Am I all right??

原文

While John Gilbert was in hospital, he asked his doctor to tell him whether his operation had been successful, but the doctor refused to do so.

The following day, the patient asked for a bedside telephone. When he was alone, he telephoned the hospital exchange and asked for Doctor Millington.

When the doctor answered the phone, Mr. Gilbert said he was inquiring about a certain patient, a Mr. John Gilbert.

He asked if Mr. Gilbert's operation had been successful and the doctor told him that it had been. He then asked when Mr. Gilbert would be allowed to go home and the doctor told him that he would have to stay in hosptial for another two weeks.

Then Dr. Millington asked the caller if he was a relative of the patient. 'No,' the patient answered, 'I am Mr. John Gilbert.'

译文

约翰·吉尔伯特住院期间,问医生他的手术是否成功,医生却不肯告诉他。

第二天,这位病人要了一部床头电话。等他单独一人时,他打电话给医院总机,要求接通米林顿医生。

医生接电话后,吉尔伯特先生说他是在询问一个病人的情况,就是约翰·吉尔伯特先生。

他问吉尔伯特先生的手术是否成功,医生告诉他手术很成功。然后他又问吉尔伯特先生什么时候可以出院,医生说还要在医院住上两个星期。

于是,米林顿医生问打电话的人是否是病人的亲属。“不,”病人回答说,“我就是约翰·吉尔伯特先生。”

词汇表

hospital

名词
英:/ˈhɒspɪtl/
美:/ˈhɑːspɪtl/
定义
1. 医院 - An institution providing medical and surgical treatment and nursing care for sick or injured people.

例子: He was admitted to the hospital after the accident.

例子: The hospital has a new wing for emergency services.

近义词
clinic: 通常指较小的医疗机构,专注于门诊服务,而非住院治疗。
medical center: 更泛指提供医疗服务的场所,可能包括医院和诊所,强调综合性。
healthcare facility: 更正式的术语,涵盖各种医疗场所,但不限于急诊或住院。
反义词:
home, outpatient center, private residence
用法
常用于医疗语境中,指提供住院服务的场所;在英国英语中,常用作不可数名词,而在美国英语中可数。
形式:
复数: hospitals

关键句型 "He asked if [clause]."

定义

此句型用于表达间接疑问句,常在对话中转述问题。结构为:He asked if(他问是否)+ [clause](从句),其中 [clause] 是一个完整的陈述句或疑问句。根据《剑桥英语语法》教材,这种句型是间接引语的一种形式,用于礼貌地询问事实或情况,而非直接提问。它帮助避免直接的 "Did you...?" 等,显得更委婉。

例如,在文章中,"He asked if Mr. Gilbert's operation had been successful" 就是典型用法。

用法

此句型主要用于报告他人问题或表达不确定性的询问场景,如电话对话、访谈或叙述故事。在语法体系中,它属于间接引语的一部分,常与过去时结合。规则:主语(如 He)+ asked if + 从句,从句通常用陈述语序(不倒装)。

横向比较:与直接疑问句(如 "Was the operation successful?")相比,此句型更适合书面或正式口语,因为它能传达原问题而不直接面对;与 "He asked whether [clause]" 类似,但 ifwhether 可互换,if 更常用在简单疑问中。与条件句(如 "If it rains...")不同,此句型焦点在报告问题,而非假设。

跨语法联系:它常与过去完成时(如文章中的 "had been")结合,强化时间顺序。学生可将此与一般过去时(如 "He asked if he could go")比较,理解时态变化。

注意事项

学生易犯的错误包括:将从句用疑问语序(如 "He asked if had the operation been successful?",错误),应改为陈述语序。另一个常见偏误是遗漏 if,直接说 "He asked the operation had been successful",这会使句子不完整。纠正建议:练习时,确保从句像陈述句一样结构化,并注意时态一致(如用过去时报告过去事件)。

例如:

错误示例:He asked if was the operation successful.
正确示例:He asked if the operation had been successful.

还需注意,在非正式语境中,学生可能混淆 ifwhether,但在选择疑问中,whether 更精确。

练习

原创例子:假设你在医院,朋友生病了,你可以说:"I asked if he was feeling better." 学生可以替换 [clause] 为其他内容,如 "I asked if she had finished her homework." 在日常对话中练习,例如在电话里说:"She asked if we were coming to the party."

通过替换关键词,学生能适应不同场景,增强灵活性,比如将 "asked" 换成 "wondered if" 以练习变体。

额外内容

背景知识:此句型源于英语间接引语的传统,起源于18世纪的语法演变,帮助在故事中平滑转述对话。对比分析:与中文的 "他问是否..." 类似,但英语需严格遵守从句语序;与法语的间接疑问(如 "s'il avait...")相比,英语更简单,无需动词变位。了解此点能帮助学生在阅读小说或看电影时更好地理解对话。