AFestival for the Dead is held once a year in Japan. This festival is a cheerfuloccasion, for on this day, the dead are said to return to their homes and theyare welcomed by the living. As they are expected to be hungry after their longjourney, food is laid out for them. Specially-made lanterns are hung outsideeach house to help the dead to find their way. All night long, people dance andsing. In the early morning, the food that had been laid out for the dead isthrown into a river or into the sea as it is considered unlucky for anyoneliving to eat it. In towns that are near the sea, the tiny lanterns which hadbeen hung in the streets the night before, are placed into the water when thefestival is over. Thousands of lanterns slowly drift out to sea guiding thedead on their return journey to the other world. This is a moving spectacle,for crowds of people stand on the shore watching the lanterns drifting awayuntil they can be seen no more.

這篇新定義96課有幾個(gè)問題請(qǐng)教老師：

1）the deadare said to return to their homes 怎么樣改寫成 It is said that thedead...后面時(shí)態(tài)如何改寫呢？意思是It is saidthat the dead return to their homes...嗎？

2）to helpthe dead to find their way - 這里可以用分配性復(fù)數(shù)ways嗎？我感覺應(yīng)該是ways更好呀??？

3）不懂為何有2處用了過去完成時(shí)， the foodthat had been laid out 和 which had been hung in the streets ? 由于過去完成時(shí)的用法需要有一個(gè)過去的時(shí)間作參照，本文中，沒過去時(shí)間，但為何用了過去完成時(shí)呢？

???? 按理也應(yīng)該用目前完成時(shí)呀？！

4）為何into arive 用了不定冠詞a,但卻用了定冠詞the, intothe sea呢？然后又是不需要任何冠詞drift out to sea了，為何這里不是the sea呢？ areplaced into the water? - 這里為何又用了定冠詞the 呢？

1. 假如改用it is said 后面的從句可以用一般目前或目前進(jìn)行時(shí)。假如后面的句子也用以后時(shí)，前面也可以用will return.但由于整個(gè)故事主體用的是一般目前時(shí)，所以這里一般不需要以后時(shí)。

2. to find their way. way 不可以用復(fù)數(shù)，由于to find one's way是習(xí)語(yǔ)。（你可以查字典，如the freedictionary, webster's 等，都標(biāo)記為idiom)

3.這里用過去完成時(shí)，是由于前面提到估計(jì)這類亡靈會(huì)非常饑餓，所以放些食物，迎接他們，然后整夜跳舞，第二天清晨，把這類給亡靈籌備的食物扔掉，這類食物是在前一天置放的，所以用了過去完成時(shí)。

4. river 用a, 表示泛指，由于日本的某個(gè)區(qū)域可能有不一樣的河流。 the sea 是定冠詞表示大家所熟知的自然現(xiàn)象（薄冰高級(jí)語(yǔ)法有此講解）drift out to sea，這里out to sea是習(xí)語(yǔ)，不需要冠詞。字典有講解。 are placed intothe water 這里的water,指前面提到的the sea 所以用the water.