介詞組是多功能的修飾語 (介詞組 #1)

 


如果你曾上過我們的基礎課程,應該知道 prepositional phrase 介詞組是由一個像是「in」或「on」的介詞(preposition),與一個名詞組所組成的。


例如:


The Changs are on holiday.

張家正在放假


上述被底線標記的介詞組,包含了介詞「on」和名詞「holiday」


所有介詞組都是具有修飾語的功能的 – 即它們的作用是完成句中另一元素的意思、或在另一元素上添加額外的修飾。


在這個子句的結構中,「on holiday」這介詞組是謂語形容詞組(predicate adjective*),即它是在表達「是」的「are (be)」後面,加入對主語「the Changs」的形容的,這句剛好是形容主語在「哪裡」。我們可以將這介詞組這裡的形容詞功能與一個簡單的形容詞做比較:


The Changs are on holiday

張家正在放假


The Changs are happy.

張家很開心


與形容詞「happy」作簡單對比後,我們會發現介詞組「on holiday」和「happy」,在它們各自的子句中都有相同的謂語形容詞功能。


再看看另一個以介詞組作形容詞例子,但這次它是作為名詞組中的形容詞,而非謂語形容詞:


The book on the table is mine.

在桌上的書是我的


在這例子中,介詞組「on the table」是出現在「the book on the table」中的形容詞組,表達了這名詞組中的核心名詞的位置。**


當然,作為修飾語,介詞組也可以當副詞,即能修飾動詞的動作,以及子句中由動詞洐生的其他 元素。例如:


The Changs had a picnic in the park

張家在公園野餐


此例子中,被底線標記的介詞組「in the park」,是子句中限定動詞的核心動作(即「張家在野餐」的動作)的副詞組,為核心動作添加了關於「地點」的修飾。


同樣地,我們也能透過與單字副詞作比較,清楚看到「in the park」在它句中的副詞功能:


The Changs had a picnic in the park

張家在公園野餐


The Changs had a picnic happily

張家開心地野餐


現在我們能確立(或者你之曾學過我的基礎課程,就當是複習一下~)介詞組是由介詞和名詞組結合而成的,而且在句中功能是修飾語。


作為修飾語,介詞組也具有很多功能,並能表達多種意思。


我們可以將這些功能/意思分成四個主要類別。


首先,介詞組最基本的功能,是配合名詞組一起表達「關係」、「方向」或「位置」等意思。


英語中的介詞,都會表達一種「關係性」的意思。當它與名詞組組成介詞組時,這「關係性」的含義也被會被投放在該名詞上,創造出整個修飾語所表達的意思。


例如,介詞「on」表達的「關係性」大致是「在上方並觸及」,所以當它連接上名詞,產生的意思便會是「在該名詞的上方並觸及該名詞」:


The book is on the table

書在桌子上 


像「on the table」這樣的介詞組,可以說是發揮了介詞組的最「基本」功能 – 表達出與名詞的「關係性」,正如例子中的「在桌子上」。


其次,除了基本的「關係性」功能,介詞組也能作為固定修飾語的表達方式來傳遞意思。例如:


They were on duty

他們在當值


It was a good movie on the whole

總體來說,這是好電影


介詞組「on duty」和「on the whole」是英文中有固定含意的固定表達方式。換言之,並非因為我們想表達「在上方並觸及」的「關係性」,而自行組成一個像「on duty」的介詞組,我們只是在句子中使用了這個固定的表達方式而已。


固定的介詞組表達方式表達的意思可以跟原本那介詞的「關係性」意思截然不同,就如「on duty」與「在上方並觸及」的意思是完全沒有關聯的。


第三,介詞組除了作為獨立的修飾語外,還能用以完成動詞的意思。許多英語的動詞都需要連接特定的介詞組來完整它們的意思。例如:


They are relying on me

他們依賴我 


例子中的動詞「rely」就有一個結構特徵,需要連接一個「on」的介詞組來完成意思,表達出所依賴的對象。


我們也不會獨立地「組成」帶有這種功能的介詞組,而是在要完成特定動詞意思時出於「結構需要」而使用它們。


同樣地,這種特定的介詞組跟某介詞本身的「關係性」意思也可以完全無關。


最後,介詞組還可以透過賦予某些動詞不同於其原意的特定含義來完成那些動詞。


例如:


They are planning to call on him today.

他們打算今天去探望他


當動詞「call」被特定的「on」介詞組完成,意思便會變成是「探訪某人」。不是我們自行「組成」帶有這功能的介詞組,而是因為「call」這動詞如被這特定介詞組修飾,會變了這個意思,才根據這個「結構和意思需要」而使用它。


如大家所見,介詞組的結構都是相同的 – 都包含一個介詞和一個名詞組。但它們可以發揮不同的修飾語功能,並在不同的情況下表達非常不同的修飾語意思。


我們應該對這些功能有一個系統性的理解,以助自己從各個例子中學習,並擴大有關介詞組的製造性知識。


_________________


小練習: 


下列的介詞組屬於我分出來的四種「功能類別」中的哪一種?


  1. She placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
    她把手放在他的肩膀上以安慰他


  1. Please focus on your studies.
    請專注於你的學業


  1. He is working on a new project for his company.
    他正在忙着做一個新項目


  1. This craft beer is on tap at that bar.
    這款精釀啤酒在那家酒吧是現打的


__________________


答案:

  1. 表達與名詞關係的「基本」功能

  2. 完成動詞意思

  3. 完成動詞兼賦予新的意思

  4. 自身已是一種固定的表達方式

___________________



備註:


*

謂語形容詞是一種出現在「be」之後的形容詞或形容詞組,以表達「主語就是『這樣』」。


例如「you are beautiful」中,形容詞「beautiful」便是修飾主語「you」的謂語形容詞。


**

有一點特別要注意,在名詞組中的介詞組會出現在所修飾的核心名詞之後 – 這跟位於核心名詞前面的單字形容詞不同:


The book on the table is mine.


The thick book is mine. 


***

我想特別提醒各位,語言的結構是有「層次」的。也因此,由介詞和名詞組成的介詞組,內部層次可以相當複雜,因為我們總是能一層一層地添加更多修飾語。


例如:


「On holiday

→ 「holiday」本身只是一個名詞


「On the table

→ 「the table」包含了冠詞(名詞標記)「the」和核心名詞「table」 


「On the high table

→ 「the high table」同時包括了形容詞「high」


「On the high table that I bought last year

→ 「the high table that I bought last year」同時包括了關係子句「that I bought last year」,亦是核心名詞「table」的形容詞修飾語


「On the high table that I bought in Italy last year

→ 「the high table that I bought in Italy last year」包含了另一個介詞組「in Italy」,充當了關係子句中的「I bought…」的副詞形容詞


這些都是由一個介詞和一個名詞組所組成的「一個」介詞組喔!


—-----------


Prepositional Phrases are Versatile Modifiers

(Prepositional Phrases #1)


If you have taken our foundational course before, you would know that, structurally, prepositional phrases consist of a preposition – a word like “in” or “on” – and a noun phrase.


For example:


The Changs are on holiday.

張家正在放假


The underlined prepositional phrase consists of the preposition “on” and the noun “holiday.”


The whole phrase “on holiday,” as a unit within this clause, has a modifier function – that is, modifies another element either by completing its meaning or adding in additional information.


In the structure of this clause, specifically, “on holiday” serves the purpose of a predicate adjective* because it completes the meaning of “where” the subject of the clause, “the Changs,” are. You can compare the modifier function of this phrase with a simple adjective: 


The Changs are on holiday

張家正在放假


The Changs are happy.

張家很開心


Through this simple comparison with the adjective “happy,” we can see that the prepositional phrase “on holiday” and “happy” serve the same predicate adjective function in their clauses.


Let’s see another example of a prepositional phrase serving an adjectival function, but as an adjective in a noun phrase instead of a predicate adjective:


The book on the table is mine.

在桌上的書是我的


In this example, the prepositional phrase “on the table” is an adjective phrase within “the book on the table.” It describes the “location” of the core noun “book” in this noun phrase.**


And, of course, as modifiers, prepositional phrases can be adverbial too – that is, they can modify the actions of verbs and other elements in a clause derived from verbs. For example:


The Changs had a picnic in the park

張家在公園野餐


In this example, the underlined prepositional phrase “in the park” serves as an adverb phrase to the central action of the finite verb in the clause, that is, the action of “the Changs having a picnic.” It adds information about “the location” in which this central action took place.


Again, we can see the adverbial function of “in the park” by comparing it to a single-word adverb, for example:


The Changs had a picnic in the park

張家在公園野餐


The Changs had a picnic happily

張家開心地野餐


Now, we have established (or reviewed – if you have taken my foundational course before!) that prepositional phrases consist of a preposition plus a noun phrase, and that they are modifiers.


As modifiers, prepositional phrases have many functions and express many different meanings.


We can think of these functions/meanings in four main categories. 


First, the most basic function prepositional phrases serve is that they are ways for us to express “relational,” “directional,” or “positional” meanings with noun phrases.


Each of the many prepositions in English expresses a sort of “relational” meaning, and, so, when it forms a phrase with a noun phrase, this “relational” meaning is applied to the noun to create the meaning expressed by the whole modifier.


For example, the preposition “on” expresses the “relational” meaning of “above and touching” – so, when we add a noun to it, the meaning that is formed is “above and touching that noun”:


The book is on the table

書在桌子上 


A prepositional phrase like “on the table” can be thought of as serving the most “basic” function of prepositional phrases – that of expressing a “relational” meaning to a noun, like “above and touching the table” in this example.


Second, apart from this “basic” “relational” function, prepositional phrases also express meanings as fixed modifier expressions. For example:


They were on duty

他們在當值


It was a good movie on the whole

總體來說,這是好電影


The prepositional phrases “on duty” and “on the whole” are fixed expressions with fixed meanings in English. In other words, we don’t “form” a prepositional phrase like “on duty” because of the “relational” meaning of “on” and the noun “duty.” We just use an expression like this as a unit as it is.


The meaning of such expressions can be completely unrelated to the original “relational” meaning of the preposition – like how “on duty” has nothing to do with “above and touching.”


Third, apart from being independent modifier phrases, prepositional phrases also complete the meanings of verbs. Many English verbs require specific prepositional phrases to complete them.


For example:


They are relying on me

他們依賴我 


The verb “rely,” like in this example, has the structural characteristic of requiring a prepositional phrase with “on” to complete its meaning – to express the “recipient” of the “reliance.” 


We also don’t “form” prepositional phrases with this function but rather just use them as a “structural requirement” when we need to complete the meaning of specific verbs.


Again, the specific and required prepositional phrase can have nothing to do with the original “relational” meaning of that preposition. 


Lastly, prepositional phrases can also complete certain verbs by giving them a specific meaning that is different from the original meaning of the verb. 


For example: 


They are planning to call on him today.

他們打算今天去探望他


When the verb “call” is completed by a specific prepositional phrase with “on,” its meaning changes to “visit someone.” Again, we don’t “form” a prepositional phrase with this function but rather just use it as a “structural requirement” of “call” when we want to express this meaning. 


As we can see, structurally, prepositional phrases are all the same – they consist of a preposition and a noun phrase – but they can serve very different modifier functions and express very different modifier meanings in different situations. 


We need to have a systematic understanding of these functions in order to learn from examples and expand our productive knowledge of prepositional phrases. 


_________________


Mini Exercise: 


Which of the four “function categories” is each of the underlined prepositional phrases in?


  1. She placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
    她把手放在他的肩膀上以安慰他


  1. Please focus on your studies.
    請專注於你的學業


  1. He is working on a new project for his company.
    他正在忙着做一個新項目


  1. This craft beer is on tap at that bar.
    這款精釀啤酒在那家酒吧是現打的


__________________


Answers:

  1. “Basic” relational function with a noun

  2. Completing a verb

  3. Completing a verb and giving it a new meaning

  4. Fixed expression on its own

___________________



Notes:


*

A predicate adjective is an adjective or adjective phrase after “be.” It modifies the subject by “equating” to the subject through the meaning of “be.” 


For example, in “you are beautiful,” the adjective “beautiful” is a predicate adjective describing the subject “you.” 


**

One thing to note about prepositional phrases in noun phrases is that they come after the core noun that they modifier – unlike single-word adjectives, which come before the core noun:


The book on the table is mine.


The thick book is mine. 


***

I also want to add a reminder that language structure is in “layers.” As such, the noun phrase forming a prepositional phrase with a preposition can have any level of internal complexity – because we can always add more layers of modifiers.


For example: 


“On holiday” 

→ “holiday” is just noun by itself 


“On the table

→ “the table” is a core noun “table” with an article (noun marker) “the”


“On the high table

→ “the high table” also consists of the adjective “high”


“On the high table that I bought last year

→ “the high table that I bought last year” also consists of a relative clause “that I bought last year,” which also acts as an adjective modifier to the core noun “table”


“On the high table that I bought in Italy last year

→ “the high table that I bought in Italy last year” consists of another prepositional phrase, “in Italy,” which acts as an adverb phrase to “I bought…” within the relative clause


These are all just “one” prepositional phrase consisting of one preposition and one noun phrase!

Comments

Popular Posts

及物與不及物動詞對:「Lay」vs.「Lie」(+其他例子)

有被動語態的動名詞組(Gerund Phrases): 「Being Chosen for a Flight Mission」 ✈️

比利時巧克力 - 「Belgian」Chocolate 🍫

2025 New Year's Resolutions?

你有「完善的計劃」(“Robust” Plan)來學習英文嗎?

No Doubt… 不容置疑(?)