But that you lent him a large sum of money, he would have gone bankrupt.
此句可改为:
If you hadn't lent him a large sum of money, he would have gone bankrupt.
有时 but that 从句出现于含有 not 的主句之后,意思是:“只有…… 才 ……”。例如:He will not find the answer but that he studies it thoroughly.
He will not come but that he is asked.
2、引导比较状语从句。
用 no sooner … but … 结构引导比较状语从句,but 相当于 than 如:
It no sooner started raining but it stopped.
3、用 not but that (what) 结构引导让步状语从句,意思是“虽然,诚然”。如:
He is very strong — not but that he will catch cold sometimes. 意思为“他身体很强壮,虽然有时会患感冒”。
I've never walked that far, not but what I could do it if I tried. 意思为:我从来没走那么远,虽然我要走还是可以走。
4、引导结果状语从句。
(1)not so … but (that/what)… 或 not such a … but,意思为“不是如此……以致于不”。其中 but 的意思是接近于“that … not …”。例如:
He is not such a fool but that he can see through Mary.
(2)否定句+but(that)+从句,意思为“每当……总是……”,其中 but 相当于“that…not …”,通过双重否定来表达肯定的因果关系。例如:
I never go past my old school but I think of the happy years I spent there.
意思为:“每当我走过我的母校时,我都想起我在那儿度过的快乐岁月。”
5、引导名词性从句,常用于下列结构中:
I didn't doubt/denty/question but that…
There is no doubt/question but(that)…
这些结构中的 but 或 but that 并无实在意义,相当于连词 that 。例如:
there is no doubt but he is the quilty one,意思为:“毫无疑问,犯罪的就是他”。
在实际应用中,but 用作连词和介词容易混淆。如果 but 被看作连词,其后的人称代词可以被看成是一个省略的谓语部分的主语。应该是主格形式。例如:
Everyone lost fainth in the plan but she.
No one found the answer but she.
更为常见的是 but 用作介词,这样其后的人称代词“she”可改为格“her”。
但是,一般说来,but 和其后的人称代词如果置于谓语动词之前,人称代词用主格形式。如:
Evryone but she lost fainth in the plan.
No one but she found the answer.
至此,本文较为详细地归纳了 but 作为连词时的用法,深入地探讨了 but 作为并列连词和从属连词及其固定短语的意义和用法,并配以实例说明。这样对于我们理解含有 but 的句子尤其是含有 but 的双重否定句将有一定作用。
参考文献:
(1)Robert B Lostello\ 1995.《Random House Webster's College Dictionary》.\ New York:Random House.
(2)章振帮1990《新编英语语法》上海:上海译文出版社
(3)李此达1994《牛津现代高级英汉双解词典》牛津大学出版社课堂练习的几个设计