英语教学和学习中,我们常常对more than, more...than, not more than, no more than这四种结构的用法混淆或使用上出现差错。现将其用法进行归纳整理以便于大家区别使用。

　　1. more than的用法主要有:

　　1)用于数词(或相当于数词的词之前),作"多于、大于"解。如:

　　More than one man was killed. 被杀害的不止一人。

　　2)作"非常,极其"解。如:

　　He is more than pleased. 他非常高兴。

　　They were more than willing to help. 他们非常愿意帮忙。

　　3)作"超出……的"解。如:

　　I more than saw it, I felt it too. 我不仅仅是看见了它,我都感觉到它了!

　　This is more than I can tell. 那我就不知道了。

　　2. more...than常用形式为:more X than Y相当于"X rather than Y","not so much Y as X","less Y than X"等,作"与其说是Y不如说是X"解。

　　He is more a scholar than a teacher. 与其说他是位教师毋宁说他是位学者。

　　He is more brave than wise. 他有勇无谋。

　　在使用此结构时,要注意其与"X rather than Y","not so much Y as X","less Y than X"等结构用法的区别。如:

　　He lay rather than sat in his armchair. 与其说他是坐在扶手椅里不如说是躺在里边。

　　Oceans don't so much divide the world as unite it. 与其说海洋分隔了世界,不如说海洋连接世界。

　　The child was less hurt than frightened. 这孩子伤倒不算什么,只是受惊不小。

　　3. not more than有两种用法:

　　1)[后接名词](=at most)作"不超过、至多"解。

　　There are not more than five books in the case. 箱子里至多有五本书。

　　He has learned not more than 100 words. 他学会的词不超过100个。

　　2)[后接从句]往往为"not more...than"形式,作"还比不上"解。本句型侧重点往往在后一个分句,译成汉语时,仍按原来的语序。

　　I am not more mad than you. 我哪里像你那么疯。

　　This book is not more interesting than that one. 这本书不如那本书有趣。

　　4. no more than=not any more than的使用比较复杂,其情况如下:

　　1)[后接名词](=only)作"不过,仅仅"解。

　　He is no more than a puppet. 他不过是个傀儡。

　　2)[后接从句]这种结构在不同的语言环境里有三种不同的用法及含义。

　　A. 作"没有比……更……"解,其形式往往为"no...more...than"。

　　There is no social problem it is more incumbent upon us to understand than this of the role of custom. (Patterns of Culture, by Ruth Benedict)没有比"风俗的作用"这种社会问题更迫切需要我们了解。

　　B. 用于there be和to have这类动词之后,作"一样……多"解。

　　He has no more money than you have. 他的钱和你一样多。

　　C. 作"同……一样不"解,相当于"not...just as...not"。本句型侧重点往往在前一个分句,译成汉语时通常要把分句的次序颠倒,才能表达出重点来。

　　The whale is no more a fish than the dog is.

　　=The whale is not a fish just as the dog is not a fish. 如同狗一样,鲸也不是鱼。

　　You can no more swim than I can fly.

　　=You can not swim just as I can not fly. 你不能游泳正如我不能飞行一样。

　　学习中尤其要注意no more...than和not more...than的区别:

　　no more...than含有消极,否定的意味,译为"A与B都不……,不……也不"等。

　　not more...than含有积极,肯定的意味,表示程度上的差异。比较:

　　He is no more diligent than you. 你不勤奋,他也不勤奋。(两人都不勤奋)

　　He is not more diligent than you. 他没有你那么勤奋。(意指两个人都勤奋,但你更勤奋)

　　She is no more a teacher than a worker. 她既不是工人,也不是教师。

　　She is not more a teacher than a worker. 说她是个教师,倒不如说她是个工人。

　　(文/王春；英语辅导报大学教师版2003-2004学年第38期；版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。