問:Peoplewhosejobitistosavelivesusuallyworkwithasenseofurgency(救人為業者,工作常懷緊急心情)這一句,那it字似是多餘的,可以刪去嗎?
答:那it字有加強語氣作用,可以但不必刪去。這正如ItwashislottoleadhiscountryagainsttheJaps和HislotwastoleadhiscountryagainsttheJaps這兩句,都是說「他的命運,是率領國家對抗日寇」,但第一句用it取代hislot作主詞(subject),語氣較強。
Whose等於and+his/her/their/its,這一點不必多說。文法上,讀者示下那一句,當然可改用andtheir而不用whose,即Peopleusuallyworkwithasenseofurgency,anditistheirjobtosavelives。原句假如略去it字,則可改寫作Peopleusuallyworkwithasenseofurgency,andtheirjobistosavelives。這兩個寫法,除了用andtheir代替whose,其他用字和原句無別。謹再舉一例,以供參考:ChiangKai-shek,whoselot(it)wastoleadhiscountryagainsttheJaps,didnotfailtoseethecommunistsasthegreatestthreattoChina(蔣介石注定要率領國家對抗日寇,而他也預見共產黨是中國最大的隱患)。
問:Pleasenotethat和Pleasebenotedthat這兩個說法,分別在於Pleasebenotedthat較為客氣,對嗎?
答:英文沒有Pleasebenotedthat這說法。Pleasenotethat即「請注意」,Itshouldbenotedthat即「值得注意的是」,切勿混合為Pleasebenotedthat。