「Please remain seated」 ：表達被動意思的 Past Participle 修飾語

早前我帶女兒到迪士尼樂園時，看到很多機動遊戲座位上張貼的安全指引，都有寫上「please remain seated（請保持安坐）」。

這句子的意思已經很清晰了，但我想帶大家退後一步，看看「seated」一字的文法角色和含義。

「seated」是動詞「seat」的 past participle 這一種固定字形。

Past participle 如果獨立出現（即當它不屬於限定動詞組的一部分），它會扮演修飾語的角色，而且通常是形容詞。這句子中的「seated」正是形容詞，意思是「在安坐的狀態」。

了解 「seated」為何是表達「在安坐的狀態」的形容詞之前，我們要先看原來的動詞「seat」。

「seat」的意思是「安頓/帶人坐好」，結構上屬於及物（transitive）動詞，需連接直接賓語，即那個「安頓坐好的對象」。例如：

We will seat the guests soon.

我們很快會帶賓客到座位安頓

這裡的名詞組「the guests」是「will seat」的直接賓語。

我們知道，一個動詞如在結構上有直接賓語，代表它也能以 passive voice（被動語態）的字形出現。當動詞是被動時，那個在主動語態下「接受」該動作的賓語，會變成主語。

例如，我們可以用「seat」作為被動限定動詞去重寫句子：

The guests will be seated soon.

賓客很快會被帶到座位安頓

句子的限定動詞變成是「will be seated」，呈現被動語態。因此，這主語「the guests」是指「被帶到坐位安頓的賓客」。

下一步要理解的是：每個有被動語態的限定動詞字形，當中會包含主要動詞的 past participle 字形。像例句中有被動語態的限定動詞「will be seated」，便包含主要動詞「seat」的 past participle 字形「seated」。

這伸延到，就算 past participle 是在句子中獨立出現，並扮演修飾語（多為形容詞）的角色，它們也會傳遞出「被動」的意思。

因為 past participle 的「seated」表達有被動意思的「被安頓坐好了」，所以也引伸成「在安坐狀態中」的意思。

這也是為何「please remain seated」是指「請保持安坐的狀態」。

我們也經常看到帶有這意義的 past participle 形容詞出現在以下的表達方式中：

Please be seated.

請坐好 / 請就坐

我們應該把這理解為「be」帶有命令語氣的限定動詞字形，再配合形容詞「seated」，就像「be happy」一樣。

因為如把「be seated」視作命令語氣的被動限定動詞，意思便會是奇怪的「請被安頓坐好*」。

最後順帶一提，「seat」這一字也有另一個名詞的版本。

例如：

Please take a seat.

請坐好

這句中的「seat」便是名詞了。

下一篇，我會討論動詞「sit」，以及它與動詞「seat」在文法特徵和意義上有何不同。

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“Please be seated”: Past Participles as Modifiers with “Passive” Meaning

I recently went to Disneyland with my daughters. Many rides featured a safety notice that included the sentence “please remain seated” (請保持安坐）.

I am sure you know what this sentence means, but let’s step back to look at the grammatical role and meaning of the word “seated.”

The word “seated” is the past participle form of the verb “seat.”

Past participles, when they appear on their own (as in, not as part of a finite verb phrase), act as modifiers, most often as adjectives. In this sentence, “seated” is an adjective meaning “in the state of sitting down” （在安坐的狀態）.

Before we can understand why “seated” as an adjective means “in the state of sitting down,” we need to backtrack to the verb “seat.”  

The verb “seat”  expresses the meaning of “bringing someone to their seat to sit down” (安頓/帶人坐好）and is structurally transitive – as in, it takes a direct object.

The direct object of the verb “seat” is the “person/people” that is/are “brought to their seat” （安頓坐好的那對象）. For example: 

We will seat the guests soon.

我們很快會帶賓客到座位安坐

In this sentence, the noun phrase “the guests” is the direct object of “will seat.”

Now, we know that, if a verb structurally has a direct object, it can also appear in “passive voice” form. When it is “passive,” the object that normally “receives” its action in “active” voice becomes the subject of the “passive action.” 

For example, we can rewrite the previous sentence with “seat” as a passive finite verb form:

The guests will be seated soon.

賓客很快會被帶到座位安坐

In this sentence, “will be seated” is the finite verb, and it shows passive voice. Because it is in passive voice, the subject here, “the guests,” is the “person/people brought to their seats.” 

Now, every finite verb form that has passive voice includes the past participle form of the main verb. For example, “will be seated,” the finite verb with passive voice in the previous example, involves the past participle form of the main verb “seat,” i.e. “seated.”

Because of this, even when past participles appear alone in a sentence and play the role of modifiers (mostly adjectives), they also express a “passive” meaning.

As such, the past participle “seated” expresses the “passive” meaning of “made to sit down” or “brought to a seat” (被安頓坐好的).” This in turn becomes generalized into the meaning of “in the state of sitting down” （在安坐狀態的）.

This is why “please remain seated” means “please remain in the state of sitting down” (請保持安坐的狀態）.

We see this past participle adjective with this meaning often in this common expression as well:

Please be seated.

請坐好 / 請就坐

We should understand this sentence as the “imperative” finite verb form of “be” plus this adjective, in the same way as “be happy" – rather than as a passive finite verb with imperative mood, because the meaning would be the awkward "請被安頓坐好*” if we do the latter.

Lastly, I should mention that the verb “seat” also has another noun version. 

For example:

Please take a seat.

請坐好

In this sentence, “seat” is a noun.

Next time, I will talk about the verb “sit” and how it differs from the verb “seat” in both grammatical characteristics and meaning.