反身代词表示"某人自己",比如"Many children are addicted to computer games and they cannot control themselves at all."教学中笔者发现,学生清楚这种用法,但是不会表达"某人自己的"这个概念,总是说"Teenagers cannot control themselves behaviours"。这句话中,themselves要改为their own才能体现出"某人自己的"这层意思。因此,考生在口语表达时要格外留意这个点。
第二种错误是"格"出了问题。
最常见的情况是本该用形容词性物主代词(比如their),结果误用了代词的主格或宾格(比如用成了they或者them),或者在主格和宾格之间未能区分清楚(比如分不清they和them)。一个典型的例子是"Some graduates are proud of their diplomas;however,companies regard they as nothing."。句中regard后面应接宾语,所以they应该改为them才对。
第三种常见错误是一个句子中代词的频繁转换,即所谓pronoun shift.
典型的例子是"When one searches on the Internet,you will potentially get onto illegal websites,which will cause negative consequences to us."在这句话中one,you和us未能保持一致,让考官不知所云。应该修改为"When searching on the Internet,we may potentially get onto illegal websites,which will cause negative consequences to us."
第四种常见错误是代词在"性别"上未能与被指代对象保持一致
这在学生的口语中是常见问题。比如学生所说这句话"Studying in a co-educational school,a girl may concentrate more on popular boys,which may cause ignorance of his study."显然,his的出现与句子主语a girl是不相符合的,应该改为her。
第五种错误是代词在"数"上未能与被指代对象保持一致。
在"Girls are easy to be persuaded to buy cosmetics,because she always wants to be pretty."中,主语是girls,为复数,但是原因状语从句中的代词却是she。改正的方法便是将she改为they体现"数"的一致,同时将wants改为want,实现从句内部的主谓一致。最终结果为"Girls are easy to be persuaded to buy cosmetics,because they always want to be pretty."。