Section 3 分词和从句

分词和分词短语在英语中使用非常普遍，在句子中可以充当各种成分。在成分复杂的句子中，有时分词的出现容易和谓语动词的被动式或进行时搞混，造成对句子判断的错误。尽管口语中的分词短语不是很多，但偶尔出现一次，也容易导致我们误解听到的句子。

例一： The camera, loaded with film and ready to use, sold for $25.分词短语loaded with..．和形容词短语ready..．并列作camera的定语。

分词短语还是要根据分词本身的固定含义并结合句子的主干来进行判断。

例二： Given this information, why do commercials sound so loud?

given过去分词，后面可以直接跟名词或that从句，意为“如果有……，假定是……，考虑到”。

有的分词具有不同于单词本身含义的固定用法，一定要牢记这些特殊用法，因为这些是听力考试的常用“伎俩”。

例三： Another popular spectator sport, known as the sport of kings, is horse-racing, which is controlled by the Jockey Club.

句中过去分词短语known as the sport of kings作sport的后置定语。定语从句which is controlled by the Jockey Club修饰horse-racing。

修饰性的分词一般不会对听力产生直接的影响，但还是要注意其干扰我们听关键信息。that引导的是一个表语从句，这个表语从句的主干结构为the complaint is inevitable. complaint由后面的介词短语of one generation about the one immediately following it修饰。

例四： My point is that the frequent complaint of one generation about the one immediately following it is inevitable.

例五： And ultimately, as the parable of the open and closed hand suggests, we must confront the inevitability of our own demise, losing ourselves, as it were, and all that we were or dreamed to be.

分词短语losing ourselves...dreamed to be是状语成分，作为伴随情况修饰主句。losing分词短语原本应是losing ourselves, all that we were or dreamed to be。由于插入语as it were的出现而把原短句分成了两部分。as it were含义是“可以说，在某种程度上”。