| 词组 | because |
| 释义 | because 1. Is because. Someone—we do not know precisely who—decided that because could only be used to introduce an adverbial clause; it could not introduce a noun clause. This rule was devised, presumably, for the purpose of denouncing the expression the reason is because (see reason is because). However, because had all along been used to introduce noun clauses, even in sentences where the word reason did not appear: • Because may certainly introduce a noun clause that is joined to it, this, or that by some form of the verb to be.... This has been standard English for centuries —Evans 1957 In the February 1933 issue of American Speech, Fannye N. Cherry of the University of Texas discussed the issue, citing the opinions of college textbooks of the late 1920s and early 1930s as well as Fowler 1926—a relatively recent book then. She concluded her discussion with a large number of examples extending from Francis Bacon in the 17th century to many contemporary authors of the 1920s and 1930s. Her earliest examples all had the word reason, but most of her later examples did not. Here is a selection of examples; those marked with her name are taken from the American Speech article. • For to know much of other Mens Matters, cannot be, because all that Adoe may concern his owne Estate —Francis Bacon, Essays, 1625 • Is it because liberty in the abstract may be classed amongst the blessings of mankind ... ? —Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France, 1790 (Cherry) • "Coward! it was because you dared not run the risk of the wrong." —W. M. Thackeray, The Newcomes, 1853 (Cherry) • It is true, that he is entitled, at times, Antiochus Epi-manes—Antiochus the madman—but that is because all people have not the capacity to appreciate his merits —Edgar Allan Poe, "Four Beasts in One," 1833 (Cherry) • Perhaps this staunchness was because Knight ever treated him as a mere disciple —Thomas Hardy, A Pair of Blue Eyes, 1873 (Cherry) • There is indeed no mystery about why people go wrong; it is because, if the thing had to be said without the use of the verb like, would & not should is the form to use —Fowler 1926 (Cherry) • But that would be because we did not know the tots —Robert Benchley, Of All Things, 1921 (Cherry) • It would seem that his fondness for the village of Clee St. Margaret is because ... it is "doubly secluded." —Times Literary Supp., 28 Feb. 1948 • This is largely because they take care of each other —Herbert Hoover, Memoirs, 1951 • ... the absence of Philip Wakem from the river trip which compromises Maggie and Stephen is because he is ill —Geoffrey Tillotson, Sewanee Rev., Spring 1953 • No doubt... this is because the market apparatus of our consumer society has devoted a deal of wit to cultivating the age-consciousness of old and young alike —Theodore Roszak, The Making of a Counter Culture, 1969 • ... this is because, unlike them, he has been continuously engaged in university teaching —Times Literary Supp., 19 Feb. 1970 When is because is used without reason, it is so ordinary as to quite escape notice; you see that Fowler, who condemned reason is because, used it is because himself without thinking. The construction is common, and it is entirely standard. 2. Related to the is because construction is one in which a clause beginning with because is the subject of a sentence. This construction alarms Follett 1966, because he thinks because and not the whole clause is the subject. • But merely because this distinction is not significant to the physicist does not mean that it is not meaningful in other sectors of science —Leslie A. White, The Science of Culture, 1949 Otto Jespersen in his Modern English Grammar (volume 3) discusses this sort of construction, which he terms a "modern colloquialism." He gives these examples, among others: • Just because I'm here now doesn't mean I didn't go, does it?—Booth Tarkington, The Flirt, 1913 • Just because a fellow calls on a girl is no sign that she likes him —George Ade, Artie, 1897 • Because I say Republicans are stupid, does not make me a Socialist —Jack London, Martin Eden, 1909 Our evidence for this construction shows it to be more typical of speech than of highly serious discursive writing. It is not wrong, but you probably will not want to use it in anything of a formal nature. 3. Muriel Harris of Purdue University in an article in the May 1979 College Composition and Communication reported surveying several hundred incoming freshmen to find out what they had been taught about writing before they came to college. Seventy-five percent of them said they had been told never to begin a sentence with because. This rule is a myth. Because is frequently used to begin sentences, particularly in magazine and newspaper writing. • Because they place a high value on education, they had built some years ago a two-year community college —John Fischer, Harper's, February 1971 • Because she is the emblem of spending ability and the chief spender, she is also the most effective seller —Germaine Greer, McCall's, March 1971 We do note that most of our sentences beginning with because are of the sort illustrated here, where the because clause could have followed the main clause but has been placed first in the sentence for greater emphasis. 4. A number of handbooks along with Heritage 1982 and Longman 1984 point out that there can be ambiguity when because follows a negative verb in a sentence. A typical illustrative sentence might be He didn't leave because he was afraid. The question is, did he leave or did he stay? The usual advice is to solve the ambiguity with a comma: • He didn't leave, because he was afraid. In this case he stayed; he was afraid to leave. If the comma is omitted • He didn't leave because he was afraid. the sentence presumably means he left, but not because he was afraid. What should be obvious to you by now is that sentences like the example are better rewritten than merely given or left without a comma. Our evidence shows that sentences of this type are very rare in edited prose. Professional writers seem to revise them and you should too. 5. See as 1 ; since 1. |
| 随便看 |
英语用法大全包含2888条英语用法指南，基本涵盖了全部常用英文词汇及语法点的翻译及用法，是英语学习的有利工具。