大家在英語學(xué)習(xí)的過程中,經(jīng)常會(huì)跟外國(guó)人打交道,假如遇到以為美國(guó)媽媽抱著不到一歲的寶寶,在不知道寶寶性別的情況下,你該怎么向這位媽媽問候?qū)殞毮兀?/p>

這就涉及到當(dāng)先行項(xiàng)為通性名詞時(shí),代詞的選擇了:

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英語中有一些通性名詞(Noun of Common Gender),如baby,child,infant,doctor,patient,lawyer, engineer,teacher,student,scholar,speaker,secretary,scientist,customer,parent,person,等,既可以是男性,也可以是女性。當(dāng)這類名詞以其單數(shù)形式表示類指時(shí),通常用陽性代詞或相應(yīng)的限定詞來指代。

例如:

An instructor should offer his students challenging projects.

若要避免這種用法(比如受到女權(quán)主義者的反對(duì)時(shí)),可以改用復(fù)數(shù)形式,或者避免使用代詞或限定詞。

例如:

Instructor should offer their students challenging projects.

An instructor should offer challenging projects to the students.

在法律文書等正式語體中,還可以用he or she, his or her 來指代單數(shù)通性名詞。

例如:

An instructor should offer his or her students challenging projects.

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當(dāng)先行項(xiàng)為baby,child,infant等通性名詞而說話人不知其性別或者不必過問其性別時(shí),可用中性代詞it;但若說話人知道其性別(比如說話人是孩子的父母),則必然要根據(jù)孩子的性別來選擇代詞。

例如:

There is a baby in the pram. Why, it’s crying.

Baby is crying in the pram. She must be hungry.

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看完了貼心的小編整理的要點(diǎn),以后就不用擔(dān)心遇到這個(gè)問題再尷尬啦~