不要望文生义!not half as,不要理解为“没有什么的一半”

我们都知道 half 有一半的意思,通常用作名词和形容词;同时它还可以作不定代词,意为“半数”,当它作主语时,谓语的单复数取决于它指代的部分,当指代的是不可数名词或单数可数名词时,谓语用单数,否则用复数。

当我们表达“半小时”时,用  half an hour,此时 hour 是单数,但是当我们表达一个半小时时,用 one and an half hours,此时用 hour 的复数形式 hours,其它类似,它们作主语时,谓语用复数,例如:

One and a half hours are allowed for the exam.
考试时间为一个半小时。
但是当我们用 one hour and a half 表示一个半小时时,谓语用单数,此时的 one hour and a half 是一个整体,例如:
One hour and a half is allowed for the exam.
考试时间为一个半小时。

Half 作主语时,谓语的单复数形式根据所指代的内容不同而不同,例如:
Half of the money was mine.
那些钱有一半是我的。
Half of us are still unemployed.
我们中有一半人仍然失业。

其实,half 还可以作程度副词,表示一半程度,有时也指部分程度,相当于 partly 或 not completely,置于所修饰词的前面,例如:
The glass was half full.
玻璃杯半满。
She was half Italian and half English.
她是半意大利半英国血统。

在英语的比较句型中,当表程度差异大小时,as … as 的用法让很多人扑朔迷离,特别是与其他程度副词连用;as … as 用来表示比较的东西在某种程度上一样,如数量、大小或价值等,例如:
You're as tall as your father.
你和你父亲一样高。
He was as white as a sheet.
他面无血色。

当我们想表示被比较的事物之间有很小的区别时,也就是不完全是一样的程度时,通常可以用 nearly 来修饰,例如:
He's nearly as tall as you are.
他差不多和你一样高了。
What he earns is nearly as much as his wife does.
他挣的几乎和他妻子挣的一样多。

我们还可以使用 half 来表示具体的差异大小,也就是一半的差异,如 half as … as,意为“是什么的一半”,例如:
A nurse only earns half as much as a doctor.
护士的收入只有医生的一半。
Spending on health is half as much again as it was in 1998.
卫生保健方面的开销比1998年增长了一半。

但是在否定句中,上述程度副词所表示的程度就发生了很大变化,如以上句子在否定句中的意思:
He is not nearly as tall as you are.
他远没有你高。
What he earns is not nearly as much as his wife does.
他挣的钱远没有他妻子挣的多。

同样地,not half as 也不是指“没有什么的一半”,它所表达的程度跟 not nearly 类似,意为“远非,差得多”,有时也用作 not half such a,此时它们相当于 nowhere near,例如:
他远不是他们以为的那么傻。
He is not half such a fool as they think.
He is nowhere near as a fool as they think.
她远非她姐姐那么聪明。
She is not half as clever as her sister.
She is nowhere near as clever as her sister.

由此可见,在比较句型 as … as 中,程度副词在肯定句和否定句中所表示的程度往往差距很大;还有一个就是 quite,它在否定句中所表达的程度跟 nearly 或 half 相反,也即 quite 在否定句中强调小的差异,例如:
My flat isn't quite as big as Sally's.
我的公寓没有萨利的大。
我的公寓远没有萨利的大。
My flat isn't nearly as big as Sally's.
My flat isn't half nearly as big as Sally's.
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