Prosperity seemed so uniform and inevitable that country wives in Taegu and Chengdu got rice cookers—gaining all the more time to watch color TVs.
【参考译文】兴盛好像是一致而且势必的,不论是(韩国)大邱还是成都的农村主妇都有了电饭煲—因而有更多时间看彩色电视。
请问:对于句子中的不定式短语to watch color TVs有两种讲解,第一种讲解:觉得该不定式短语等于定语从句in which these country wives could watch color TVs修饰先行词time。第二种讲解:觉得该不定式短语等于状语从句so that these country wives could watch color TVs修饰动作gaining。哪一种讲解合理?(句子中的修饰语即不定式短语to watch color TVs的修饰对象到底为哪个?)
不定式作定语,与被修饰名词为动状关系时,被修饰名词仅限于少数名词,如表示时间意义的名词、money与表示货币名字的名词、place、way,reason等。这类名词均为that可以作为关系副词引导定语从句修饰的名词。这个时候不定式实为省略了关系副词that,定语从句中的主语(在主句出现)与动词be的限定形式。比如:
1 I need money to buy a car.
2 = I need money that I am to buy a car.
3 = I need money with which I am to buy a car.
4 = I need money which I am to buy a car with.
句2中that为关系副词,在定语从句中作方法状语。关系副词that引导的定语从句均为非正式语体,that可以省略。还可以省略在主句中已经出现过的定语从句的主语及be。省略关系副词that,I, am, 则得到1:I need money to buy a car.
句3中关系代词做介词with的宾语,且with坐落于关系代词之前,这是典型的正式语体。因此,with which不能省略。但定语从句的主语和be可以省略。省略I am后则得到5:
5I need money with which to buy a car.
句4中介词with留在原处,为非正式语体,此时可以省略which,I, am, 则得到句6:
6 I need money to buy a car with.
句1、句5、句6均为不定式作定语。句1是句2的简略式,句5是句3的简略式,句6是句4的简略式。其中句3为正式语体,仅用于正式书面语体,口语中从来不需要。
假如定语从句修饰的名词不可以被关系副词that引导的从句修饰,则句1种类的不定式为错误,只可以用句5或句6这种不定式作定语。比如:
7 I need a chair on which I am to sit. (正式)
8 I need a chair which I am to sit on.
10 I need a chair that I am to sit on. (非正式)
由句7省略I am, 得到I need a chair on which to sit. (正式书面语体)
由句8或句10省略that,I, am, 则得到:I need a chair to sit on. (非正式。介词on不可省略)。
句9为错句,因此I need a chair to sit.也是错句。
由此可知,不定式作定语,与被修饰名词为动状关系,仅限于少数可以被关系副词that引导的定语从句修饰的名词,不可滥用这种动状关系。因此需要知道什么名词可以被关系副词引导的定语从句所修饰,由此决定不定式作定语能否是动状关系,即有关的介词能否省略。
When引导的定语从句不能简略为不定式作定语。因此,when to do不可以作定语。