高中英语强调句的若干问题（四）

发布时间：2017-04-27

作者：Kimmy

来源于：昂立外语网站

四、强调句的几个注意问题

你的这个问题是涉及强调句式“用It is还是用It was”的问题。这与not...until...句型没有直接的联系。

我们可以根据原句时态，来确定用It is还是用It was。如果原句时态属于现在时间范畴（包括一般现在时，现在进行式，现在完成时，一般将来时等），则用It is …；如果原句时态属于过去时间范畴（包括一般过去时，过去进行时，过去完成时，过去将来时等），则用It was … 例如：

It is at ten o’clock that the meeting will take place.

What is it that you want me to do now?

It was not until yesterday that I heard the news.

Was it John that broke the window this morning?

此外，情态动词还可用于It be中：

It might have been John that bought a new book for Mary yesterday.

It may be next week that she leaves for Tokyo.

It must have been a thief that broke in the house.

It can’t be Tom that has damaged the desk.

It will not be you that will have to take the blame for this.

that和who有时可以省略

随着语言的发展，这种强调句型中的that或who有时可以省略。例如：

It was my brother (that/who) you saw the other day.

It was William (who) did it.

It was a letter (that) came this morning.

复杂强调句

被强调部分是主语从句：

It is what he said that I have failed to recall.

It is not who is right but what is right that is of importance.

It is what you do rather than what you say that matters.

被强调部分含定语从句：

It is always the mouth which talks too much that arouses troubles.

It is only a man who has seen much of the world that can be a leader.

Was it in the village where we used to live that the accident happened?

It was in the small house which was built of stones by his father that he spent his childhood.

被强调部分含同位语从句：

It was the news that our class won the match that made us excited.

It is the problem whether they should join the club that we are going to discuss.

强调句是宾语从句：

David said that it was because of his strong interest in literature that he chose the course.

I can’t remember how many days ago it was that a fight broke out between the husband and wife.

I’ve already forgotten where it was that you put the dictionary.

I wonder whether it was because he had failed in the examination that he was so unhappy.

强调句是主语从句：

It doesn’t matter who it is that I’m talking to.

What it is that we are going to do next has not been decided.

让步强调句

另外，还要注意一种貌似强调句的“It is … that … ”句式，这是英语中比较少见的特殊让步句，要“反译”它的句子意思才行。例如:

It is a wise father that knows his own child. ——Shakespeare 再英明的父亲也不一定了解他自己的孩子。——莎士比亚

It is a good horse that never stumbles. 好马也会失蹄。

It is a long lane that has no turning. 无论怎样长的巷子也会有转弯的地方。

It is a wise man that never makes mistakes. 再聪明的人也会犯错误。

It is a good wife that never grumbles. 再好的妻子也会唠叨。

It is a good machine that works without power. 再好的机器没有动力也不能工作。

It is a bold mouse that nestles in a cat’s ear. 再大胆的老鼠也不敢在猫耳朵里做窝。

这种句式的正确理解应该是，that之后的部分是定语从句，修饰前面的代词It。例如：It is a wise father that knows his own child.这一句，that knows his own child是定语从句修饰It，而It指代相关的人（或物）The father. 实际就是：The father that knows his own child is a wise father.意思是“只有了解自己孩子的父亲才是英明的父亲。”言外之意就是：再英明的父亲也不一定了解他自己的孩子。