新定义英语第二册，我的两个疑问

A pretty carpet

what is the writers carpet made of?

We have just moved into a new house and I have been working hard all morning. I

have been trying to get my new room in order. This has not been easy because I

ownover a thousand books. Tomake matters worse,the room is rather small, so I

have temporarily put my books on the floor. At the moment, they cover every inch

of floor space and I actually have to walk on them to get in or out of the room. A

short while ago, my sister helped me to carry one of my oldbookcasesup thestairs.

She went into my room and got a big surprise when she saw all those books on the

floor. This is the prettiest carpet I have ever seen, she said. She gazed at it for some

time then added, You dont needbookcasesat all. You can sit here in your spare

time and read the carpet!

我的疑问1：This is the prettiest carpet I have ever seen 这里ever我能否用副词before代替？He was still as far as ever.是不是用副词before可以？

我的疑问2：This is the prettiest carpet I have ever seen, 这里seen后面为何是逗号？若是如此那样下面一句“You dont needbookcasesat all.”中you的y该小写或者you前面用一个连词譬如and，或者逗号换成句号。这里不是非常了解？

我的疑问3：“She gazed at it for some time then added”这句里两个谓语动词居然没连词分开！这两个谓语动词中间至少有个逗号加连词and或者单独用连词and吧？！

1 This is the prettiest carpet I have ever seen. 不能用before替换ever。

He was still as far as ever.可以用副词before替换ever。

2 This is the prettiest carpet I have ever seen, she said.

直接引语作了主句，引述分句作为插入语出现。句子没结束，当然不可以用句号。假如用引述分句作主句，直接引语作宾语，则句末用句号。引语的结束也是句子的结束。

She said, This is the prettiest carpet I have ever seen.

3 She gazed at it for some time then added,...

关于then能否用作连词，或者then前面是不是应该加and, The Free Dictionary 有如下讲解，可以回答你的问题。

The Free Dictioany：

conj.

UsageProblem Andafterthat:

Ishowered,thencombedmyhair.

UsageNote:Sticklersforgrammarsometimesassertthatthenisnotacoordinatingconjunction,andthatthesentenceShetookasliceofpie,thenleftisthusincorrect;itmustberewrittenasShetookasliceofpieandthenleft,inwhichthethenactsasanadverbandthehalvesofthecompoundpredicatearelinkedbythecoordinatingconjunctionand.Butthisu网站优化fthenasacoordinatingconjunctionisactuallybothwidespreadandwidelyaccepted;inour2012survey,morethanthreequartersoftheUsagePanelfoundthesentenceShetookasliceofpie,thenleftcompletelyacceptable.Note,though,thatthepunctuationofthisconjunctiveu网站优化fthendiffersfromtheusualpunctuationforsimilarsentencesusingand.Nocommaisneededwhenandlinksthepartsofacompoundpredicate,asinShetookasliceofpieandleft.Whenthenjoinsthehalvesofthepredicate,acommaisusuallyrequired;only8percentofthePanelapprovedofShetookasliceofpiethenleft.

4 This has not been easy because I ownover a thousand books.

你需要注意到前面句子用目前完成进行时，表示作者一上午一直在整理房间，到说话时还没结束。This指代的就是整理房间这件事。这件事没结束，不可以用was, 困难不是指说话时的目前困难，而是指从上午开始整理一直到说话时这期间干的活困难，所以困难这个状况是一个从过去持续到目前的状况，所以用目前完成时。虽然没持续时间状语，但语境已经明确对你说这个状况是从过去持续到目前的状况。

own (拥有）为静态动词，没开始和结束意义，只表示说话时主语拥有上千本书这种状况，表示说话时的状况，用通常目前时。你误把own当成动态动词，所以理解和剖析都是不对的。