一道语法题的疑问

wyh19901016

172.

　　Introduced by Italian merchants resident in London during the sixteenth century, in England life insurance remained until the end of the seventeenth century a specialized contract between individual underwriters and their clients, typically being ship owners, overseas merchants, or professional moneylenders.

　　A. in England life insurance remained until the end of the seventeenth century a specialized contract between individual underwriters and their clients, typically being

　　B. in England life insurance had remained until the end of the seventeenth century a specialized contract between individual underwriters with their clients, who typically were

　　C. until the end of the seventeenth century life insurance in England had remained a specialized contract between individual underwriters and their clients, typically

　　D. life insurance in England remained until the end of the seventeenth century a specialized contract between individual underwriters and their clients, typically答案 (D)

　　E. life insurance remained until the end of the seventeenth century in England a specialized contract between individual underwriters with their clients, who typically were

解释A选项中说in England位置不好，应该放在life insurance 后面。可是语法不是讲名词的修饰要紧挨着嘛？如果把in England 放在前面，remained 就直接修饰life insurance了。可是如果把in England 放在后面，中间就隔了个介宾结构，这样不是不好吗？    名词到底是不是紧挨着修饰的呢？

bejamin1111

先说关于touch rule，修饰性的词语是要紧临修饰，不过一般单个形容词修饰名词放在前面，比如a good girl，而介词短语修饰放在后面比如 a girl in the bus,
这个题目以Introduced by这个opening modifier开头，修饰的是life insurance,所以同样是touch rule,主体句子部分开头主语必须是这个modifier修饰的对象

wyh19901016

bejamin1111 发表于 2013-6-29 00:05
先说关于touch rule，修饰性的词语是要紧临修饰，不过一般单个形容词修饰名词放在前面，比如a good girl， ...

谢谢你的回答。再补充问一下。你说，主体句子部分开头主语必须是这个modifier修饰的对象。我明白。可是当我删去介宾结构in England以后，life insurance 还是主题句子的主语呀

chineuro

wyh19901016 发表于 2013-6-29 17:10
谢谢你的回答。再补充问一下。你说，主体句子部分开头主语必须是这个modifier修饰的对象。我明白。可是当 ...

你的理解是对的！平行的角度看主句主语没有问题。

问题是最后的being
in England life insurance remained until the end of the seventeenth century a specialized contract between individual underwriters and their clients, typically being ship owners, overseas merchants, or professional moneylenders.
, -ing结构的modified的动作施加者是前句的主语，在这里变成了life insurance。而-ing后面的内容表明这个结构是修饰clients的。所以用,-ing肯定错，改成同位语可以修饰clients。