we described in the last scenario, this type of inversion still happens quite often for stylistic, especially literary, effect.


For example:


Under the tree were two boys.

(樹下之前有兩個男孩)


(originally: Two boys were under the tree.)


Flying in the sky are some beautiful birds.

(天空中正有一些美麗的鳥飛翔著)


(originally: Some beautiful birds are flying in the sky.) 


In the second example, we can observe that, originally, we would group “are flying” as the finite verb. However, when the auxiliary is “be,” ultimately, the part after it can function like the predicate, and “flying in the sky” is moved to the front for emphasis, triggering this inversion.


This “be” inversion is required when it is triggered because, otherwise, the “be” would be hanging unnaturally at the end of the sentence. *****


This type of inversion is not uncommon, but again, be careful when you decide to use it. Make sure that the tone and style of your inverted sentence is what you want to express. 


_____________________

Mini Exercise: 

Try to rewrite these two sentences with “be” inversion. 


  1. A beautiful fountain was in the garden.

  2. An old oak tree is on the hill. 


_______

Answers: 

  1. In the garden was a beautiful fountain.

  1. On the hill is an old oak tree.

_______________

Further notes: 


* There are scenarios in which switching the places of the subject and a predicate noun would be unnatural as well. For example, when the subject is a pronoun:


She is the principal.

The principal is she. (unnatural) 


** The above point is true even when the predicate part that is moved to the front is not a noun but an adjective. Inversion (not just this scenario) generally does not happen when the subject is a pronoun. I have mentioned this in other relevant places in this series as well.


*** But there is a specific example of a sentence used for specific stylistic effect evoking past English grammar (like biblical grammar) that uses “be” inversion when the subject is a pronoun, adding in a relative clause after the inverted subject to emphasize a point at the ending position of the sentence, e.g.: 


Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord

(奉主名來的是應當稱頌的)


( [ who comes in the name of the Lord ] is a relative clause that modifies the inverted “he”)


**** 

We have all learnt the fixed expression of “there” plus a form of “be” and then a noun to mean “有甚麼.” The subject is actually the part after the “be,” and that is why, technically, the “be” should agree in form with the subject after it.


However, because this expression is now fixed with the “there” in front, taking the original place of the subject, native speakers often do not instinctively make the “be” agree with the real subject after it. For example:


There are two boys.


There is two boys.*

(acceptable in many scenarios, especially in casual speech)


Not making the “be” agree with the subject behind it is actually natural – because the subject is normally in front in normal, fixed English word order. It is not natural for native speakers of this language with this normal word order to treat anything other than the part in front of the finite verb as the subject, so, naturally, the “there” is treated as a subject and the form of the “be” is not instinctively made to agree with the part after it.


So, you would hear sentences similar to “There’s two boys” a lot. It is totally acceptable in most scenarios, especially in casual speech and writing, but if you would like to be careful and avoid being thought to not know that the real subject is the part after “be,” you can take care to make the “be” agree with the part after it every time you use this expression.


*****

Be careful with this other fixed expression that involves “there,” however. For example:


There she is!

 (她就在這裡!/ 她終於到了!) 


In this expression (always an exclamation like this), for some reason, inversion does not take place. This is likely because the “there” is just moved to the front for exclamatory emphasis. 


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