陆春宇
在中学英语中,search之后常跟of或for,表示“搜索、搜查、搜寻”。然而,何时接of,何时接for呢?对这个问题同学们常感到困惑
。本文旨在帮助同学们了解此用法。
一、search用作动词时,其后直接跟宾语,表示“对……进行搜查或搜索。”如:
(1)The police were searching everyone who went in and out.
警察在对进进出出的人逐个搜身。
(2)They searched the forest.
他们对森林进行了搜索。
如果要表示搜查的目标,即表示要寻找的事物,须用短语search for. 如:
(3)They were searching for the lost boy.
他们在寻找走失的男孩。
(此时search for = 1ook for)
如果把例(2)和例(3)合并为一个句子来表达,则“search A for B”,表示“对A进行搜索,目的是寻找B”。如:
They were searching the forest for the lost boy.
他们在森林里寻找走失的男孩。
又如:
The enemy searched him through for the secret letter.
敌人搜他全身想找到那封密信。
二、用作名词时,其后跟of还是for,可分为两种情况:
1. search前无任何限定词(如冠词、物主代词等)时,只用于短语in search of中,表示“寻找……”。如:
(1)Many men have gone off to cities in search of higher pay.
许多男人去城市寻找工资较高的工作。
(2)I walked into a bookstore in Cincinnati in search of some books that I wanted.
我走进辛辛那提市一家书店寻找几本我想买的书。
2. search前若有限定词(如冠词、物主代词等)时,则①后接for表示搜索的目标,即要寻找的事物;②后接of短语,表示“对……进行搜索。”如:
(1)They have been unlucky in their search for the gold.
他们寻找金子的运气一直不佳。
(2)They never lost hope in their search for the missing boy.
他们寻找那个失踪的儿童从未失去信心。
(3)They began the search of the forest for the lost boy.
他们开始在森林里寻找那个走失的男孩。