分词短语作状语修饰的是谓语动词还是修饰整个主句

1. Upon entry, China has agreed to open its Internet market to foreign participation, making possible previously unthinkable arrangements like the AOL-Legend link.

2. They have invested huge amounts of money to improve intimal security, making it almost impossible for the Scots to stage any kind of protest.

在解答这个问题之前，我先说明几个问题：

1. 网友的那个提问，一开始没有涉及这两个句子。这是后来追加的。

2. 旋元佑先生在“语法术语”的表述上，存在严重错误。举例如下：

The technological revolution is turning the world upside down, rendering the familiar strange, wrenching people from settled jobs and habits into something disturbingly new.

旋元佑先生指出，wrenching people from settled jobs and habits…修饰主句动词 is turning。

——旋元佑先生说的“修饰主句动词 is turning”这句话本身有误。这是个简单句，哪来的“主句”？应改为“修饰句子的谓语动词 is turning”。

The candidate, or President as the case may be, wanders the stage looking thoughtful, pensively wagging his wireless microphone.

[译文]：候选人—或许就是总统—面露沉思状在台上走来走去，若有所思地晃着无线麦克风。

旋元佑先生指出，pensively wagging his wireless microphone修饰主要子句动词wanders。

——旋元佑先生把wanders 称为“主要子句”的动词，意思仍然是想表达“主句动词”。不过，这次又增加了一个错误：既然有“主要子句”，那一定有“次要子句”。把主句错误地理解为“子句”了。

When he was elected for his first term in 1995, the neo-Gaullist President pledged to heal France's “social fracture,” uniting the nation and achieving a reconciliation with those who felt left behind by progress.

[译文]：一九九五年头一次赢得大选时，这位新戴高乐派的总统誓言要愈合法国的“社会裂痕”，团结全国，与那些感到被进步抛在后头的人达成和解。

旋元佑先生指出，①to heal France's “social fracture”作为主要子句动词pledged的受词；②uniting the nation and achieving a reconciliation…修饰动词heal。

——表述错误同上句。

Upon entry, China has agreed to open its Internet market to foreign participation, making possible previously unthinkable arrangements like the AOL-Legend link.

[译文]：中国已经同意在入会后就对外国业者开放网际网路市场，某些原本无法想象的安排，诸如美国线上与联想集团的结盟，届时都可能实现。

旋元佑先生指出，①to open its Internet market…作为主要子句动词has agreed的受词；② making possible previously unthinkable arrangements…修饰主要子句动词has agreed的结果。

——这原本是个简单句，哪来的“主要子句”？

They have invested huge amounts of money to improve intimal security, making it almost impossible for the Scots to stage any kind of protest.

[译文]：他们投入大笔金钱来加强内部安全，使得苏格兰人民几乎不可能从事任何形式的抗争。

旋元佑先生指出，①to improve internal security修饰主要子句动词have invested的目的；② making it almost impossible 修饰主要子句动词have invested的结果。

——这原本是个简单句，哪来的“主要子句”？

曹老师可能受了施元佑先生的影响，一时疏忽：“我认为以上二个分词短语都不是修饰谓语动词的，而是修饰整个主句内容的。”

建议改为：“我认为以上二个分词短语都不是修饰谓语动词的，而是修饰整个句子内容的。”因为以上两句都是简单句，不是主、从句，也就不存在主句的问题了。

3. 问题中的句子，施元佑先生认为分词短语都是修饰句子谓语动词的结果状语。结果状语不假，但不是修饰谓语动词。而是整个句子的“结果状语”，我完全同意曹老师的观点。

（1）两个making分词短语，其逻辑主语不是句子的主语China和They，而是整个句子。

（2）此外，两句的谓语动词has agreed和have invested本身，无法达到现在分词短语表示的结果，而是整个谓语部分包括后面的两个不定式在内。这从逻辑上即可分析出来。

【个人观点】

1. 我完全同意曹老师的观点。本着“百花齐放，百家争鸣”的原则，我再补充两个分析。

2. 现在分词短语作后置定语。定语分“限制性”和“非限制性”两种，“非限制性定语”的前面有逗号，相当于一个“非限制性定语从句”，非限制性定语可以表达独立的意义，可以按照结果状语理解和翻译。

1. Upon entry, China has agreed to open its Internet market to foreign participation, making possible previously unthinkable arrangements like the AOL-Legend link.

等于：Upon entry, China has agreed to open its Internet market to foreign participation, which makes possible previously unthinkable arrangements like the AOL-Legend link.

2. They have invested huge amounts of money to improve intimal security, making it almost impossible for the Scots to stage any kind of protest.

等于：Upon entry, China has agreed to open its Internet market to foreign participation, which makes possible previously unthinkable arrangements like the AOL-Legend link.

又如：

The fire lasted nearly two days, leaving nothing valuable.

大火持续了将近两天，几乎没剩下什么值钱的东西。

（leaving的逻辑主语是整个前句内容，不是某个词语）

= The fire lasted nearly two days, which left nothing valuable.

It has rained for over ten days, causing the river to rise.

下了十多天雨，致使河水上涨。

（causing的逻辑主语是整个前句内容，不是某个词语）

= It has rained for over ten days, which caused the river to rise.

【说明】因此现代语法称其为关系分句作补充性状语。——这个说法跟上面说的“非限制性定语，按照状语理解和翻译”，是异曲同工。

以下4种表达意思相同，但是，第一种最简练：

My car broke down halfway, causing me to come late.

My car broke down halfway, which caused me to come late.

My car broke down halfway and it caused me to come late.

My car broke down halfway, so that it caused me to come late.

我的车在半路上出了故障，结果使我来晚了。

3. 还可以把现在分词的这种用法，看作主句的“补充性状语”。