1 可以省略的情况

1．1

在as／than分句中省略谓语动词及其补足成分。例如：

(1)This house is not SO expensive as the other one．

(2)Does she dance as gracefully 88 her sister?

(3)She is more highly regarded than he．

1．2 在as／than分句中省略谓语动词的补足成分。例如：

(4)The end of the movie wasn’t as good as the beginning was.

(5)John drove much more carefully than Tom did．

(6)We all love ourselves more and hate ourselves less than we ought．

1．3

在as／than分句中省略主动词。在这种分句中，如果宾语不同则保留宾语，如果宾语相同则连同主动词一齐省略。

例如：

(7)Mary has known Peter better than she has (known) John．

(8)Jame would do it much more quickly than 1 would (do it)．

(9)George writes as neatly as John does．

1．4

在as／than分句中省略主语、谓语动词及其补足成分，只保留一个状语或其他修饰成分。例如：如指事物，通常仍需加上定冠词the。例如：

(10)He`s better than (he was) when I last visited him．

(11)It’s a pity the weather isn`t as good as last time．

(12)John has a higher opinion of Mary than of Jane．

1．5

在as／than分句中省略主语，这时可将as／than看作比较分句的主语,例如：

(13)Progress with the building of the bridge was not good as was expected.

(14)She is as fine a woman as ever walked．

(15)This hotel is far more luxurious than is necessary．

1．6

在下列比较分句中很难具体指明省略了何种成分：

(16)This meat is better than what we had last week．

(17)Although they suffered a Serious drought，the harvest was not less than they got the year before．

(18)She told me more than I cared to know．

1．7

在特定的上下文或语句中，as／than分句可以整个地被省略。例如：

(19)The others worked as hard as John but not so successfully (as John)．

(20)— — Thomas is a very nice boy．

— — I think his brother`s nicer．

(21)You ought to have told me earlier．

1．8

在the more ?
  the more比较结构中，前面的分句通常采取省略形式，省略主语和谓语动词，不过有时主语和分句同时采取省略形式，成为更加简练的句式。例如：

(22)The higher a cloud，the thinner it will usually be；the lower the cloud，the denser and darker will it appear.

(23)The more haste，the less speed．

1．9

另有一些特殊比较句式也采取省略形式。例如：

(24)If that is the case ，all the better．

(25)If you are able to come，so much the better．

1．10

在the+形容词最高级+比较范围这一结构中，表示“比较范围”的短语或从句在一定的上下文中可以省略，形容词最高级后的名词(中心词)有时也可以省略。例如：

(26)This is the best possible answer．

(27)It does not matter the least．

(28)This is the best of al1．

1．11

形容词最高级用作表语强调事物品质时，定冠词the省略。例如：

 (29)Put the picture where light is best．

如指事物，通常仍需加上定冠词the。例如：

(30)This book is the most difficult that I have ever read.

1．12

当形容词前的most用作绝对最高级(= very，无“最?”含义，不重读)时，其前面无需加定冠词the；某些习惯说法中的绝对最高级前也不用the。。例如：

(31)They are most useful books．

(32)I acknowledge，with sincerest thanks，your generous gift．

(33)With best wishes，Yours?

1．13

如果形容词最高级前有物主代词，定冠词the要省略。例如：

(34)Tuesday is our busiest day．

(35)Fishing is his latest hobby．

(36)The peony was at its best．

1．14

在某些正式文体中，形容词最高级前的定冠词the有时也被省略。例如：

(37)She had eyes of deepest blue．

(38)It is of greatest consequence．

(39)Don`t follow the way of least resistance．

从上述众多例句中可以看出，当比较结构是同质事物之间的比较，即比较项相同时，比较结构必须采取这样或那样的省略形式。这显然成了比较结构的一大特点。

2 不可省略的情况

比较结构除了可以进行上述同质事物之间的比较外，还可以进行不同质事物之间的比较，这时比较结构中的比较项可以不同，这种比较结构除个别特例之外不采取省略形式，主要见于以下几种情况。

2．1

主语相同而比较项不同

(1)His action seemed as unreasonable as it was impolite．

(2)He is not so wise as he is witty．

(3)Her husband is a better psychologist than he is a psychiatrist．

上述比较结构中比较分句有时也可采取省略形式，省去相同的主语和谓语，或将比较项中的as一并省去。例如：

(4)That seems to me as hazardous aS uncertain．

(5)Mrs．Bold is a very beautiful woman，and as intelligent as beautifu1．

(6)Fortunately?the storm，which was brief as violent，began now to relax．

但是就某物自身的长宽高、形状大小进行比较时，不能采取省略形式。如：

(7)The swimming pool is as wide as it is long．

(8)The bookcase is wider than it is tal1．

另外，一个项目与其余同类项目进行比较时，比较分句中的限定词else／other不能省略，否则会出现逻辑错误。例如：

(9)Mary studies harder than an yone else in her class．

(10)I like “The True Story of Ah Q”better than any other 0f Lu Xun’s novels．

2．2

主语和比较项都不同

(11)Mary is cleverer than Jane is pretty．

(12)He has more ancient stamps than I have modem ones．

(13)He did not love his uncle，who was as base and un worthy as his father had been upright and honorable

2．3

形容词最高级表示“很”、“非常”时在“形容词最高级+of+名词(泛指)”结构中，形容词最高级为绝对最高级，表示“很、非常”(= very)时，这种绝对意义，没有比较的范围，最高级前面的定冠词the通常不省略。例如：

(14)He spoke in the softest of voices．

(15)We are the best of friends．

(16)He has the most beautiful of gardens.

3 省略与歧义

如上所述，比较结构通常总有些部分被省略，如果省略后比较分句只剩下一个名词词组，那么这个名词词组通常不是主语就是宾语。例如：

(1)I speak Greek better than you(speak Greek)．

(2)The photographs disappointed my parents more than (they disappointed )me．

但是，如果省略后剩下的那个名词词组既可以看作比较分句的主语，也可以看作宾语，就会出现歧义现象。例如：

(3)He loves his dog more than his children．

此句中的his children既可视为比较分句的主语，也可以视为比较分句的宾语，即此句可作以下两种解释：

He loves his dog more than his children love his dog)．

(他爱他的狗甚于他的孩子爱他的狗。)

He loves his dog more than(he loves)his children．

(他爱他的狗甚于爱他的孩子。)

又如：

(4)I like her better than John．

为了消除比较分句名词词组功能不清而带来的歧义现象，可以用明确指代主语的主格代词或明确指代宾语的宾格代词替代该名词词组，以区分其主语或宾语功能。例如：

(5)She hates him as much as I(hate him)．

(她和我对他的恨是一样的。)

(6)She hates him as much as(she hates)me．

(她对他的恨和对我的恨是一样的。)

因此，为了消除歧义，上述(3)句He loves his dog more than his children．可以写成以下两句：He loves his dog more than they．

(他爱他的狗甚于他们爱他的狗。)

He loves his dog more than them．

(他爱他的狗甚于爱他们)。

不过要彻底消除歧义，在省略的比较分句中应适当地使用助动词或保留介词等成分，以便准确无误地表达句子的含义。例如：

(7)I like to play Ping-Pong with John better than Peter．

本句也可作两种解释：

I like to play Ping-Pong with John better than(I like to play Ping-Pong with)Peter．

(我喜欢与彼得打乒乓球，我更喜欢与约翰打乒乓球。)

I like to play Ping-Pong with John better than Peter(1ike to play Ping-Pong with John )．

(我比彼得更喜欢与约翰打乒乓球。)

为了消除歧义，上述(7)句可以改写成下列两句：

I like to play Ping-Pong with John better than with Peter．

I like to play Ping-Pong with John better than Peter does．

很显然，改写出的两句话在意义上是大不相同的，这充分说明了掌握省略与否原则的必要性和重要性。

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