Specific English

She found herself humming as she crossed the street. Она вдруг заметила, что тихонько напевает, переходя улицу.

Не simply could not see himself starting again to build up, somewhere else in England, another rose nursery. Он просто не мог представить себе, что снова примется за устройство в каком-нибудь другом уголке Англии розового питомника.

Тенденция к лаконизму, проявляющаяся в построении предложения, т. е. в конечном счете в грамматике, оказала свое влияние и на лексику. Это, в частности, выразилось в своеобразном употреблении некоторых глаголов. Интересен в этом смысле глагол to continue, употребленный, как правило, в роли глагола-связки именного составного сказуемого, где именная часть выражена прилагательным, наречием или наречным сочетанием. Этот глагол приобретает большую емкость и означает ’продолжать быть’, ’продолжать что-л. делать’. Например:

Everything continued still. Все было по-прежнему спокойно.

The T-33, mortally damaged itself, continued upwards briefly. Самолет T-33, сам пораженный смертельно, продолжал еще в течение короткого времени подниматься.

Приведем еще примеры такой «лексической» лаконичности:

A strictly enforced Louisiana law forbade animals in hotel rooms. Один из суровых законов штата Луизиана запрещал держать животных в номерах гостиниц.

Before that, I’d not ever been allowed into their house, До сих пор вход в их дом был для меня закрыт.

Как видим, глаголы to forbid и to allow также содержат в себе значение двух глаголов: ’запрещать’/’разрешать’ + инфинитив другого глагола.

Круг примеров в данном случае можно было бы расширить. Все это говорит о том, что английский язык (как и всякий другой) стремится к экономии речевых средств, но достигает этого своими, особыми способами.

1. А. Переведите следующие предложения, обращая внимание на отсутствие предлога в предикативе английских предложений.

1. The postman was an hour late. 2. It was raining when she came out of the building and the sky was a dull colour. 3. My daughter is the same age as you. 4. What metal are your fry baskets? 5. My husband is five years dead. 6. Your watch is ten minutes slow. 7. I was Charleston born myself. Miss King’s room was two floors higher than Ashenden’s. They were three days too early. 10. He was felicitously married, with two boys and two girls who all seemed to be much the same age. 11. Felix was Mildred’s half-brother, and fifteen years her junior. 12. You were a cop then, and the soles of your shoes were almost an inch thick. 13. He was just a few years older than I. 14. Mary was a few steps behind her. 15. The rent was only two days behind. 16. Fred noticed it was four doors away from the pillar-box.

Б. Переведите на английский язык, передавая предикативную часть сказуемого беспред ложно.

1. Ей можно дать сколько угодно лет – от 30 до 60. 2. Это пальто как раз такого цвета, который тебе идет. 3. Вы опоздали на полчаса. 4. Комната была высотой в 3 метра. 5. Мои часы спешат на 5 минут. 6. Наш дом находится в десяти минутах ходьбы от автобусной остановки. 7. Он уже 10 лет как умер. 8. И все же он пришел более чем на 10 минут раньше. 9. Его двоюродный брат был почти на два года старше его (his senior). 10. Некоторые здания были длиной почти в милю.

11. Переведите на русский язык следующие сложноподчиненные предложения с эллиптическими придаточными.

1. Her conduct when there had been most unaccountable. 2. It was a dreadful thing that he now proposed, a breach of the law which, if discovered, would bring them into the police court. 3. I see very little point, if any, in such plays in terms of social significance. 4. In preparing for trial the lawyer appointed to represent the accused who is without funds generally has few, if any, of the investigatory resources available for the prosecution or to an accused with means. 5. She wore a fringed chamois skirt and knee-deep cowboy boots, which was a mistake, for you felt that her legs, if fully exposed, would have been the best part. 6. Some plants, though, they blossom just the once, if at all, and nothing more happens to them. 7. Her face revealed little of what, if anything, she felt. 8. A clerk had been dispatched also, to look up Michael’s record, [13] = criminal record if any. 9. They had made a comfortable, if unexciting, adjustment to life. 10. If subpoenaed, they said, they would state that they had known Lowes only a short time. 11. But his pulse, though thin, was steady.

12. Old Jolyon alluded to him, if at all, as «a hard, thick sort of man; not much refinement about him.» 13. A good talker, when allowed, she would converse for hours together. 14. Emily, though pretty, had nothing, and he himself at that time was making a bare thousand a year.

III. В следующих сложноподчиненных предложениях замените выделенные части эллиптическими придаточными уступительными по модели money or no money (peremptory tone or not).

1. Well, even though he might be a pirate. he’s not going to cut my throat today, if I can help it. 2. Some of them say that whatever the problems might be, pilots are still supposed to use noise abatement procedures. 3. Whether there would be a community meeting or not, there was nothing he could do to eliminate overhead noise for the time being. 4. But if you’re living underneath, knowing why aeroplanes are coming over doesn’t make anyone feel better, whether there is a storm or there isn’t. 5. If the war goes on much longer, I’m going to do something whether my wife likes it or not.

IV. А. Переведите следующие предложения с союзом not that.

1. Not that Frank particularly wanted to remedy matters, for it appeared that his marriage would be a happy one. 2. Not that she did not know what he meant. 3. Not that it was very informative to them even then. 4. Not that Frank had never seen commanding women before this. 5. Not that he was more serious. 6. So this is going to be a proper Christmas for us for once. We have been buying toys and things for George’s stocking – not that he believes in Santa Claus still of course. 7. Not that he ever said anything. 8. It is not that she doesn’t understand things. 9. Not that I’m asking for thanks. 10. It was not that their clothes were particularly cheap, but they were worn badly. 11. Not that the fact fills me with moral indignation. 12. Not that there was anything wrong with Jimmy really. 13. Not that you haven’t done frightfully well.