several hundred中的hundred用单数还是复数

问题描述

several hundred中的hundred用单数还是复数？其后可接介词of吗？

比如下面几个哪些对，哪些不对？有规律吗？

Several hundred workers were waiting outside the factory.

Several hundreds workers were waiting outside the factory.

Several hundred of workers were waiting outside the factory.

Several hundreds of workers were waiting outside the factory.

老师答疑

刘老师：

▲分析如下：

英语中，像hundred, thousand, million, billion这些数词，可用来表示“具体”的数字，也可以用来表示“大概”（不确切）的数字。例如：三百人：three hundred people；数百人：hundreds of people。

表示具体数目，之前加one (a), two, three, seven等具体数字：one (two, three, seven) hundred people，之后不带of。

若表示“大概”（不确切）的数字，数词本身用复数形式，后跟of，其前不能有具体的数字修饰，例如：

hundreds of workers

thousands of cows

tens of thousands of trees

但是，这些数词前被 some, several, a few 等词修饰时，两种用法均可。可能是为了语句简练，这些不具体的数字当做具体数字用。

a few hundred policemen = a few hundreds of policemen

several thousand houses = several thousands of houses

some million trees = some millions of trees

▲比较：

Several hundred workers were waiting outside the factory. （正）

Several hundreds workers were waiting outside the factory.（误）

Several hundred of workers were waiting outside the factory.（误）

若改为：

Several hundred of the workers were waiting outside the factory.（正）

Several hundreds of workers were waiting outside the factory.（正）

分析：

Several hundred of workers were waiting outside the factory.（误）

该句之所以错，是因为中心词是workers，而Several hundred of是修饰语，多了一个of。

Several hundred of the workers were waiting outside the factory.（正）

该句之所以对，是因为中心词是Several hundred（数词可以作主语），而of the workers是定语，修饰Several hundred。既然作定语，那么workers前应加the表示特指。

Several hundred of the workers意为：那些工人中的数百人

罗老师：

我来补充一下刘老师所解释的这个句子：

Several hundred of the workers were waiting outside the factory.（正）

我们换几个句子循序渐进的来看：

One of the workers were waiting outside the factory.

A few of the workers were waiting outside the factory.

Some of the workers were waiting outside the factory.

Manyof the workers were waiting outside the factory.

A great many of the workers were waiting outside the factory.

Most of the workers were waiting outside the factory.

Several hundred of the workers were waiting outside the factory.

这样就能清楚地看到：以上几个例句虽然数量不同，但是语法功能却是一致的。several hundred of the workers 表达的是整体与部分的关系。