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中日文化センター講師 日本福祉大学講師
中村 一子

Mt.Fuji on World Heritage Site

 皆さん、お元気ですか。8月号は「分詞構文」を取り上げます。Garyが富士山の世界遺産指定について書いたパッセージ、Mt. Fuji makes it on to the World Heritage Siteにも分詞構文がたくさん含まれています。分詞構文をしっかり理解して、このパッセージを楽しみましょう。
 分詞には様々な働きがありますが、昨年10月には形容詞の働きをする分詞を学習しました。今月取り上げる分詞構文も、分詞の働きの中の一つで、文に色々な情報や説明を付け加える働きをします。
例を挙げましょう。

I ran into Mr. Jones.
 私はジョーンズ氏にばったり会いました。
Walking down Fifth Avenue, I ran into Mr. Jones.
 私は五番街を歩いていた時、ジョーンズ氏にばったり会いました。

②の文はWalking down Fifth Avenue という分詞句で「五番街を歩いている時に」という情報を①の文に付け加えています。
When I walked down Fifth Avenue, I ran into Mr. Jones. と同じ意味を持ちます。
このように、通常は「接続詞+S+V」の形で表わされる節を、分詞を使ってS+Vの無い句で表わすのが分詞構文です。
 それでは、分詞構文の作り方を覚えましょう。

<手順>

As I know his address, I can find his house.
(私は彼の住所を知っているので、彼の家を見つけることができます。)
この文を分詞構文に変えます。
1 接続詞を消す As I know his address, I can find his house.
2 接続詞のついた文(従属節)のS´と主節のSが一致することを確認してS´を消す As I know his address, I can find his house.
3 接続詞のついた文(従属節)のV´と主節のVの時制が同じであることを確認して、V´を現在分詞(Ving)に変える As I know his address, I can find his house.
  ↓
Knowing his address, I can find his house.

これが分詞構文の基本パターンです。三つの手順をしっかり覚えましょう。
<練習問題> 次の①②の文を分詞構文に変えなさい。
① Because he had nothing to do, he went for a walk.
② Though he is poor, he is honest and kind to the others.
できましたか?1~3の手順通りに変えていけば、簡単!正解は
① Having nothing to do, he went for a walk.
② Being poor, he is honest and kind to the others.

基本パターンができたら、いくつかの変形パターンを覚えましょう。

接続詞+S´+V´が否定文の時
 As I don't know his address, I can't find his house.
分詞の前にnotを置く Not knowing his address, I can't find his house.
S´とSが異なる時
If the weather permits, we want to go hiking.
S´を分詞の前に残す The weather permitting, we want to go hiking.
V´とVの時制が異なる時
Because he worked hard when young, he is very rich now.
V´を完了形の分詞にする Having worked hard when young, he is very rich now.

<注意>
※Being +過去分詞の分詞構文では、Being がよく省略される。
※分詞の前に接続詞を残すこともできる。
<慣用的に用いられる分詞構文>
generally speaking / 一般的に言えば
frankly speaking / 率直に言うと
strictly speaking / 厳密に言えば
judging from ~ / ~から判断して     などがある。

それでは、GaryのパッセージMt. Fuji makes it on to the World Heritage Siteを楽しんで下さい。
June 22nd, 2013 marked Mt. Fuji's ascension to the venerable list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites of which there are 981 sites around the world. Being a source of inspiration for artists, poets and worshippers, Mt. Fuji was designated as a cultural heritage site. Japan's 3,776-meter peak has long been a highly recognizable symbol of the country. Images of it appear in paintings, movies and on everything from coffee cups to postcards. It is a focus of the local animistic religion called Shintoism. Incidentally, the first recorded climber was a monk way back in 663. Since then thousands of the faithful and adventurous have climbed to the summit. Breathing heavily, hikers climb to the summit of the mountain to greet the coming dawn over the Pacific Ocean from one of the many stations on the slopes of the mountain. In recent years more than a quarter of a million people on average climb the cone-shaped dormant volcano every year. Now that it is a designated world heritage site even more people can be expected to traverse its steep paths during its official season which is from July to August. Environmentalists have voiced their concerns. They worry that an increase in visitors would mean more litter and erosion which is already a serious problem. Yet Mt. Fuji's new designation requires that Japan take special care of the mountain for future generations. (230 words)

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