When making a long-distance call on a pay phone in America, you will no longer talk to an operator.

=When you make a long-distance call on a pay phone in America, you will no longer talk to an operator.

在美國, 你使用投幣電話打長途電話時, 不再對總機說話。

＊以上第一句的劃線部份即為分詞片語。

a. 分詞片語的形成:

when (當)、while (在……的時候)、if (如果)、unless (除非)、once (一……就……)、though (雖然) 等均為連接詞, 其所引導的副詞子句中, 主詞若與主要子句的主詞相同時, 該副詞子句即可簡化為分詞片語。簡化原則如下:

　　第一步：刪除子句中的主詞；

　　第二步：主詞之後的動詞變成現在分詞；

　　第三步：若動詞為be動詞 (如am、are、is、was、were), 則一律變成現在分詞being, 而being均予省略。

　　例: When I am rich, I will buy a watch.

　　　　     being

　　　→When being rich, I will buy a watch.

　　　→When rich, I will buy a watch.

　　　　(我有錢時會買只手錶。)

　　　　If he is late, he may be punished.

　　　　   being

　　　→If being late, he may be punished.

　　　→If late, he may be punished.

　　　　(他若遲到，可能會受罰。)

　　　　Unless I am available, I won't do it.

　　　         being

　　　→Unless being available, I won't do it.

　　　→Unless available, I won't do it.

　　　　(除非我有空，否則我不會做這件事。)

　　　　Though he was ill, he didn't want to see a
　　           being

　　　　doctor.

　　　→Though being ill, he didn't want to see a
　　　　doctor.

　　　→Though ill, he didn't want to see a
　　　　doctor.

　　　　(他雖然病了卻不願看醫生。)

　　　　While I was there, I had a good time.

　　          being

　　　→While being there, I had a good time.

　　　→While there, I had a good time.

　　　　(我在那裡的時候玩得很愉快。)

　　　　Once he was given first aid, the patient

　　　　　　 being

　　　　was rushed to the hospital.

　　　→Once being given first aid, the patient
　　　　was rushed to the hospital.

　　　→Once given first aid, the patient was
　　　　rushed to the hospital.

　　　　(病人一被急救後，就立刻被送到醫院。)

b. unless、once、though、if所引導的副詞子句簡化成分詞片語時, 原子句的結構多為『主詞 + be動詞』, 但when或while所引導的子句簡化為分詞片語時, 原子句的結構則不一定要接be動詞, 接其他動詞也可。

　　例: When you do the work, you must be careful.

　　　       doing

　　　→When doing the work, you must be careful.

　　　　(你做這件事時必須謹慎。)

　　　　While he reads, he enjoys listening to
　　          reading

　　　　music.

　　　→While reading, he enjoys listening to
　　　　music.

　　　　(他看書的時候喜歡聽音樂。)

When making a long-distance call on a pay phone in America, you will no longer talk to an operator.

在美國, 你使用投幣電話打長途電話時, 不再對總機說話。

on a pay phone　　在投幣電話上

=on a pay telephone

名詞如phone (電話)、radio (收音機) 或TV (電視, television的縮寫形), 多與介詞on並用。

例: I had a pleasant chat with him in the phone
　　last night. (╳)

　　→I had a pleasant chat with him on the phone
　　 　last night. (○)

　　　(我昨晚跟他在電話上聊得很愉快。)

　＊in the phone暗示『人在電話機裡面』, 不合邏輯。

　　　I heard him in the radio. (╳)

　　→I heard him on the radio. (○)

　　　(我在收音機上聽到他的聲音。)

　＊in the radio暗示『人在收音機裡』, 不合邏輯。

　　　Do you know the girl in the TV? (╳)

　　　Do you know the girl on the TV? (╳)

　　→Do you know the girl on TV? (○)

　　= Do you know the girl on televison?

　　　(你認識電視上的那個女孩嗎？)

＊in the TV暗示『人在電視機裡面』, 不合邏輯。on the TV則指『在電視機的上面』, 亦不合邏輯。on TV則指『在電視螢幕上』, 屬固定用法。此時TV之前不可置冠詞a或the。注意: a TV指『一架電視機』, the TV指『這架電視機』, TV則指『電視節目』或『電視螢幕』。

例: He bought a TV yesterday. Unfortunately, the TV is broken.

(他昨天買了一架電視機。不幸的是，這架電視機現在壞了。)

　比較:

　　　I enjoy watching the TV. (╳)

　　→I enjoy watching TV. (○)

　　　(我喜歡看電視。)