泛指（GENERIC REFERENCE）和特指（SPECIFIC REFERENCE）是每年高考必考的一组概念，在英语中广泛使用。“泛指”是指普遍、不确定的人或事物，而“特指”则是指具体、特定的人或事物。在实践中，这两个概念是可以灵活运用且相互转换的。下面分几个方面谈谈：
一、“泛指”与“特指”的多种表达
说起“泛指”，我们马上想起不定冠词(a/an)，其实不带冠词的不可数名词和复数名词都可以表“泛指”， 有些表“不定”概念的限定词（another, some, a few, most, enough, hundreds of, plenty of等 ）也可以充当这个作用。例如：
I want to buy a book/some books. Books are of great use. Air is all around us.
I will stay there for a few days/another few days.
“特指”经常由定冠词（the）或表“特定”概念的限定词（物主代词，指示代词，名词所有格等）来充当。假如将“中国的第二大河流”说成 “China’s the second longest river” 是不妥当的， 因为China’s 和the 在“特指”的概念上是重复的。“那个门破了的教室”既可以译成 “the classroom whose door is broken”也可以说成 “the classroom the door of which is broken”，因为 “door” 前应该有个表“特指”的限定词。同样，“with one’s help/ take one’s place” 可能在另一场合会变成“with the help of/ take the place of”。
在表达“倍数”时，我们常常看到这样一个公式：“倍数 + the + 名词(size/height/ length) + of ”。如果把它改为“倍数 + 表特指的名词/代词”就可以更好理解的下面的句子了：
① The size of the newly broadened square is four times that of the previous one. (that=the size)
② I offer ten times the money that Antonia has borrowed. =I offer ten times what Antonia has borrowed. (what=the money that 定语从句)
③ You can’t imagine that rats eat 40 to 50 times their weight.（their weight=the weight of rats）
二、“泛指”与“特指”的转化 “泛指”与“特指”在不同的语境中并非一成不变，它们是可以转换的。
（一）“泛指”转化为“特指” 1．① I spent many happy hours with them.
② This picture reminds me of the many happy hours I spent with them.
2．① I bought a few books in the bookstore.
② The few books I bought in the bookstore are written in English .
3．① I don’t feel like drinking water.
② I don’t feel like drinking the water from this well.
4．① Cotton played an important part in Industrial Revolution.
② The most important thing about cotton in history is the important part that it played in Industrial Revolution.
5．① I have done a little to help you.
② I hope the little that I’ve been able to do has been of some use to you.
以上的②句中的划线部分都是由于有一个定语限定而转化为“特指”。
另外，在一些限定词的后面只能接泛指的名词，如：a lot of, plenty of, dozens of, hundreds of等。然而，有些却可以增加一个 “of”，便只能后接特指的成分：
后接表“泛指”的名词 后接表“特指”的名词/代词
some (students) some of （the students）
a good many （people） a good many of （the people）
most most of （us）
a dozen a dozen of （these apples）
five hundred five hundred of （them）
（二）“特指”转化为“泛指” 1．When the spaceship traveled above, a new-looking earth appeared before us, an earth that we had never seen before. 当宇宙飞船在上空运行时，一个全新的地球出现在我们面前，以往我们都不曾看过。
2．It is a world of wonders, a world where anything can happen.(2004福建卷)
3．It’s really fun to walk alone with a full moon hanging in the sky.
4．Having been overseas for half a century, he returned and found himself in a brand-new China.
本来“the earth/ the world/ the moon/ China”都是特指的，但是，如果增加一些修饰成分之后，指不同时期、不同角度看到的或不同形状的“地球、世界、月亮、中国”的话，它们就转化为泛指了。
5．I knew a John Lennon, but not the famous one. (2005高考山东卷)
John Lennon是一个著名歌手，当然是特指。句中的a John Lennon= another person whose name happened to be John Lennon, 是泛指。
6．① He, who led the USA through these years, was shot on April 14, 1865 at a theatre in Washington, D.C.
② He who doesn’t reach the Great Wall is not a true man. 不到长城非好汉。
第一个He=Abraham Lincoln，是特指，要用非限制性定语从句；第二个He= anyone，是泛指。
7．①—What new subjects are you going to have in the second grade?(特指)
—I’m going to learn a second foreign language.（表“又一”，泛指。）
② No one can have a higher IQ (=an IQ which is even higher) than the taller of the twin brothers.
③ The most diligent student in our class have a most（=very）interesting book.
一般情况下，在比较级、最高级、序数词中用 “a/an”表“泛指”，用 “the”表“特指”。 （编辑：赵露）
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