系动词连接了主语和补语。这种结构中的补语是说明主语性状的，所以称为主语补足语。系动词作为实义动词的一类，具有本身的意义，但是在起到桥梁作用的同时，有些系动词会保持本身具有的意义，有些意义则会减弱或消失。例如：

　　1. I tasted the soup. ( taste 为及物动词，意思为“品尝”。)

　　2. The soup tastes wonderful. (taste 为系动词，意思为“尝起来，吃起来”，意思基本未变。)

　　3. He went to the cinema yesterday evening. ( go 是不及物动词，意思为“去，走”。)

　　4. At the news, he went mad. (go为系动词，失去了“go”的原义，意为“变得”。)

　　另外，英语中还有一定数量的不及物动词，完全保留了本身的词汇意义，同时又发挥着系动词的功能。它们与主语补足成分连用，所以这类词被称为“准系动词”(quasi-linking verb or half-linking verb)。用于“S+Vi+Cs”(S代表主语，Vi代表不及物动词，Cs代表主语补足语)这一句式的动词都属于这种用法。有时，主语补足语不紧跟系动词，有可能被其它状语成分隔开。以“go”为例：

　　5. At twenty-four, Tom went half-bald. ( go 为系动词，失去原义。)

　　6. After midnight, Tom went home bored.( go 为准系动词，保留原义，但同时又连接主语“Tom”和主补“bored”，“home”为副词，表示地点状语。)

　　用于这一句式的补语可以为各种形式，如名词词组(NP)，形容词词组(AP)，介词词组(Pr.P)，和分词短语(PP)等。现举例如下：

　　Type1: S + Vi +Cs (NP)

　　7. We parted the best friends.

　　= We were the best friends when we parted.

　　8. I stand before you today the representative of a family in grief.

　　= I am the representative of a family in grief when I stand before you today.

　　类似的动词包括： come (back), die, fall, go, leave 等。

　　Type2: S + Vi +Cs (AP)

　　9. They were born poor, lived poor, and poor they died.

　　= They were poor when they were born; they were poor when they lived; they were poor when they died.

　　10. She married young.

　　= She was young when she married.

　　11. The morning dawned fresh and clear after the storm at night.

　　= When the morning dawned after the storm at night, it was fresh and clear.

　　类似的动词包括：arrive, come (back), dawn, fall, leave, lie, marry, return, sit, stand, turn out 等。

　　Type3: S + Vi +Cs (Pr.P)

　　12. The parcel arrived in good condition.

　　= When the parcel arrived, it was in good condition.

　　13. They separated with feelings alienation.

　　= They had feelings alienation when they separated.

　　类似的动词包括：come, die, fall, go, leave, lie, part, return, sit, stand等。

　　Type4: S + Vi +Cs (P.P)

　　14. They stood listening to him.

　　= They stood while they were listening to him.

　　15. He came home convinced that she was telling the truth.

　　= He came home and he was convinced that she was telling the truth.

　　类似的动词包括：arrive, die, fall, go, leave, lie, return, sit 等。

　　(文/李燕；英语辅导报 大学一年级版 04～05学年第20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。)