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關於due to 能不能放在句首的問題


一. due to的通常用法

due to 用法1

表示“到期的”、“應付(給)的”、“到期應付的”，通常只用作表語。如：

The bill is due.這張票據已到期。

My salary is due tomorrow.我明天領薪。

表示應付給或應給予某人，通常與介詞to連用。如：

A great deal of money is due to you.要付給你一大筆錢。

Respect is due to older people.年長者應受到尊重。

Our grateful thanks are due to you.我們衷心感謝你。

due to 用法2

表示“預定的”、“約定的”、“預定要到達或發生的”，也通常用作表語。如：

When is the train due?火車什麼時候到?

I’m due for a pay rise soon.我不久就要加薪了。

其後可接不定式。如(from www.yywords.com)：

The guests are due to arrive very soon.客人很快就會到。

The meeting isn’t due to start until four.會議預定要到四點才召開。

due to 用法3

表示“適當的”、“合適的”、“應得的”，通常只放在名詞前作定語。如：

We should pay due attention to this problem.我們應對這個問題給予適當的注意。

You must put these things in due order.你必須把這些東西按適當的順序放好。

due to 用法4

用於due to(由於，因為)。按照傳統語法due to主要引導表語，一般不引導狀語。如：

His absence was due to the storm.他因暴風雨而缺席。

Her success was due to her hard work.她成功是因為她努力工作。

但是在現代英語中，due to也可用來引導狀語。如(from www.yywords.com)：

He was late due to the very heavy traffic.由於交通擁擠他遲到了。

注意點一：


在標準英語裡，due to只能用以引導形容詞短語，不可引導副詞短語。例如：



　　Our delay was due to heavy traffic．



　　Mistakes due to carelessness may have serious consequences．



　　在第一例中，due to引導的短語在句中作表語，用在 verb“to be”之後；在第二例中，due to引導的短語作定語，修飾前面的主語mistakes.主張語言純正者（purists）認為，due to不能引導副詞短語，因此，下列句中的 due to應改為 owing to或 because of：



　　Due to ill health，he could not attend the meeting

　　由於健康不佳，他不能參加會議。


注意點二：



事實上，在現代英語中，due to也經常用以引導副詞短語，且可以放在句首。下面數句均摘自英美刊物：



　　Due to the weather，the flight was cancelled．



　　He failed due to carelessness．



　　The population of Pennsylvania increased from 50，000 in 1730 to more than 200，000 in 1763，due in large part to the thousands of Scotch－Irish．



　　…in America，where women began to predominate from pioneer times，due to their scarcity and greater demands．


注意點三：



　Owing to如同 because of或 on account of一樣，是個介詞，只能引導副詞短語。例：



　　Owing to the rain，they could not come．

　　由於下雨，他們不能來了。



　　Owing to a traffic hold-up，I missed my flight．

　　由於交通堵塞，我趕不上航班。



　　The project fell through because of poor planning．

　　工程告吹是因為缺乏周詳策劃。



　　The university faced a cost overrun on account of miscalculation．

　　大學經費超支是因為預計錯誤。


 


 


（轉載請註明出自英語翻譯研究工作室）