2.1.7 形容词

英语中的形容词可以用来表示人或事物的属性、状态或特征，如事物的大小、形状、颜色等。它也可以用来陈述事物的状态等。形容词主要用来描述和修饰名词、代词。

1．作后置定语的情况

1）某些形容词可以用来加强语气。常见的有available, obtainable, achievable, responsible, permissible, possible, usable, necessary, total等。

例句1:All the textbooks available mention this phenomenon.

例句2:In this case there are two solutions possible.

例句3:This video bandwidth（视频带宽）is equivalent to 800 voice channels total.

2）少数形容词必须放在所修饰的名词后面。

● 形容词present，意为“存在的，出现的”。

例句：The energy within the spectrum is distributed smoothly（均匀地）among the various wavelengths present.

● 形容词else，意为“其他的，别的”，通常放在疑问代词和不定代词后。

例句：Do you want to learn something else?

● what（so）ever“任何的”，可以放在no和any修饰的名词后。

例句1:The numerator（分子）may be any number whatever.

例句2:In this case, no transformation whatsoever will result.

3）对于some, no, any, every和thing, one, body两两组合形成的这十二个不定代词，形容词只能放在它们之后。

例句1:There is nothing new in this dissertation（论文）.

例句2:Everything electronic will be done digitally（数字式地）.

4）状语（主要是数量）+ 形容词的形式。

例句1:We shall have giant plasma TV three centimeters thick.

例句2:Figure 2 shows two crossing wires three inches long.

2．形容词可以作状语

在科技文献中，单个形容词可以作状语，通常是以“un+ 动词分词”形式，用作方式状语。

例句1:These mechanical arms can work unattended（无须照管的）.

译文：这些机械臂可以在无人看管的情况下工作。

例句2:In this case, the picture can be transmitted（传输）undistorted（未失真的）.

译文：在这种情况下，图片可以未失真地传输。

例句3:Even if a learner can understand every example in this book, that does not mean he or she can solve puzzles unaided.

译文：即使学习者能够理解书中的每个例子，也不意味着他/她可以不需要任何帮助就能解决所有问题。

例句4:The sun's rays come to the moon almost parallel.

译文：太阳的光线到达月亮时几乎是平行的。

例句5:Cast iron（铸铁）is usually machined（加工）dry.

译文：铸铁通常是干加工的。

例句6:An object whose average density（密度）is less than that of a liquid can float partially（部分地）submerged（浸没的）at the surface of the liquid.

译文：平均密度小于某种液体的物体可以部分漂浮在液面上，部分浸没在液体中。

3．形容词短语

在设计专业英语中，形容词也可以通过短语的形式出现。形容词短语的构成方式主要有以下几种。

1）形容词加介词短语构成形容词短语，例如similar to, different from, capable of, small in size等。

2）形容词加动词不定式构成形容词短语，例如able to（do）, necessary to（do）, ready to（do）, free to（do）, too ... to（do）等。

3）形容词短语由形容词加状语从句构成，通常是用来做比较和表示结果。

4）形容词短语由并列连词连接的两个或多个形容词构成。

形容词短语在语法功能上基本与单个形容词类同。它可以在句子中充当以下句子成分：

1）形容词短语可以作表语。

例句：This phone is similar to that one in quality.

2）形容词短语可以作补足语。

例句：This attribute makes substances different from each other.

3）形容词短语可以作定语，通常只能作后置定语。

例句1:The acceleration（加速度）due to gravity（重力）is basically constant.

例句2:The more the rubber band is stretched（拉伸）, the greater the force necessary to stretch it.

例句3:The coming years will witness（见证）the arrival of smart phones with performance and complexity levels so high that such devices would have been inconceivable（难以想象的）only five years ago.

例句4:A useful approximation, good to within 1%, is 1 inch = 2. 54 centimeters.

例句5:This explanation is a help to cloth designers both new and old.

例句6:No part of this journal may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical.

例句7:The trick gives us a means of handling problems too complex to be solved by inspection（目测）.

4）当形容词短语作为状语的时候，通常其逻辑主语就是句子的主语。

● 形容词短语在主语前，它可以作为方式状语、让步状语、条件状语或者原因状语。通常它是对后面主语或整个句子的附加说明。读者可以用试探法来确定其确切的含义，一般以“原因”和“补充说明”最为常见。

例句1:Light, durable（经久耐用）, simple and inexpensive, such materials are warmly received by users.

例句2:Accurate in operation and high in speed, robots can save a lot of time and labor.

例句3:Free from（不受）the attack（侵蚀）of moisture（潮湿）, a piece of stainless steel will not rust（生锈）very fast.

例句4:Large or small, all keyboards will contain the same kinds of components（元件）.

例句5:Contrary to common belief, forces are not transmitted（传递）only by“direct contact”

例句6:Medium-sized and coeducational（男女生兼收的）, Harvard University ranks among the nation's leaders in higher education.

例句7:Familiar to all with but the slightest exposure to scientific literature, this model shows the atom as a miniature（微型的）solar system.

● 形容词短语作为条件、方式或者其他状语的时候，通常在句子的尾部。读者可以用试探法来确定其确切的含义，其中“方式”状语比较多见。

例句1:The gas is restored to its original temperature, ready to repeat the cycle again and again.

例句2:The temperature reaches the maximum value when t = 15, similar to the situation in a series（串联）circuit.

例句3:The force F acts perpendicular to the table's surface.

例句4:The conductor is moving parallel to the magnetic field.

例句5:It must be noted that the pressure increases proportional to every decrease of volume.

例句6:The absence（不存在）of atmosphere（大气）in space will allow the space telescope（望远镜）to show scientists light sources as far as 14-billion light years away, some seven times farther out than those visible to the biggest ground-based optical（光学的）telescopes.