■ wonder

1) 用否定形式表示肯定的。

• We may, however, really begin to wonder if Christianity has not come to an end. Is it not all over with belief in God? (Hans Jüng. Does God Exist?)但是，我们的确可以开始琢磨，究竟基督教是不是走到了尽头。对上帝的信仰是不是全都完了？（偏向肯定，用 not）
• I wonder if it isn't time now to think of national reunification.我觉得，考虑国家统一，现在也许是时候了（偏向肯定，用 not）。
• It made you wonder whether the hubbub from four years ago wasn't just a small group of lunatics with an Internet connection.这使得你觉得，四年前的那场风波，也许只不过是一小群上了互联网的疯子之所为（偏向肯定，用 not）。
• Military threats also reinforce growing international suspicions that the US might be deliberately encouraging greater Iranian intransigence. Sadly, one has to wonder whether, in fact, such suspicions may not be partly justified. How else to explain the current US "negotiating" stance: refusing to participate in the ongoing negotiations with Iran and insisting on dealing only through proxies. (Zbigniew Brzezinski)军事威胁的做法，也使得国际上越来越怀疑到美国也许是故意助长伊朗进一步采取强硬态度。可惜的是，人们不得不觉得这样的怀疑的确有其部分理由。不然的话，美国当前采取的“谈判”立场，也就是拒绝参加目前同伊朗的谈判，坚持只通过代理人来交涉，又作何解释呢？（偏向肯定，用 not）
• The level of sectarian violence was so high that many wondered Iraq wasn't already in a civil war. (David Ignatius, The Daily Gazette, Schenectady, New York, Aug. 26, 2006, A9)教派暴力冲突的水平如此之高，以至于许多人在问，伊拉克是不是已经处于内战状态（偏向肯定，用 not）。
• He said he was so worried about Iraq and the way Rumsfeld ran things that he wondered if he himself should not resign in protest.(Newsweek, Oct. 9, 2006, p.38)他说他对伊拉克局势以及伦斯菲尔德办事的方式感到忧虑，以至于考虑是否自己应该辞职表示抗议。

wonder 并不是有这种情况的唯一动词，许多表示“疑问”意义的动词都有这种情况。

• By the early seventeenth century a number of Spaniards were asking whether their country, corrupted by riches, was not going down the same slippery slope as Rome.到了 17 世纪初叶，好些西班牙人就在问，他们那个因为富有而腐败的国家会不会像罗马那样顺着斜坡下滑沉沦。

2) 用肯定形式表示否定的，更为常见。

• He wondered if he would ever see them again.他生怕再也看不见他们了。
• I wonder if Bush will keep bragging about how we "freed" Muslim women.我看布什不见得再会继续吹嘘我们如何“解放”了穆斯林妇女了。
• Mysterious photos make us wonder if seeing is believing.一些神秘的照片，使我们觉得，不一定眼见就可以为实。
• Antiwar clerics wonder if Bush hears their call.反战的神职人员估计布什听不见他们的呼吁。
• Students wonder whether they should vote.学生们觉得他们也许不应该投票。
• I personally wonder whether the government could survive such a scandal.我个人觉得政府不见得能经得起这样一个丑闻。
• That sounds a good idea, but I wonder if I have the time for that.这个主意听起来不错，不过我不见得有时间来办。
• Many often wonder whether it is truly possible to have constructive discussion about race.许多人常常觉得，就种族问题进行建设性的讨论，恐怕并不真正有可能。
• But experts wonder if the average rate in the May 31 local election at hand can maintain the mid-40s％ level.但是专家们觉得，在即将到来的 5 月 31 日地方选举中，平均投票率不见得能保持百分之四十几的水平。
• I recognize the vibrant and important role online news agencies play in our society, but at times I wonder if they are indeed living up to their full potential and responsibilities.网上新闻通讯社所起的重要活跃作用，我是承认的，但有时候我又不知道它们是不是已经充分发挥了自己的潜力与尽到了自己的责任（委婉的否定）。
• I wonder if my wife and I will remain healthy enough to enjoy the rest of our lives. (Ben Mattlin, Newsweek, July 24, 2006, p.19)我都有点担心，生怕我和妻子不能保持足够健康的身体来享受下半生（倾向于否定，用肯定形式）。
• Judging from Hwang's almost daily media appearances over the past couple of years, one might wonder if he ever had time for the research at his research lab at Seoul National University.从黄禹锡过去几年来几乎天天都在媒体上露面看来，对于他是否有时间到首尔国立大学他的实验室里搞研究，大可提出疑问。
• Analysts wonder whether the Fed can prevent a deep economic slowdown.分析家们怀疑联准会是否能够防止一次深刻的经济放慢。

这一层否定的意思，往往可以从从句中的 any 之类的“否定极性项”( NPI)中看得出来。

• Critics wonder whether all the state and federal money being spent on homeland security will make the nation any safer than enforcing the laws already on the books.批评者们觉得，联邦和各州花在国土安全上的全部金钱，比起将已经在案的法律贯彻实施，不见得就能够使国家更为安全。
• While those running the affairs of the United Nations seem ready to embrace US and Israeli moves to boycott the Palestinian leadership, independent analysts and observers wonder if such an approach will produce anything but another cycle of violence and bloodshed.尽管那些主管联合国事务的官员们似乎愿意支持美国和以色列抵制巴勒斯坦领导层的做法，但是独立的分析家和观察家却有疑问，觉得这样的态度，除了造成又一番周而复始的暴力和流血之外，不见得会产生什么结果。
• I wonder if this had anything to do with Paul and Cindy's split.我看这同保罗与辛迪的离异不见得有什么关系。
• In an industry where competition is ruled by the big and bold, you wonder if there is any room left for the small and beautiful.在一个由大件粗壮的东西支配了竞争的行业中，你简直觉得，已经没有什么余地留给小巧玲珑了。

3) 但是，wonder if 或 wonder whether 也可以表示一种犹豫于两种看法之间的中性态度，既不肯定，也不否定。

• I wonder whether this is the right thing to do.我不知道这样做对不对。
• She wondered if it would snow that night.她不知道那天夜里会不会下雪。
• I wonder if father is waiting for me. Will I find him at the Fairy's house? It is so long, poor man, since I have seen him, and I do so want his love and his kisses. (Carlo Collodi, The Adventures of Pinocchio)我不知道爸爸是不是在等着我。我能够在仙人的家里找到他吗？可怜的爸爸，我好久没有看见他了，我是多么的盼望他的爱和亲吻。
• I wonder if I ought to go back and apologize. (Hugh Lofting, The Story of Doctor Dolittle)我不知道我是不是该往回走，道个歉。

从句中如果有 or，就不是肯定或否定的问题，而是两个可能性去伪存真的问题。

• We are left to wonder whether human beings are born evil or just pushed down the road to immorality due to environmental factors.我们只好琢磨，究竟人一生下来就是性恶的呢，还是后来由于环境因素才走上了不道德之路的呢。

4) I wonder if you... 是一种很客气的请求，没有否定意义。

• I wonder if you can help me.不知道您能否帮帮我。
• I am wondering if you'd look after my dog while I go shopping.我上街买东西的时候不知道您能不能替我照应一下我的狗。

用于这个意义时，不能以否定形式表示肯定，通常也不用 whether 而用 if。

5) wonder if 或 wonder whether 也可以不表示否定的怀疑而是肯定的怀疑，此时后面的从句就是肯定形式表示肯定内容，否定形式表示否定内容。

• At times I wonder if no information is better than misinformation.有时候我简直觉得，没有信息，说不定比起有误导信息还好些。
• But I wonder if a crisis is needed before the effort is made to make this happen.但是我心中琢磨，是不是需要来一次危机，才会有人作出努力来使这样的事情发生。
• Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.(Mark Twain)我有时候觉得，摆弄这个世界的，要么是一些有意骗我们上当的聪明人，要么是一些假戏真唱的笨蛋。
• We wonder if we really lack the ability to solve issues peacefully.我们觉得，我们好像真的缺乏和平解决问题的能力。
• Skeptics wonder whether politics motivated government warnings about Al Qaida attacks持怀疑态度者怀疑政府有关“基地”组织袭击的警告出自政治动机。
• Fliers wonder if there's no such thing as a free ride.航空乘客觉得所谓免费飞行说不定是子虚乌有。
• I wonder if that's the reason insects are so fond of flying into candles—because they want to turn into Snap-dragon-flies. (Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass)我想，昆虫为什么这样喜欢往蜡烛扑去，也许那就是原因，因为它们想变成为蜻蜓。
• That also makes us wonder if by standing idle we may fall behind others in terms of strengthening economic bonds with the Pacific region.这也是我们感觉到，如果坐着不动，我们说不定会在加强同太平洋地区经济来往方面落后于人。
• We wonder if we really lack the ability to solve issues peacefully.我们感到，我们究竟是不是真的缺乏和平解决问题的本领。
• If Aesop lived to see the two business leaders depicted as rabbit and turtle, I wonder whether he would revise the ending by giving the rabbit the victory and lifting the 2,500 year-old stigma from him.如果伊索活到现在，看见这两位商界巨头被描写成在龟兔赛跑，那么，我猜想，他会把结局改写，让兔子获胜，去掉兔子身上背了两千五百年的污点。