求助prep1-183 to be与they have been怎么平行？

sophialaw81

Despite recent increases in sales and cash flow that have propelled automobile companies' common stocks to new highs, several industry analysts expect automakers, in order to conserve cash, to set dividends more conservatively than they were

A. to set dividends more conservatively than they were

B. to set dividends more conservatively than they have been

C. to be more conservative than they have been in setting dividends

D. that they will be more conservative than they were in setting dividends

E. that they will be more conservative than they have been to set dividends



对C选项的 "to be" 和 "they have been"的平行并列如何理解？C：to be more conservative than they have benn in setting dividends

lzlsnake

这种类似于【同一发出动作者，不同时期的情况比较】的情形，你可以把它理解为一个特定的搭配出现，并不是那么符合传统意义上的平行。比如我们也经常说

The apples are three times bigger than they once thought.

sdcar2012

我觉得LZ说的是很对称的情况they 是the apples ,than 后面的be动词省略了，所以后面还是一个句子，很对称的结构。但是对于楼主说的情况确实不知道怎么回事，同求解释~~

coloryao

LZ，你要记得你不是GMAC，所以题目的考点不是由你来决定的。这个题的考点并不是平行结构，如果你强行要从平行结构来解题那当然找不着北。这个题的考点，第一个是固定搭配，也就是expect sb to do。第二个考点是（系）动词对称，不是平行对称。be 对应 have been，而set（do）不能对应be（is，are）。

sophialaw81

还是有点不理解这里的系动词对称，前一部分是to be 后一部分have been，一个是不定式，一个是谓语动词，怎么会有对称呢，拜托拜托

coloryao

to be... to be 这个是平行；
to be... + 句子 have been是对称。

对称的意思是 be动词对应be动词；do对应do。
平行的意思是形式一样，但不一定需要be动词对应be动词，do对应do。

题目的后半句省略了conservative，所以必须先考虑be动词对应，才能使省略部分的逻辑涵义可以完整。

sophialaw81

谢谢啦，这样就明白了