door與介詞和動詞的搭配問題
1. 若表示“在門口”,通常與介詞at搭配。如:
Someone’s knocking at the door. Can you answer it? 有人敲門,你去開一下好嗎?
若表示“敲門”,其前既可用搭配介詞at也可用介詞on。如:
Someone knocked at [on] the door at midnight. 午夜時有人敲門。
Somebody was beating at [on] the door. 有人不停地敲門。
They heard a tap at [on] the door. 他們聽見輕輕的敲門聲。
若用介詞in,則需要根據(jù)具體語境來確定其含義。如:
She got her fingers caught in the door. 她的手指讓門給夾了。
The gun shot a hole in the door. 這槍在門上射出一個洞。
Directly I walked in the door I smelt smoke. 我一進門,就聞見了煙味。
He stood in the door for several minutes before deciding whether he’d stay. 他站在門里邊好幾鐘才決定是否留下來。
2. by the door與through the door均可指“通過門”,但前者側(cè)重方式,后者側(cè)重實實在在地“通過”。如:
The thief slipped out by the back door. 那個賊偷偷從后門溜出去了。
We couldn’t get the piano through the door. 我們無法將鋼琴搬過這道門。
漢語說“走后門”,指的是通過不正當?shù)氖侄蝸磉_到某種個人目的,有趣的是,在英語中也有類似用法,用by the back door或through the back door均可。如:
He used his influential friends to help him get into the civil service by the back door. 他利用那些有權(quán)有勢的朋友幫助他走后門,到政府行政部門任職。
3. open the door與answer the door均可表示“開門”,但有區(qū)別:前者close the door(關(guān)門)相對,指把門打開;后者指聽到門鈴響或敲門聲而去開門。如:
He opened the door and went out. 他打開門就出去了。
Will you answer the door? There’s someone knocking. 請你去開門,有人在敲門。
4. show sb the door與show sb to the door只差一個介詞to,但意思區(qū)別很大:前者意為指著門要某人出去,即把某人攆走或下逐客令;后者意為送某人到門口,即相當于漢語中的送客。如:
After having insulted his host, he is shown the door. 他侮辱了主人,結(jié)果被轟了出去。
Whenever a guest leaves, my father will show him to the door. 每當客人離開時,我父親都把客人送到門口。
show sb to the door 也可說成 see sb to the door。如:(www.hxen.com)
Goodbye, Mr Carter. My secretary will see you to the door. 再見,卡特先生,我的秘書將送你到門口。
5. 習語 (from) door to door的本義是“從一家門口到另一家門口”,也就是“逐門逐戶”“挨家挨戶”,相當于 (from) house to house。如:
The journey takes about an hour, door to door. 從這家到那家的路程要用一小時。
We went from door to door collecting money for charity. 我們挨家挨戶地募集慈善捐款。