表示“二十”的score慣用法小議

本站專家顧問  倪肖丁（陜西西安）

表示“二十”的score在現(xiàn)代英語中已不常見。但國內(nèi)出版的一些辭書和大量的教輔卻常常介紹其用法。遺憾的是，這些書刊多采用人云亦云的態(tài)度而疏于自己獨立嚴(yán)謹(jǐn)?shù)奶骄浚�其結(jié)論往往經(jīng)不起推敲。比如：

1.《高一英語教材全解全析（下）》（天津人民出版社2003）認(rèn)為：hundred, thousand, million等詞前有確定的數(shù)字時，后面不能接of短語。而表示“二十”的score則可以和of連用。如three score of eggs(六十個雞蛋) 。

2.《初高中英語考點難點詳解詞典》（黑龍江人民出版社2002）認(rèn)為：Three score of people were sent there to help fight against the flood一句中的three score of people可以接受。

3．《薄冰高中英語語法》（山西教育出版社，2007）有一選擇題如下：

—How many boys are there in your class?

—There are _________ boys.

 A. two scores    B. two scores of    C. two scores of the    D. two score of

原書提供的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)答案為D. two score of。

甚至國內(nèi)出版的一些重要的大型工具書也有類似表述。例如：

4. two score of men, three score of eggs 《英語慣用法大詞典》（呂志士，袁錫興，中國科學(xué)技術(shù)出版社，1994）

5. three score of people  60個人 《英漢大詞典》（陸谷孫，上海譯文出版社，1998）

6. two score of eggs 《新世紀(jì)英語用法大詞典》（王文昌，上海外語教育出版社，1999）

那么，類似three score of eggs，two score of boys這樣的短語真的符合英語的習(xí)慣用法嗎？教學(xué)和閱讀的實踐使筆者對此心存疑慮，并在英文原文書刊中尋找這一問題的答案。

因為表示“二十”的score在現(xiàn)代英語中已經(jīng)很少用到，故筆者在英文書刊中查到的例證為數(shù)不多。有些來自英文辭書，例如：

(01) We ordered three score (=60) boxes. (CIDE)

(02) According to the Bible we can expect to live for three score (或threescore) years and ten. (=70 years) (DCE)

(03) The company already has around four score titles commissioned and planned for publication.(CCED)

(04) And the days of our lives shall be three score years and ten. (The Oxford Thesaurus-An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms)

(05) He had lived for three score years and ten. (MED)

有些源自英文書刊。例如：

(06) Much as John F. Kennedy did more than two score years ago, Kerry called on Americans to follow his lead and serve their country, if not in uniform, then in service to the needy and the young. (Washington Post, July 24, 2004; Page A04)

(07) At the time of his death, J. P. Miller, the name he used in print, had about two score books for young children in circulation, including "Follow Me" (1998) and a version of "The Little Red Hen," which he first illustrated half a century ago.（New York Times, November 29, 2004）

(08) Four score security guards and policemen dotted the boundary at intervals, protecting the field from those dangerous, marauding spectators. (Guardian.com, Friday 5 January 2007)

(09) Having suspected the scoundrels meant to raid my herd, I'd buried two score men in the nearby heather. (Border Wedding, 2008)

當(dāng)然，最著名的當(dāng)屬林肯在《葛底斯堡演講》中的一段話：

(10) “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” ...

從上述例證可以看出，沒有一例在“數(shù)詞+score”后使用介詞of，因此不能證明上述短語的正確性，反而鼓勵了我們對其的質(zhì)疑。

盡管英語語法或慣用法專著中很難找到對這一問題的專門論述，但著名的英語慣用法專家和辭書編撰者A.S. Hornby的確對此有過論及。根據(jù)《巧解君之疑—A.S.荷恩畢現(xiàn)代英語問答》（西安交通大學(xué)出版社，1988）的介紹，英國English Language Teaching雜志的讀者曾經(jīng)向Hornby提問：英國人說two score eggs還是two score of eggs? Hornby回答說：這兩種形式英國人都不說。因為在英國用于計量雞蛋的單位詞是dozen，而不是score。 但是如果要用score表示twenty，應(yīng)該說There were not above two score people present（出席者沒超過40人），score后面不用of。只有在那些習(xí)慣上專門用score來計數(shù)的物品前，才會用介詞of，比如有人說five score of herring (100條鯡魚)。另外，在代詞前總是要用of，如several score of them。

美國著名語法專家Bergen Evans 和Cornelia Evans在其A Dictionary Of Contemporary American Usage 一書中也認(rèn)為：前面有數(shù)字時，score相當(dāng)于形容詞，后面不用of，除非后接特指的群體中的一部分。（原文摘錄如下：When preceded by a numeral, score is treated as a cardinal number. That is, it is treated as an adjective and used without of, as in threescore years and ten and six score thousand persons, except when referring to part of a specified group, as in two score of them. The plural form scores is never used with a numeral.）

    鑒于上述例句、論述以及我們自己的閱讀和學(xué)習(xí)實踐，對于表“二十”的score用法，大體上可以明確以下幾點：

1. 除了圣經(jīng)和林肯演講等特殊語境之外，現(xiàn)代英語中表示“二十”的score用的很少，修飾egg更屬生搬硬套，不符合英語習(xí)慣用法。

2. 與dozen, hundred, thousand等詞一樣，前面有數(shù)字時score不能用復(fù)數(shù)形式，后面也不能加of；但在修飾代詞或被限定的名詞時，score后面要用of，如two score of them。

3. 固定短語a score of 修飾名詞或代詞都符合慣用法，既可表示“二十”，也可表示概數(shù)“很多”。例如：

She has written more than a score of books. [=more than 20 books]（WALD）

Our coach was escorted by a score of policemen.（CCED）

There were a score of them at a table apart. (The Oxford Guide to English Usage)

4. 與dozen, hundred, thousand的復(fù)數(shù)形式一樣，scores of 符合習(xí)慣用法。例如：

Scores of people tried desperately to gatecrash the party.（CCED）

以上是筆者對表示“二十”的score一詞用法的一點心得。不當(dāng)之處，懇請指正。