less用法的方方面面
1.用作名词,表示“较少”“更少”,主要用作宾语;但有时也用作主语或表语。如:
I want much less please. 请不要给我那么多。
There’s less to do in this job than the last. 这份工作没有上份工作量大。
The purchase price is less if you pay by cash. 付现金的话,价钱便宜些。
2.用作形容词,作为 little 的比较级,通常与不可数名词连用。如:
Less oil was produced this year than last. 今年产油比去年少。
I received less money than the others did. 我比别人收到的钱少。
口语中有时可用于可数名词前,但不少语法学家反对这一用法,建议学生不要仿用。如:
I did expect more food and less people. 我的确期望食物更多而人更少。
3.用作副词,可修饰形容词或副词,表示程度;也可修饰动词,表示次数、程度或数量等。如:
Which book is less difficult? 哪本书较不困难?
Would you mind speaking less quickly? 你可否别讲得那么快?
Eat less, drink less, and sleep more. 少吃,少饮酒,多睡觉。
It rains less in
3.比较 less than 与 less…than:除用于比较结构外,前者还可表示数量等“不到”“不足”,后者表示“不像象(如)……”“与其……不如……”等。如:
It cost me less than ten dollars. 我花了还不到10美元。
The baby’s less ugly than you. 这孩子不像你那么丑。
I regard him less as my teacher than as my friend. 与其说我把他当作老师,不如说我是把他当作朋友。
4.在通常情况下,even less, much less, still less 可视为less的加强说法,表示“更少”“少得多”等。如:
Much less soup please. 请不要给那么多汤。
You know even less about it than I do. 你对此事知道得比我还少。
但有时它们是习语,表示“更不用说”“更何况”。如:
The boy didn’t have a girlfriend, much less a wife. 那男孩连女朋友都没有,更不用说有妻子了。
I don’t suspect him of negligence, still less of dishonesty. 我不相信他会粗心大意,更不想象他会不诚实。
如果后接动词,要注意与前面所用动词相同的形式。如:
The baby can’t even walk, much less run. 这婴儿连走路都不会,更不用说能跑了。
He’s too shy to ask a stranger the time, still less speak to a room full of people. 他连向陌生人打听时间都不好意思,更不用说向一屋子人讲话了。
若是用于引出一个句,其后通常接倒装语序。如:
He is not interested in her; much less is he in love with her. 他对她并不感兴趣,更不用说爱她了。
4.比较 no less than, no less…than与not less than:
(1)no less than 有3个意思:(www.lulutubu.com)
①表示“多达”“有……之多”,用于强调数量之多。如:
There were no less than fifty wounded. 受伤者多达50人。
He paid no less than $10,000 for it. 他为此付了1万多美元。
②表示“简直”“与……没差别”。如:
It’s no less than a scandal. 这简直是一桩丑闻。
It is no less than robbery to ask for so much. 要求这么多,简直跟抢劫没两样。
③表示惊奇或出乎意外,意为“原来就是”“正是”。如:
He was no less than the mayor. 他原来就是市长。
(2)no less…than 意为“与……一样”“不比……差”,强调两者具有同等性。如:
He is no less wise than you. 他跟你一样聪明(他并不比你笨)。
A dolphin is no less a clever animal than a dog is. 海豚与狗同样都是聪明的动物。
比较:A whale is no more a fish than a horse is. 马不是鱼,鲸也不是鱼(即鲸不是鱼就如同马不是鱼一样)。
(3)not less than 意为“不下于”“至少”。比较:
He has no less than seven daughters. 他有7个女儿之多。
He has not less than seven daughters. 他至少有7个女儿。