语法指导；掌握四级代名词

 　　Everything on our menu is prepared fresh daily and they are delivered to you from our kitchen outlet¹ along Jurong.”

　　从信箱里的一张小食店广告信息中发现上述句子中一个常见的语法错误。你是否也观察出来呢？

　　这错误在第二等立分句的主语上：they。

　　大家知道，they 是句中的代名词（pronoun）。在这里，它是代替第一等立分句中的主语 everything。Everything 是个单数代名词；they 是复数的，两个怎么可以相通呢？

　　在语法上，代名词在取代名词或当名词的词时，必须在人称（ person）、数目（number）、性别（gender）和格（case）这几方面相称才行。例如：

　　① The man plucked out a grey hair from his head.

　　② They need funds, but they are running out of them now.

　　③ Jason said that he did not like the woman.

　　④ A person must restrict himself to doing what is right and useful.

　　如果脑子里没有这些语法概念，便会犯上误用代名词的错误。本文上面所指的 they 便是最好的例子。

　　除了 everything 之外，anything, nothing, everyone, someone, no one, somebody, nobody, anybody, anyone 和 each 等代名词也都是单数的。如果要用其他代名词取代它们，也必须是单数的才可以，而且后面的谓语动词也要搭配。就此而论，文中的 they 是不对的，必须改为单数代名词 it；同时后头的谓语动词也要变成单数的 is。这样一来，两个等立分句就很相称了。

　　同样的道理，刚刚举出的那些代名词应该这样用：

　　⑤ Nothing is difficult if it is properly done.

　　⑥ Nobody here has objected to the new proposal.

　　⑦ Each was annoyed by her strange idea.

　　⑧ Somebody wants to see you.

　　⑨ No one really knows the answer.

1 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。