英语万能代词WHAT的主要用法你知道多少？

奔跑的理想

英语中，WHAT作代词时，它不仅含义丰富，而且其用法广泛。毫无疑问，WHAT是一个万能代词，很值得英语学习者掌握。下面从词性功能的角度，简要归纳一下这一万能代词的主要用法。

一、疑问代词WHAT

在在英语提问中，疑问代词what有很多用法。它在句子中可作主语、宾语、表语、定语等；它既可以问“身份、名字、性质、类别”，也可以问“目的、数量、价值、效果”等。疑问代词what相当于汉语“什么”或“怎么样”的意思，其主要用法如下：

1．问人或事物的特点。例如：

What is he like? [他人怎么样啊？]

What kind of suit did she buy in town? [她在城里买的是怎样的服装？]

2．问有关事物的数量。例如：

What do you weigh? [你体重多少？]

What did you pay for the dictionary? [这本词典你花了多少钱？]

3．问人的职业（工作性质）或事物的性质（特点）。例如：

What is your father? [你父亲是干什么的？]

What is an engineer? [工程师是干什么的？]

What is the weather like in Beijing? [北京的天气如何？]

4．问事物的内容。例如：

What is the latest news? [有什么最新的消息吗？]

What would you like to buy? [你想要买点什么东西？]

What is artificial intelligence? [什么叫做人工智能？]

5．对一些抽象名词提问。例如：

What's your phone number? [你的电话号码是多少？]

What's the price of the book? [这本书的价钱是多少？]

6．对时间的提问。例如：

What time is it? （= What's the time?）[现在几点了？]

What's the date today? [今天几号？]

What day is today? （= What day is it today?）[今天星期几？]

What month is it? [现在是几月份？]

What comes after spring? [春季之后是哪个季节？]

7．问姓名、排号、尺寸、颜色等。例如：

What is your name? [你叫什么名字？]

What number are you? [你是几号呢？]

What size shoes do you take? [你穿几号的鞋？]

What color is your coat? [你的上衣是什么颜色？]

8．询问对方的看法。例如：

What do you think of game shows? [你认为游戏节目怎么样？]

What about something to drink? [来点喝的怎么样？]

奔跑的理想

二、关系代词WHAT

关系代词WHAT也有很多用法。它可引起主语从句、宾语从句、表语从句等；它没有疑问的含义,相当于that、which、the thing(s) that(which),或the…that(which),从句表示的是事物。关系代词WHAT在不同情况下有不同意思，其主要用法如下：

1．主语从句。例如：

What is beautiful is not always good. [美的东西并不总是好的。]

What happened after that was interesting. [后来发生的事挺有意思。]

值得一提的是，当what引起主语从句时,主句谓语动词数的形式比较复杂。中国著名语言学家周海中先生在1985年发表的《关于what-分句作主语的主谓一致问题》一文中，对主句谓语动词数的形式做了深入探究。其中，周先生指出：当主句的表语是动词不定式、动词V-ing和从句时，谓语动词只能用单数形式。他提供了以下的实例：

What he is suited for is to be loved. (J. Bayley: Shakespeare and Tragedy)

What we're doing is getting a chap used to getting up, going to work, learning how to behave in a workshop. (New Statesman, 15 June 1984)

What it comes down to is that the big cars are considered better buys. (U. S. News & World Report, January 18, 1982)

2．宾语从句。例如：

I could hardly believe what he had told me. [我简直不敢相信他所告诉我的。]

His mother gives him what he asks for. [他要什么他母亲就给他什么。]

3．表语从句。例如：

Books are what we need most. [书是我们最需要的东西。]

He is not what he was five years ago. [他不再是五年前的他了。]

（作者为英国牛津大学访问学者 林娜）（腾讯教育）