PREP 2-120 一只乌龟引发的指代问题

balabaladou7

120.
            (30893-!-item-!-188;#058&005903)

 

Although the turtle has been toothless for more than 150 million years, in some contemporary turtle species the moderately sharp and jagged edges of their horny jaws function for teeth.

 

(A) their horny jaws function for teeth

(B) its horny jaws function for teeth

(C) its horny jaws function as do teeth

(D) the horny jaws function as teeth do

(E) the horny jaws function as teeth

E.

很多说法都说这里不用代词好，但是我想问下，如果用的话，是its还是their呢？

笔记上说指代turtle，市面上有人说指代species，虽然是单复一致的词，但根据some和后面的V的复数形式判断是复数。应该是their。

谁能指点一下啊？我个人偏向于their指代species。就近指代。

虽然这个题根据function as就可以做出，但是这个指代问题折磨了我一下午，还望大家出手相救！

谢过！

sophia417

其实我是根据function as teeth进行选择的...

如果说指代的话，和楼主一样，我会选用their。我也觉得their好。

因为这里的horny jaws function as teeth实际上指的便是后者的contemporary turtle species。所以用their比较符合逻辑。

不过，我觉得这里的话不用指代确实比较好。因为即便是their要指代什么东西呢？

别漏看了contemporary turtle species前面还有个in。通常代词是无法指代介词短语里的名词的。我觉得代词是无法跳进去介词短语里的结构：in ... 然后去指代里面的代词的。

比如： In CD, the GMAT materials are so profuse that CDers benefit greatly from them.（乱编的句子）

这里的GMAT materials 不用its 指代 CD， 毕竟代词不会自主去进行选择性的指代。

个人复习GMAT的意见。

请指教。

balabaladou7

谢谢MM，

这是老外大N的说法，

The possessive pronoun actually NEEDS to be done away with, as it has no proper antecedent. The best approximation to an antecedent is 'the turtle,' but that doesn't work because, as used here, 'the turtle' refers to the entire range of turtle species throughout evolutionary history - not just the 'contemporary turtle species' described in the latter part of the sentence.

In any case, the context here makes the possessive unnecessary. Same deal with the following shorter (and easier-to-examine) sentence: In humans, who walk upright, THE spinal cord is perhaps still better adapted to its historical horizontal position.

也是导致我confused的地方。

welcome to discuss。

balabaladou7

顶上来再请教。

aeoluseros

its没有合理的先行词。Its如果要指，肯定只能指代the turtle，但是the turtle是包含了所有的乌龟，不仅仅是contemporary turtle species。只有一部分种类的乌龟的horny jaws是如此的。所以，its不能指代the turtle。
their 与 the turtle不一致，而且their不能指代speices，因为speices是不会拥有the horny jaws的。
所以用its和their都不合适...所以通常用冠词，也像三楼举出的例子:
In humans, who walk upright, THE spinal cord is perhaps still better adapted to its historical horizontal position.
------------

The possessive pronoun actually NEEDS to be done away with, as it has no proper antecedent. The best approximation to an antecedent is 'the turtle,' but that doesn't work because, as used here, 'the turtle' refers to the entire range of turtle species throughout evolutionary history - not just the 'contemporary turtle species' described in the latter part of the sentence.

另外3楼第一段的意思是指在读者读这个句子的时候，按照正常逻辑和语感读下来，我们肯定认为那个horny jaws的所有者是从句的主语the turtle(不考虑那个所有格代词用得是their还是its).

 

balabaladou7

Its如果要指，肯定只能指代the turtle。--这点还是不太明白。

aeoluseros

代入A，忽略所有语法错误，反复读这个句子.当你读到their/its的时候，第一直觉肯定是指最前面从句里面的主语.因为主句的开头in some contemporary turtle species是介词短语，不会指它，而主语edges又不能指，思维习惯地会想应该指代最前面那个the turtle.

代词指代没有确切的语法规则.让思维更直接的语法才是好语法.

Alfred770

A的错误： For 专指teeth,与前面的turtle species the moderately sharp and jagged edges of their horny jaws function没有办法理解，AB删。
C，D同样在句意上有问题，你想啊，乌龟去怎么怎么然后锻炼自己的什么功能 （然后）就像牙齿怎么怎么。。。 这样不合适吧。
E 合理，留。