Ask Learn闻问切英语口语:Look out (of)
读者 Jo Chan 问:下面两句,哪一句对?
She looked out the window and saw something strange.
She looked out of the window and saw something strange.
两句都有人说。Oxford English Dictionary 把 out of 解释为 (1) from inside 和 (2) indicating direction from within。两者都有从里而外的意思;而根据同一本字典 out 就等于 out of 。Out 本身还有别的用法,像名词、动词、形容词、副词等,但用作前置词,它跟 out of 是完全一样。因此「从窗内往外望」既可说look out the window ,也可说look out of the window。
但OED 在out 一项之下又再说:"formerly poetic, now regional and non-standard",即古代用于诗词,现代就只限于某些地区,而且被视为不规范英语。OED 举的例子,有来自乔叟(Chaucer)、莎士比亚、Tennyson、Steele 等,都是英国文学的佼佼者。
尽管如此,这个用法似乎逐渐边缘化。但至少到今天,用来显示方向,out 和 out of 都有人用。
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