译文 虽然关于人的本质构成有众多观点,但是大家都认同这种本质是存在的,也就是说,人之所以成为人,正是由于某种本质。
点睛 本句是个并列复合句,主干是There were...views..., but there was agreement...。其中,what引导的宾语从句what constitutes it充当介词about的宾语;that引导的同位语从句that such an essence exists对agreement进行了解释;破折号后的内容也是对agreement进行补充说明;that is to say为插入语;by virtue of which man is man 是something的定语从句,先行词something在从句中作宾语。
constitute意为“构成,组成”。如:
Nuclear waste constitutes a serious danger. 核垃圾构成了严重的威胁。
essence意为“本质,实质”。如:
He was the essence of gentility. 他出身高贵。
by virtue of意为“因,靠,由于,借助于”。如:
These people exercise power by virtue of their wealth. 这些人凭借财富而行使权力。
考点归纳 插入语即句子中间插入的一部分,不充当任何句子成分,也不和句子成分发生结构关系,同时既不起连接作用,也不表示语气,删掉后并不影响句子结构的完整性。以下是几类常见的插入语。
用简短的句子结构作插入语,常见的有:I think、I hope、I guess、I believe、I suppose、I wonder、I tell you、I say、I'm afraid、I'm sure、you see、you know、as you know、that is、that is to say、what's more等等,可以置于句中或句尾。如:This diet, I think, will do good to your health. 这类饮食,我感觉会有益于你的健康。
It won't be raining long, I hope. 希望雨不要下太久。
副词或副词短语用作插入语,一般放在句首或句尾。如:
Happily for him, his stepmother was kind to him. 值得为他高兴的是,他的继母对他很好。
You'll be able to pass the coming exam, surely. 你能通过即将到来的考试,一定会的。
介词或介词短语作插入语,一般放在句首,有时也可放在句中。如:
By the way, Bob sends his best wishes. 顺便说一句,鲍勃送上他最诚挚的祝福。
This novel, in some point, is not so attractive. 这本小说从某种程度上来说,并不是很吸引人。
分词短语作插入语。如:
Generally speaking, boys run faster. 通常说来,男孩子跑得更快。
不定式短语作插入语。如:
To conclude, it was a great success. 总结起来,这是巨大的成功。