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谈英语名词常被忽视的功能
作者：李宁莹
（1）By that time, the Israel had gone from being primarily nomadic herders to a mainly a town-dwelling people.到了那时候，以色列人已经从游牧民族演变成为在市镇定居的民族。
（2）A island-born and convent-raised kid, Tommy has never been to the outside world.作为一个在岛上出生，在女修道院长大的孩子，汤米从来没有去过外面的世界。
（三）名词用作方式状语
1.在作方式状语的名词当中,出现频率较高的词有 way, style, fashion等。
（1）We stood there and looked at each other, the way actors do in a last scene before the clinch. （Jane Morse Thompson, The Actress and the Athlete）我们站在那儿，看着对方，就像演员们在戏的最后一幕里拥抱前那样的凝视。
（2）He rides cowboy-style. （G. Leech etal, A Communicative Grammar of English）他像牛仔那样骑马。
2.“名词+介词+名词”模式 (如side by side, hand in hand, face to face, man to man…等)也常在句中充当方式状语。
Place a piece of dark metal and a piece of light-colored wood or cloth of about the same size side by side in the sunlight on a bright afternoon.（Herbert S. Zim, Thunderstorms）在一个阳光明媚的下午，把一块深色的金属和一块差不多大小的浅色的木头或布料并排放在太阳光里。
3.由“名词+名词/形容词/副词/介词”构成的“主谓”结构词组充当方式状语时，常表示伴随性状态。
（1）“Please be a little quiet,” she bent to the children and said, her voice suddenly a whisper.（Jane Morse Thompson, The Actress and the Athlete）“请你们声音小一点。”她俯身对孩子们说，她的声音突然小的像耳语一样。
（2）The boy was about to throw a final stone into the lake when a bird flew low over his head, its neck astrain, and its orange-colored legs clear in the soft light.（Michacel Mclaverty, The Wild Duck’s Nest）那孩子正要向湖里扔最后一块石头，一只鸟从他头顶飞过，它的脖子绷得直直的，橘色的腿在柔光里清晰可见。
（3）Hats off, they walked slowly to the captain, tears in their eyes.（Michacel Mclaverty, The Wild Duck’s Nest）他们摘下帽子，向队长走去，眼睛里含着泪水。
4.在一些复合形容词里，名词也常用作地点状语。
（1）Some traditional brick built farmhouse in this town are in need of total restoration.这个镇上一些传统的砖房需要全面的复原。
（2）President Bush jokingly holds his wind-blown umbrella upright。布什总统开玩笑地举着他被风吹坏了的伞。
（四）名词用作程度状语
1.名词作程度状语，常用来描述人、物体或时间的某种特征所到达的具体程度。
（1）“It is about eight foot long , six foot high and five foot wild,” he said. （Jane Morse Thompson, The Actress and the Athlete）“它大约有八英尺长，六英尺高，五英尺宽”，他说。
（2）Jane moved a step nearer so that she could see him more clearly. （Jane Morse Thompson, The Actress and the Athlete）简走近了一步，好把他看得更清楚些。
（3）Tommy is five years older than me. （Jane Morse Thompson, The Actress and the Athlete）汤米比我大五岁。
（4）I am quite sure that I have met the girl in California four months earlier.（Jane Morse Thompson, The Actress and the Athlete）我敢肯定我四个月前在加州见到过这个女孩子。
2.名词词组the hell，the fuck，a damn等在句中用作程度状语时，常用来加强语气，表示说话人的极端不满、质疑和迷惑等等复杂情绪。
（1）I don’t care a damn about the job.我一点都不喜欢这个工作。
（2）I wanted to ask her who the hell she was to say so.（Jane Morse Thompson, The Actress and the Athlete）我原本想问她到底是谁，居然这么说话。
3.名词也可用在复合形容词里作程度状语。
（1）Hundreds of enemy soldiers were trapped in shoulder-deep water.数百名敌军被困在及肩的水中。
（2）From a pitch dark patch of forest he heard something, an almost indistinct noise.他听到漆黑的树林那边有些声音，微弱得几乎无法听出来。
（五）名词用作条件状语
1.名词可作为一个“无动词的分句”放在句首表示条件，在这种情况下，后分句往往是用连词“an”引导的结果分句。
One or two days out of medicine, and the soldier will be dead for sure.（Jane Morse Thompson, The Actress and the Athlete）如果一两天没有药品，这位士兵必死无疑。
2.英语名词可以用在谚语式的对仗结构里表示条件。
（1）No pain, no gain.没有痛苦，没有收获。
（2）No trial, no publicity.没有审判，就没有公众的注意。
（六）名词用作原因状语
1.名词用作原因状语的例子不多见。多数情况下是由“名词 + V.-ing ”形式构成的。
The bridge across the chasm being only a single tree trunk, we hesitated to attempt the passage. （G.O. Curme, Syntax）深坑上的“桥”就只是一根树干，我们都犹豫了，不敢尝试着过去。
2.但下列的例句却显示出名词也可以单独作原因状语：
A slow student in the class, I have never been given any prize by my teacher.（Jane Morse Thompson, The Actress and the Athlete）在班里我是个落后生，从没得过老师的奖励。
（七）名词用作让步状语
名词用作让步状语时，主要由连词“or”连接两个意义相反或相对的名词构成。如Reality or nightmare, I needed a drink as I had seldom needed one before.（J. Wyndham, The Day of the Triffids）管它是现实还是噩梦，我从没像现在那样想喝一杯酒。
综上所述，英语名词不仅能作状语，而且在生活中并不少见。它一旦被应用，还可以取得使句子表义更为显豁、描写更加形象的修饰效果。因此，它确实可被称为现代英语语法的又一道靓丽风景线。
参考文献：
[1]Louise Matteoni,Wilson H.Lane.Riverfronts(the Keytext Program),The Economy Company,U.S.A.1998.
[2]Third edition,Cambridge University Press,Cambridge 1986.
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