# nothing hanging on



## T.D

Hi all,

请教一下各位，这是我教材里的一道纠错题。（划线部分是错误的，需要从选项里选出一项来替代）

The right wall of my room had nothing *hanging o**n**, except a clock*.

A. except a clock hanging
B. to be hanging on, except a clock
C. to hang on, except a clock
D. except a clock to be hung

正确答案是 C

首先为什么原句是错误的？我读着感觉没什么问题的样子...(或者说应该是 except for?)
其次，为什么会用 to hang on 来表达墙上<已经>挂着一只钟？ ...had nothing to hang on except a clock，难道不是”我卧室右边的墙上<只打算>挂只钟，不打算挂别的“的意思吗？


我人都要傻了...求救...


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## Skatinginbc

T.D said:


> 为什么原句是错误的？


缺少 on 的賓語 (e.g., nothing hanging on it--There was nothing hanging on the wall. 牆上沒掛東西).


T.D said:


> 为什么会用 to hang on 来表达墙上<已经>挂着一只钟？


是那個意思嗎?  nothing to eat 沒什麼可吃的, nothing to do 沒什麼可做的, nothing to brag about 沒什麼可吹噓的, nothing to hang on 沒什麼可掛在上面的

nothing eating it ==> "nothing" 是做"吃"這個動作的.
nothing to eat ==> "nothing" 是用來吃的, 被吃的

nothing hanging on it ==> "nothing" 是做 "保持懸掛著" 這個動作的.
nothing to hang on ==> "nothing" 是用來掛在上面的, 被掛在上面的


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## T.D

Skatinginbc said:


> 缺少 hanging on 的賓語 (e.g., nothing hanging on it--There was nothing hanging on the wall. 牆上沒掛東西).


这个我倒是琢磨出来了 0.0


Skatinginbc said:


> 是那個意思嗎?  nothing to eat 沒什麼可吃的, nothing to do 沒什麼可做的, nothing to brag about 沒什麼可吹噓的, nothing to hanging on 沒什麼可掛的


书上给出的译文是 ：我卧室右侧的墙上挂着一只钟，别无他物。
从译文来看这句并没有表达 '墙上没别的东西<可挂>', 而是单纯地表达了类似于 “我的墙上挂着一只钟”这个意思吧？


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## 2PieRad

Hi, I don't know if you got your answer in EO yet or not...


T.D said:


> The right wall of my room had nothing *hanging o**n**, except a clock*.
> 
> A. except a clock hanging
> B. to be hanging on, except a clock
> C. to hang on, except a clock
> D. except a clock to be hung
> 
> 正确答案是 C
> 
> 首先为什么原句是错误的？我读着感觉没什么问题的样子...(或者说应该是 except for?)


@Skatinginbc is right; you need _it. Except (for) _is optional. It's correct with or without _for_.
A. is not a perfect answer but it's the best answer amongst the four choices. Though it would be more complete with _on it _at the end. It would also be okay if you just remove _hanging. 

nothing except a clock hanging on it
nothing hanging on it, except a clock
nothing except a clock_

C is definitely not correct. It doesn't make sense. It seems to mean something like ...右侧的墙只挂在一面种上。It's no longer 钟挂在墙上 but rather 墙挂在钟上。


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## T.D

In fact, I'm guessing there was a printing error or something. Because the analysis given by the textbook really confuses me. Let me roughly translate them and see what you guys think.


This question exams how to use infinitives to modify noun phrases. Generally, modifiers of "something" and "nothing" come after what is modified. The modified word is the logical object of the infinitive.

In this sentence, <nothing> is the object of <have>, and <hanging on> is the object complement. <nothing> and <hang on> are the subject and verb, therefore present participle should be used. （If it was "asking someone to do something", it should be <have something done>）. Therefore, the only correct choice is C.


EDIT: I haven't posted it to the EO because I am so confused that I cannot even organise my questions into one thread...


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## Skatinginbc

I had nothing to eat ==> nothing (for me) to eat 沒什麼可(讓我)吃的, (我)沒東西吃
I had nothing to do ==> nothing (for me) to do 沒什麼可(讓我)做的, (我)沒事做
I had nothing to brag about ==> nothing (for me) to brag about 沒什麼可(讓我)吹噓的, (我)沒東西吹
The wall had nothing to hang on ==> nothing (for the wall) to hang on 沒什麼可(讓牆)掛在上面的, (牆)沒地方掛.


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## Boyar

T.D said:


> 正确答案是 C


_The right wall of my room had nothing *to hang on, except a clock*. _= There was nothing to hang on the right wall of my room, except a clock. = The wall could not accommodate anything, except a clock.

这面墙很窄？


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## T.D

The textbook translated the sentence into: 我卧室右侧的墙上挂着一只钟，别无他物。 which to my eyes means: The clock is the only thing on the right wall of my bedroom.


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## Boyar

T.D said:


> The textbook translated the sentence into: 我卧室右侧的墙上挂着一只钟，别无他物。



你是指这两个中的哪一个吗？还是我看漏了什么？


T.D said:


> The right wall of my room had nothing *hanging o**n**, except a clock*.





Boyar said:


> The right wall of my room had nothing *to hang on, except a clock*.


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## T.D

我卧室右侧的墙上挂着一只钟，别无他物。 This is what the sentence is supposed to mean.


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## Boyar

你的教科书在网上有吗，我们可以看一下吗？


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## T.D

I don't think I can find it online and bringing all texts from the book here might violate the forum rule...so..


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## retrogradedwithwind

我觉得…会不会是hang既能表主动也能表被动的关系？you hang the clock on the wall和 the clock hangs on the wall都正确，所以一旦被动起来很麻烦，尤其是涉及到三者you wall  clock。




T.D said:


> I don't think I can find it online and bringing all texts from the book here might violate the forum rule...so..


拍张照片发上来就行了


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## T.D

retrogradedwithwind said:


> 拍张照片


我试过了...说文件太大无法上传...
题目在一页，答案和解析在另两页，所以总共有3张照片...


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## retrogradedwithwind

T.D said:


> 我试过了...说文件太大无法上传...
> 题目在一页，答案和解析在另两页，所以总共有3张照片...


你这不是合格的网虫啊……就是现在手机拍照太高清了导致体积太大而已。网上搜一下怎么解决，比如搜索“照片太大不能上传怎么办”。

或者你直接在微信里面，发一遍你拍的照片，微信会自动压缩。你把压缩后的照片保存下来再上传就可以了。


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## T.D

retrogradedwithwind said:


> 或者你直接在微信里面，发一遍你拍的照片，微信会自动压缩。你把压缩后的照片保存下来再上传就可以了。


我就是这么做的 - -


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## retrogradedwithwind

那怎么会发不上来？


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## Skatinginbc

A dog sits on the chair.  The dog has nothing (except the chair) to sit on.  The chair has nothing (except a dog) sitting on it.

A chair sits on the floor. The chair has nothing (except the floor) to sit on. The floor has nothing (except a chair) sitting on it.

*The chair has nothing sitting on it.** ≠* *The chair has nothing to sit on.*
-----------------------------------------------

A clock hangs on the wall. The clock has nothing (except the wall) to hang on.  The wall has nothing (except a clock) hanging on it.

A wall hangs on XX.  The wall has nothing (except XX) to hang on.  XX has nothing (except a wall) hanging on it.

*The wall has nothing hanging on it (牆沒掛東西).* *≠* *The wall has nothing to hang on (沒地方掛牆).*

My point:_ The right wall of my room had _*nothing to hang on*_, except a clock_* 的意思不是 *_The right wall of my room had_* nothing hanging on it*_, except a clock_ (我卧室右侧的墙上挂着一只钟，别无他物).


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## Boyar

有人在百度上问了一个这样的问题。
英语语法题_百度知道

以下是答案：



> 它考察nothing to do句式，nothing是to do的逻辑宾语。
> 它的意思是 题干中的nothing和hanging on表达了一种主谓关系，但这道题应该用nothing to do的动宾关系，所以选to do



那么我们怎样才能理解这个答案呢？


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## Skatinginbc

Boyar said:


> 它考察nothing to do句式，nothing是to do的逻辑宾语。它的意思是 题干中的nothing和hanging on表达了一种主谓关系，但这道题应该用nothing to do的动宾关系，所以选to do


選項C像 Colorless green ideas sleep furiously 是個語法正確但不成道理的句子。
A wall made of paper hangs on the tree (cf. "Fruits hang on the tree"). The paper wall has a tree to hang on (cf. "I have you to count on).  _The wall has nothing to hang on_ (cf. "I have no one to lean on).  ==> "_Nothing_" (or "a tree") is the object of the VP "_to hang on_".


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## retrogradedwithwind

The wall has nothing to be hanged. 这么写对不？


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## yuechu

retrogradedwithwind said:


> The wall has nothing to be hanged. 这么写对不？


Hi, Retrogradedwithwind!
I haven't read all the replies above, but the sentence you wrote doesn't sound correct to me. You could say though "There is nothing to be hung on the wall." or "The wall has nothing that needs hanging."
Hope this helps!


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## T.D

Skatinginbc said:


> My point:_ The right wall of my room had _*nothing to hang on*_, except a clock_* 的意思不是 *_The right wall of my room had_* nothing hanging on it*_, except a clock_ (我卧室右侧的墙上挂着一只钟，别无他物).


Agreed. 我纠结的重大原因就是答案里给出的译文。

我认为正确答案里的 The wall had nothing to hang on. 暗示了主人不愿意，或者想不出还可以挂除了钟以外的东西，有一种“没别的东西可挂了”的意思在里面。 但是译文就是非常直白的“除了钟没有东西挂在上面”，给我的感觉就是少了些什么。

如果就是想要表达“除了钟没有东西挂在上面”，那我想不明白为什么不用 hanging on 而是用了 to hang on


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## Mr.Urchin

我看了大家的回复，我感觉原句意其实就是
_*A clock is hung on the right wall of my room.
我房间右边的墙面挂着一个时钟。*_

而楼主你给出来的原句，如果按照答案C来翻译则是
*The right wall of my room had nothing to hang on, except a clock.*
_*我房间右边的墙面上，除了一个时钟，啥也没有。*_

“nothing to do”这个结构中，nothing是做to do的逻辑宾语的。

Skatinginbc，这位朋友上面的举例很详尽，可以多参考。​


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## hx1997

T.D said:


> 但是译文就是非常直白的“除了钟没有东西挂在上面”，给我的感觉就是少了些什么。





Mr.Urchin said:


> *The right wall of my room had nothing to hang on, except a clock.*
> _*我房间右边的墙面上，除了一个时钟，啥也没有。*_



按照两位母语者的看法，这个译文不只是“少了什么”——它完全是错的。The wall had nothing to hang on 意思是墙无依无靠，没有东西可以让墙挂在上面，而不是没有东西可以挂在墙上。不过我一开始的理解也是后者，不知道这是不是个有歧义的句子。


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## Skatinginbc

Skatinginbc said:


> 是那個意思嗎?  nothing to eat 沒什麼可吃的, nothing to do 沒什麼可做的, nothing to brag about 沒什麼可吹噓的, nothing to hang on 沒什麼可掛在上面的





Skatinginbc said:


> I had nothing to eat ==> nothing (for me) to eat 沒什麼可(讓我)吃的, (我)沒東西吃
> I had nothing to do ==> nothing (for me) to do 沒什麼可(讓我)做的, (我)沒事做
> I had nothing to brag about ==> nothing (for me) to brag about 沒什麼可(讓我)吹噓的, (我)沒東西吹
> The wall had nothing to hang on ==> nothing (for the wall) to hang on 沒什麼可(讓牆)掛在上面的



nothing hanging on it ==> "nothing" 是做 "保持懸掛著" 這個動作的.
nothing to hang on ==> "nothing" 不是做 "保持懸掛著" 這個動作的, 而是被 "掛" (被附著) 的, 讓東西掛在上面的.
鐘掛在牆上 ==> "鐘" 是做 "保持懸掛著" 這個動作的. "牆" 是被 "掛" (被附著), 讓東西掛在上面的.
紙牆掛在樹上 ==> "紙牆" 是做 "保持懸掛著" 這個動作的. "樹" 是被 "掛" (被附著), 讓東西掛在上面的.


hx1997 said:


> 没有东西可以让墙挂在上面


對，就是這個意思! 


hx1997 said:


> 按照两位母语者的看法，这个译文不只是“少了什么”——它完全是错的。


這句語法 "正確", 但 "錯" 在與 "糾錯句" (i.e., *The right wall of my room had nothing *hanging o**n**, except a clock*.) 想表達的意思不同, 而且 "掛牆" 的概念, 不合常理, 無法 make sense.


T.D said:


> 我纠结的重大原因就是答案里给出的译文。


你確定譯文是用來翻譯 "選項C", 而不用來翻譯 "糾錯句" 想表達的意思?


hx1997 said:


> 不知道这是不是个有歧义的句子。


句子本身無 "歧" 可言, 意思就是 "沒有東西可以讓牆掛在上面", 但這不能成 "義" (make sense), 於是讀者便開始猜測說話者的真正意圖, 試圖 make sense of it. 各家猜測不同, 就有了 "歧解". Boyar 的猜測 "_The wall could not accommodate anything, except a clock_." (#7), 跟我老伴 (是個英語母語者, 一生都住在北美) 的猜測一致.


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## T.D

Skatinginbc said:


> 你確定譯文是用來翻譯 "選項C", 而不用來翻譯 "糾錯句" 想表達的意思?


根据试卷中其他问题的答案解析，我认为可以确定解析中给出的译文是“正确的句子”应有的意思。
e.g.
题干病句： *Chinese people in the US lived together in neighborhood developed* into China Towns.
答案译文： 在美国，中国人聚居之地逐渐发展为唐人街。


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