四、分詞

分詞起形容詞和副詞的作用，在句中做定語或狀語。在概念上應清楚：
● 現在分詞表示主動，表示動作在進行。
● 過去分詞表示被動，表示動作結束了的狀態或結果。

1.分詞做定語，弄清現在分詞與過去分詞的區別
分詞短語做定語相當于省略了的定語從句，考生應掌握：

(1)現在分詞與被修飾詞之間具有主動意義。如：
It’s easy to blame the decline of conversation on the pace of modern life and on the vague changes taking place in our ever-increasing world.(相當于the changes which take place...)
There was a very interesting remark in a book by an Englishman that I read recently giving what he thought was a reason for this American characteristic.(相當于which gave...)
How many of us attending, say, a meeting that is irrelevant to us would be interested in the discussion?
(相當于How many of us who will attend...)

(2)過去分詞與被修飾詞之間具有被動意義。如：
Good news was sometimes released prematurely, with the British recapture of the port announced half a day before the defenders actually surrendered. (相當于…recapture of the port which had been announced…)
Just as the value of a telephone network increases with each new phone added to the system, so does the value of a computer system increase with each program that turns out. (相當于…each new phone which is added to…)
The author gave a detailed description based on his personal observation of nature.
(相當于…description which was based on…)

(3)下列不及物動詞也以過去分詞形式做定語或表語，但不具有被動意義：
deceased, departed, elapsed, faded, fallen, gone, grown-up, retired, returned, risen, set, vanished, much-travelled, newly arrived, recently come。如：
an escaped prisoner一個逃犯 a retired worker一位退休工人
a faded curtain一個褪了色的窗簾 a newly arrived student一個新來的學生

2.分詞做狀語，注意區分分詞的一般式與完成式

(1)表示時間，多置于句首，注意如果分詞表示的動作的時間先于謂語動詞，要用完成式。如：
Having completed one task, we started on another one. (complete先于start之前發生)

(2)表示原因，置于句首句尾均可，根據情況有時要用完成式，有時用一般式。如：
He wasn’t asked to take on the chairmanship of the society, being considered insufficiently popular with all members.
There seemed little hope that the explorer, having been deserted in the tropical forest, would find his way through it.

(3)表示伴隨、方式，置于句尾，用分詞的一般式。如：
Helen borrowed my dictionary the other day saying that she would return it soon.
Anna was reading a piece of science fiction, completely lost to the outside world.

(4)表示結果，置于句尾，用分詞的一般式。如：The city found itself in a crisis situation last summer when the air conditioning on dozens of the new buses broke down, them unusable.

(5)表示補充說明(同位)，置于句尾，用分詞的一般式。如：The article opens and closes with descriptions of two news reports, each making one major point in contrast with the other.
Ford tried dividing the labor, each worker assigned a separate task.

3.分詞的獨立主格結構

分詞的邏輯主語一般為句子的主語，否則分詞短語要有自己的邏輯主語，稱為分詞獨立主格結構。分詞獨立主格結構只是句子的一個部分。如：
All flights having been canceled because of the snowstorm, we decided to take the train.
Darkness setting in, the young couple lingered on merrymaking.