内容简介

“All but” 这个搭配在英语中十分常用。不论是想要表达 “除了……都”，还是要描述某个东西 “几乎……” 或 “基本上……”，我们都可以用 “all but”。它和类似的搭配 “anything but” 有什么不同？听节目，跟主持人 Phil 和步理学习这个搭配的用法。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Buli
大家好，欢迎收听 BBC 英语教学的 “你问我答” 节目。I'm Buli.

Phil
And I'm Phil. We have a question from one of our listeners.

Question
“All but” 的意思到底是 “几乎” 还是 “除了……都”？在句子中如何准确判断它的含义呢？

Phil
This is a great question, because this is a very common phrase in English. As the question says, it can mean the same as 'nearly all' or 'except for', but there is another important meaning which we'll explain in this programme.

Buli
Yes. So, first let's talk about the meanings of 'all but' mentioned in the question. 首先，我们可以在 “all but” 后面衔接一个名词，比如一个人或者一件物品，来表示 “除了……之外都……”。不过在使用这个用法时，我们具体想要强调的对象是 “all but” 后面衔接的名词所指代的对象还是 “all” 所指代的整体则取决于语境和具体想要表达的意思。在大多数情况下，人们更倾向于用这个用法来强调 “all but” 后面的名词。比如，“All but one book is missing. We should find it.” 意思就是 “只有一本书不见了，我们应该找到它”。再来听两个例句。

Examples
All but Pavel have finished the task. Could you go and help him?
（除了帕维尔，所有人都完成了工作。你能去帮他一下吗？）

All but the presentations have been prepared. Let's decide who should do them.
（除了演示报告，其它东西都准备好了。咱们来定一下由谁来做吧。）

Phil
'All but' can also mean the same as 'nearly all' – which is very similar to 'except for' but may have a different emphasis. 

Buli
是的。“All but” 还可以用来强调 “除了……之外的所有人或所有东西”，这时它的意思和 “nearly all” 是一样的。比如，如果我们说 “All but one book is missing, I think we've done a good job organising the bookshelf.” 意思就是 “除了一本书不见了之外其它所有书都没丢，我觉得咱们把书架收拾得挺好的”。

Phil
Well, it isn't perfect, but good enough. Let's listen to two more examples.

Examples
All but one of the group can make Wednesday. It's probably the best day.
（整个小组除了一个组员以外都能周三来。周三很可能是最合适的一天。）

All but one of the webpages load. We haven't got much to fix.
（除了一个网页外，其它页面都加载了。我们要解决的问题不多。）

Phil
So, that's how we use 'all but' with nouns, but it can also be used with adjectives. In this case it means 'almost' or 'almost completely'.

Buli
是的。除了搭配名词，“all but” 还可以作为短语来修饰其它形容词，意思是 “几乎完全……”。我们可以用这个短语来表达 “事物已经非常接近或几乎已经达到某个状态了”。来听几个例句。

Examples
It's all but impossible to solve this puzzle. I can't work out what to do.
（简直不可能解决这个谜题。我找不到解开它的方法。）

The game's all but over. I can't see how we can win.
（这场比赛基本上已经结束了。我想不到咱们怎么能赢。）

We've all but finished this job. We'll be able to go home soon.
（我们基本上已经把这个工作完成了。我们很快就能回家了。）

Phil
Here, it's important to notice that 'all but' does not mean the same as 'anything but'. 

Buli
没错。和 “all but” 用法类似的搭配 “anything but” 具有和它完全不同的含义。如果我们说 “This is all but easy.” 意思就是 “这件事基本上很简单”；而如果我们说 “This is anything but easy.” 那么我们所表达的意思是 “这件事一点也不简单”。

Phil
We hope that's helpful. The important thing to remember is that 'all but' with nouns means 'except for' or 'nearly all' while 'all but' used with adjectives means 'almost' or 'almost completely'.

Buli
Yes. And don't confuse it with 'anything but'.

总的来说，搭配 “all but” 后面通常可以接名词或者形容词。在衔接名词时，它可以用于表达 “除了……都”，但具体想要强调的对象是所衔接的名词还是除了这个名词以外的整体则要根据语境来确定。而衔接形容词时，“all but” 的意思是 “几乎……” 或 “基本上……”。最后还要注意的是，它和另一个搭配 “anything but（一点也不，完全不）” 的意思是不同的。

Phil
Remember, if you have a question that you'd like us to answer, you can email us too at: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk.

Buli
你也可以通过微博向我们提问。我们的微博账号是 “BBC英语教学”。Bye!

Phil
Bye!