对于指代的几个问题

木川

代词的指代经常会使我们在进行选择的时候发生失误,导致失分,我自己也经常犯胡涂.这两天总结了一点经常出现而且特别容易混淆的指代错误,欢迎讨论.
错误一: 就近指代的混淆.
12. Formulas for cash flow and the ratio of debt to equity do not apply to new small businesses in the same way as they do to established big businesses, because they are growing and are seldom in equilibrium.
(A)    Formulas for cash flow and the ratio of debt to equity do not apply to new small businesses in the same way as they do to established big businesses, because they are growing and are seldom in equilibrium.
(B)    Because they are growing and are seldom in equilibrium, formulas for cash flow and the ratio of debt to equity do not apply to new small businesses in the same way as they do to established big businesses.
(C)    Because they are growing and are seldom in equilibrium, new small businesses are not subject to the same applicability of formulas for cash flow and the ratio of debt to equity as established big businesses.
(D)    Because new small businesses are growing and are seldom in equilibrium, formulas for cash flow and the ratio of debt to equity do not apply to them in the same way as to established big businesses.
(E)    New small businesses are not subject to the applicability of formulas for cash flow and the ratio of debt to equity in the same way as established big businesses, because they are growing and are seldom in equilibrium.

本题其他几个选项的错误指代都特别好判断,但是需要指出E选项的错误是, because they are growing and are seldom ...这里they在语法上是指代new small businesses,意思上也是指代new small businesses应该没有错.可是错就错在它紧跟big businesses之后,产生语义上的混淆,所以有指代不清的嫌疑.

机警中的一题:
The school distribute some ...books in high schools to use them in place of text books.

这个句子的them和前面指出的错误是一样的,them虽然句意和语法上没错,但是因为它和high schools太近了,就有混淆的嫌疑,所以应该是to use in place of text books.(顺便指出我在机警总帖子里面发表them在此题指代没有问题是错误的.)

还有一种指代错误,相对于上一种就好判别多了.比如
5.    In presenting his modus vivendi proposal, Lansing implied that the American government accepted the German view that armed merchant vessels were warships: however, when the proposal was dropped by the Wilson administration, it seemed to be reverting to the British view on this question.
(A) when the proposal was dropped by the Wilson administration, it
(B) after it was dropped, the Wilson administration
(C) by dropping the proposal, the Wilson administration
(D) the Wilson administration dropped the proposal when it
(E) when they dropped the proposal, the Wilson administration

it有指代不清的嫌疑.虽然it是紧跟在administration.但是语法上应该优先指代proposal,而句意上应该指代administration.这样就产生了矛盾,所以A选项错误.

需要指出的是,代词不遵循优先指代的原则
代词的查找顺序应该是:
主语,宾语,表语,修饰语
而修饰语中的代词优先指代修饰对象中的名词.

wxiaobin

我觉得你说的不错

braveMBA

同意木川的分析，很精彩。

OG中很多地方在解释代词指代，尤其是it的代词指代问题，更容易出现混淆。关于就近指代和主语优先的问题，我觉得不是关键，完全可以通过逻辑意思的判断跳过。例如OG中另外一个经典的代词指代的例子。OG50。

50. As a baby emerges from the darkness of the womb with a rudimentary sense of vision, it would be rated about 20/500, or legally blind if it were an adult with such vision.
A.As a baby emerges from the darkness of the womb with a rudimentary sense of vision, it would be rated about 20/500, or legally blind if it were an adult with such vision.
B.A baby emerges from the darkness of the womb with a rudimentary sense of vision that would be rated about 20/500, or legally blind as an adult.
C.As a baby emerges from the darkness of the womb, its rudimentary sense of vision would be rated about 20/500; qualifying it to be legally blind if an adult.
D.A baby emerges from the darkness of the womb with a rudimentary sense of vision that would be rated about 20/500; an adult with such vision would be deemed legally blind.
E.As a baby emerges from the darkness of the womb, its rudimentary sense of vision, which would deemed legally blind for an adult, would be rated about 20/500.

看OG的解释，根本就是在做逻辑题，抓住了一个核心问题，人和视力的关系，几乎所有的解释都在围绕指代逻辑合理性说。
OG是这么解释A的：
In choice A, it, the subject of the main clause, seems to refer to baby, the subject of the subordinate clause; thus, A seems to state that the newborn baby, rather than its sense of vision, would be rated 20/500.
所以语法上的优先指代，如果存在逻辑意思的混淆，当然也就发生了指代模糊的问题，这时候就需要通过句子结构的变化，或者代词指代名词还原的方法来解决模糊指代的问题，几乎在GMAT中就是用这两种方法来进行正确答案的描述的。

但是，有一种情况，就是5个选项中都出现了指代模糊问题的时候，我们就只能通过逻辑意思理解来进行优选，"我不喜欢她，可是我们学校只有5个女生，...."。

还有一种情况，当出现遥远指代的时候，即代词和指代对象隔得十分远，这时候一般在逻辑意思合理性的前提下，用其他语法点先排除较好，否则会干扰自己的做题节奏。

木川

以下是引用braveMBA在2003-9-18 21:41:00的发言：
但是，有一种情况，就是5个选项中都出现了指代模糊问题的时候，我们就只能通过逻辑意思理解来进行优选，"我不喜欢她，可是我们学校只有5个女生，...."。

还有一种情况，当出现遥远指代的时候，即代词和指代对象隔得十分远，这时候一般在逻辑意思合理性的前提下，用其他语法点先排除较好，否则会干扰自己的做题节奏。

说得对及了,比如OG的第90题的正确选项D就是如此.
Since 1986, when the Department of Labor began to allow fees of investment officers to be based on the performance of the funds they manage, several corporations have began paying their investment advisers a small basic fee, with a contract promising higher fees if the managers perform well.

在 funds they manage这里仅有一个they,只能是指代officers,确实需要从句意上和逻辑合理性上理解,不能认死理儿.

wxiaobin

这贴不错，不能埋没了，帮你更新一下，让更多得人看得见

tianwan

“需要指出的是,代词不遵循优先指代的原则
代词的查找顺序应该是:
主语,宾语,表语,修饰语
而修饰语中的代词优先指代修饰对象中的名词.”


好贴，顶，大家分享

cocoabean

好冬冬, dingding

Andrea625

fine

caterpillar

好贴，顶一下。

LISAYUAN750616

非常好我也在问同样的问题呢