英語講義【57】生動活潑的轉化詞

英語的實詞不但多義，而且同一詞還可以屬一種以上的詞類。此外，從一種詞類又可以轉化爲另一種詞類，其中以⒈名詞轉化爲動詞、⒉動詞轉化爲名詞以及⒊形容詞轉化爲動詞，這三種最爲普遍、最爲生動。轉化後的詞具有該詞基本的特性，因此轉化名詞有如真正名詞，轉化動詞就像真正動詞。

　　⒈名詞→動詞

　　① The workers found Bob's attitude hard to stomach.
　　② The parachutist had to nerve himself for the jump from his helicopter.
　　③ A few poor children had been dogging the tourists for some time.
　　④ Tuition schools have mushroomed for the last two years.
　　⑤ The traitor was knifed and stoned to death.
　　⑥ I leafed through a few pages of the book to see what it was about.
　　⑦ Personality clashes surfaced among some rival leaders.
　　⑧ Tom elbowed his way through the crowd.
　　⑨ It is impolite to ape one's superiors.
　　⑩ Delicious food made our mouths water.

　　⒉動詞→名詞

　　① The innocent girl was having a good cry.
　　② Active people are always on the go.
　　③ I often have a quiet read before going to bed.
　　④ People from all walks of life condemned a bad government.
　　⑤ Famine came in the wake of the drought.
　　⑥ The manager gave some lazy workers the sack.
　　⑦ Let me take a good look at these photos.
　　⑧ A visit to the Jurong Bird Park is a must for any tourist.
　　⑨ War is loathed by the haves and the have-nots.
　　⑩ If you have anything to discuss with me, don't hesitate to give me a ring.

　　⒊形容詞→動詞

　　① Don't idle away your precious time.
　　② Father's hair begins to grey.
　　③ How to quiet a fretful child?
　　④ We have no intention of seeing an innocent person humbled.
　　⑤ Something must be done to better the life of the underprivileged.
　　⑥ Language skills can be perfected by constant practice and regular reinforcement.
　　⑦ The robber wanted his victim to empty his pockets.
　　⑧ When the enemy's ships neared the land, our soldiers began to attack.
　　⑨ The man's muscles tensed as he saw the snake approaching him.
　　⑩ The hot weather soured the fresh milk.

　　此外，有些形容詞和其他詞類也可以轉化爲名詞。例如：

　　① The strong tend to bully the weak.
　　② Poor innocents deserve our greatest sympathy.
　　③Richard looked like a silly in such a situation.
　　④ The secretary knows the ins and outs of the matter.
　　⑤ Do you know the whys and wherefores of the accident?
　　⑥ Though a rich man now, Peter's earlier life was marked by ups and downs.

　　上述這些轉化名詞，竝未具有名詞全部的特性。例如“the strong”和“the weak”形式是單數，意思是複數。還有④-⑥這些轉化名詞既有複數之形，也具複數之意。