■ such

1) such 和 this (that, these, those)，前者是从内涵上界定事物，后者是从外延上界定事物，例如 such a law 注意的是这部法律的内容，this law 注意的则是这部法律同其他法律相区别的外部界线。但是，只是主观上的注意点不同，客观上指的是同一物，所以，日常语言的运用上，such a law 几乎等于 this law；但是 one such law 则指内涵相同的同类之一，往往可以外延不同，而是另一部法律。在这一点上，常用的 such as 与 like 一样，都是提醒读者注意有关名词的内涵，两者在大多数场合可以互用。不过，such as 往往涉及复数，like 则可以兼及单复数。例如：a writer like Shakespeare 就比 writers such as Shakespeare 自然，因为后者降低了莎士比亚的独一无二的地位，而前者实际上没有离开莎士比亚一个人的范围。

2) 正是由于 such 是从内涵界定事物，所以用... such as... 来举例时（也相当于 such... as...），前面的名词不能用 the 来界定，例如不能说*the European countries such as France, Germany and Italy，要把开头的 the 去掉。至于 such... as...，前一名词在 such 之后，就更没有 the 立足之地了。不过，如果 such 前面有逗号，表示语气停顿，则更前面的名词可以用 the 来界定，如：

• the European countries, such as France, Germany and Italy.

3) such + 名词（单数有 a，复数无冠词），后面如果有定语从句，这个从句就是从内涵而不是从外延的角度来修饰名词，把它引入的那个关系代词，不可以是我们常见常用的 that, which, who 之类（这些关系代词都是界定外延的），而应该是 as（参见 as）。但是 as 作为关系代词，骤然看起来很奇怪，所以甚至许多英美本国人和作家都有不会用 as 而误用 that, which, who 的。

• The price reached such a level which (应该改为 as) would endanger our position.价格到了可能危及我们地位的水平。
• I'll give you such information as (*that) I have.我掌握什么资讯，我会原原本本地告诉你的。
• This is written in such simple English as (*that) can be read by beginners.这是用初学者都能阅读的简单英语写成的。
• The set, which contains only such pieces of furniture (a sofa, a chair, etc.) which (应该改为 as) are required by the action.舞台装置只包括本剧剧情所需的几件家具（一张沙发、一把椅子，等等）。
• The Constitution obliges the president "to give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their consideration such measures as (*that) he shall judge necessary and expedient."宪法规定总统有义务“向国会提供有关国情的资讯并且建议国会考虑采取他认为必要而且合适的措施”。
• They were faced with such a problem as (*that) only an expert can solve.他们遇到的问题，只有专家才能解决。
• They picked up some loose anonymous essays, and put them together under the names of such authors as (*that, *who) best suited their purpose.他们捡起一些零散的无名氏文章，拼到一起，用什么作者名义对他们的目的最合适就用什么作者名义。
• By the aid of such lights as (*that) knowledge gradually supplies, he comes at last to discover that... (John William Draper, History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, 1876)靠着知识所陆续提供的启发，人类终于发现…
• Such humble talents as God has given me I will endeavour to put to their greatest use; ... (Anne Brontё, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall)上帝赐了我区区一点才能，我一定努力好好利用；…
• The editors... have omitted such passages as (*that) were either superfluous or redundant. (Rollin, Ancient History, p.4, Advertisement)一些多余或重复的段落，编者把它删去了。

但是也要注意，如果 such... that...中的 that 不是关系代词，而是引入程度状语从句的主从连词（标志之一是从句中另有主语或宾语，不要用 that 来充当，之二是 such 在主句中不是修饰先行词的定语，两者都同时具备），则当然应该保留 that。

• The terms of the contract were such (或 Such were the terms of the contract) that no self-respecting firm could accept them.合同的条款，是任何一个自尊的企业所无法接受的。

so 同 such 意义相同，只是结构用法不同（so 放在修饰单数名词的形容词前，such 则放在复数名词前），因此 so... as... 的意义也同 such... as... 一样。

• ... but I do not remember so cruel a promiscuity as seems to be practised in the present day. (Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, Chapter III)我却不记得那时候文艺界有今天这么多风流韵事。

4) such 还可以放在名词后面，形成“名词 + such + as”的结构。这个名词必须是不定指的，as 也是充当一个关系代词，在从句中担任主语或宾语（动词或介词的宾语）。

• She is not a student such as would cut her classes.她不是那种会旷课的学生（as 在从句中担任主语）。
• I need a bag such as a doctor carries.我需要一个像医生用的那样的袋子（as 在从句中担任宾语）。

如果说 I need a bag that a doctor carries 就不通顺，因为这一来，a bag 不是从内涵角度来限定，而是从外延角度来限定（“某个特定的袋子”，性质相同但不是这一个也不行）。

such as 甚至可以不需要“挂靠”在任何名词后面，本身代表 such + 复数名词 + as (*that)，引入定语从句（as 兼作连词和从句的主语或宾语）。例如：19 世纪英国一个自幼失明的人 James Wilson, 于 1838 年出版了一本书，书名很长，就叫做

• Biography of the Blind:Or the Lives of Such as Have Distinguished Themselves as Poets, Philosophers, Artists, etc. 《失明者传略：出类拔萃成为诗人、哲学家、艺术家等等的人们的生平》

这里的 such as... 相当于 some people who...

• First, by real ideas, I mean such as have a foundation in nature; such as have a conformity with the real being and existence of things, or with their archetypes. (John Locke, Essay Concerning Human Understanding, Book II, Chapter XXX)首先，我所说的真实概念，指的是在自然界中有其根基的概念，是同事物的真实存在或是同其原型相符的概念（这里的 such as... 相当于 some ideas that...）。
• And when such as had come in contact with Strickland in the past, writers who had known him in London, painters who had met him in the cafés of Montmartre, discovered to their amazement that... (Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, Chapter I)后来那些在思特里克兰德生前曾和他有过接触的人——有些人是在伦敦就认识他的作家，有些是在蒙玛特尔咖啡座上和他会过面的画家——极其吃惊地发现…（这里的 such as... 相当于 people who...）。
• If they who believe in Strickland's greatness are right, the personal narratives of such as knew him in the flesh can hardly be superfluous. (Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, Chapter II)如果那些相信思特里克兰德伟大的人看法正确的话，与他有过亲身接触的人对他的追述便很难说是多余的了（但是 such as 这种用法今天已较少见）。

5) 用 very, great 之类的单词来形容某情状的程度之高，常常提供的是新信息；而如果改用 such，则提供的是已知信息。

• He's had a very bad day.他过了很倒霉的一天（very bad 是新信息）。
• Why did he have such a bad day?他这一天为什么过得这样倒霉？（such a bad 是已知信息）
• The weather was very cold.天气很冷。
• I wasn't expecting such cold weather.我没有料到天气会这么冷（such cold 是已知信息）。

6) such... that... 是一对呼应关系（“如此…以至于…”），但是有时候后面的 that 会略去。

• The slayings left people of this once-peaceful mountain town and the university at its heart praying for the victims and struggling to find order in a tragedy of such unspeakable horror [that] it defies reason. (The Associated Press, April 17, 2007)经过这次残杀事件，这个曾经一度宁静的山城和它中心的大学的人们只好为遇难者祈祷，设法在这场毫无理智难以形容的可怖悲剧中安静下来。