I took three hours...
 【问】 下面是《英语常用词用法词典》(北大西语系编，商务印书馆出版，修订版，P.481)中的一段话：
 “我用了三小时才写成这篇作文。
 应说：It took me three hours to write this composition.
 或：The composition took me three hours.
 不要说：I took three hours to write the composition.”
 请问最后一个说法真的是错误的吗?
 【答】 前两种说法是正确的，最后一种说法也同样是符合英语惯用法的。请看下面的实例：
 1. The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts，but he took a longtime to send them. (New Concept English，Book 3，L. 5)
 那位记者立即动身去获取这些重要的数字，但是他费了好长时间才把材料寄出去。
 2. I took three hours to get home last night. (PEU)
 昨天晚上我花了三个钟头才到家。
 3. She takes all day to get out of the bathroom. (PEU)
 她常常花一整天的时间才从浴室里出来。
 4. He took three years to write the book.(葛传椝《英语惯用法辞典》)
 他写这本书用了三年时间。
 5. He took ten minutes to solve the problem.(《英汉大辞典》)
 他解这道题花了十分钟时间。
 6. The taxi only took ten minutes to get to the hotel. (TOEFL，73. 6;75. 5)
 出租车只花了十分钟时间就到宾馆了。
 由此可见，take three hours的主语也可以是人或是其他施动者。
 在我们阐述了上述观点之后，我们认为有必要进一步指出，《英语常用词用法词典》的上述说法在我国英语学界甚为流行，几乎被我国出版的所有的英语著作所采纳。例如，1995年出版的《英语正误辨析词典》(上海外语教育出版社，P.340)就进一步发挥了《英语常用词用法词典》的上述观点：
 “我每天上下班花两小时乘公共汽车。
 [误]I take two hours to go to work and come back by bus every day.
 [正]It takes me two hours to go to work and come back by bus every day.
 [说明] take(花费)不能用表示人的名词或代词作主语。例如：The journey took them fivedays.这次旅行花了他们5天时间。又如：It took them five days to complete thejourney.他们花了5天时间才完成这次旅行。”