由 ad264 » 2008-05-18 13:14
as big as 我在新聞有看到,所以問Yahoo國外版的知識。供後人參考看看,我覺得兩種角度都不錯。
因為我沒有將GMAT題目放在Yahoo,而是改寫從新聞看到的句子,如下:
A freakish-looking clam can grow as big as five feet long.
A freakish-looking clam that can grow to be five feet long.
解釋一
"As big as" is a simile that should be followed by an object of comparison, not a length. For example, "as big as a house."
But "big" doesn't fit the verb "to grow." You need an adverb that describes *how* that something grows, and compare it to an object that also grows. "It can grow as rapidly as a teenage boy [grows]."
解釋二
The first is a grammatical sentence. You've got a subject, verb and compliment. The latter is a dependent clause but I'm sure you already know this.
"Big" is an adjective. In this context, the speaker knows that some clams grow very large, even as large as five feet. There's an elipse happening- what the speaker means is "A freakish-looking clam can grow [to be] as big as five feet long." Since this is a common sort of ellipse, I wouldn't get too concerned with a metaphorical comparison that might go with the phrase "as big as" because the length is stated- five feet. Sure, you might say " ... as big as a five foot long couch," but that's putting more words in a sentence where fewer words suffice. (I like Strunk and White's admonitions.)
Look on the bright side