Icannotforcehimtofeelsureonanissueoffactonwhichhefeelsunsure(我不能逼他肯定他無法肯定的事實)一語,which之前為甚麼用on?
Mygrandfathertaughtmetolookuptopeopleotherfolkslookeddownon(祖父教我尊重遭他人鄙視者)一語,句子結構是怎樣的?
以上兩個問題似異實同,謹一併奉覆。先說第二句,可以分為兩句:Mygrandfathertaughtmetolookuptosomepeople.Otherfolkslookeddownonthem。這兩句用that、whom等關係代名詞(relativepronoun)連起來,即成為Mygrandfathertaughtmetolookuptopeoplewhomotherfolkslookeddownon,那whom字可以略去。
不過,嚴格而言,關係代名詞假如是on、to等介系詞(preposition)的受詞(object),那介系詞應置於關係代名詞之前,例如:Mygrandfathertaughtmetolookuptopeopleonwhomotherfolkslookeddown。又假如要說「祖父教我鄙視獲他人尊重者」,則可寫作Mygrandfathertaughtmetolookdownonpeopletowhomotherfolkslookedup/people(whom)otherfolkslookedupto(=Mygrandfathertaughtmetolookdownonsomepeople.Otherfolkslookeduptothem)。換言之,which之前用甚麼介系詞,視lookedup、lookeddown等所配介系詞而定。
現在談第一個問題:which之前用on,是因為which代表issue,而issue之前習慣配on字。當然,隨便一點,句子也可寫作:Icannotforcehimtofeelsureonanissueoffact(which)hefeelsunsureon(=hefeelsunsureonthatissue)。