no matter的用法

在讲解浙江大学出版的《新编大学英语》基础教程Unit 3的写作练习时，遇到这样一句话：

No matter whether he had been invited or not, he was there to celebrate Wu You's birthday. 无论他是否被邀请参加，他去了就是为了庆贺吴莜的生日。

对于whether... or not前是否能用no matter，部分学生感到疑惑。他们说，见过no matter who, no matter what, no matter how, no matter where, no matter when等，没见过no matter whether... or not。可见，对于no matter的用法他们只知其一，不知其二。

针对这一情况，笔者特将no matter的用法归纳、整理如下。

1. 词组no matter可独立成句，也可在句中担当成分。如：

1) No matter! 不要紧！

2) No matter, I'll go myself. 不碍事，我自个儿去。

3) No matter if they do not take this factor into consideration. 如果他们不考虑这个因素，那无关紧要。

4) It is (of ) no matter. (no matter在句中作表语或of的宾语。) 这无关紧要。

5) I had something to say, but it's no matter. 我本来有句话要说，但不是很重要。

2. 词组no matter在it作形式主语、真正主语位于句末的句子中作表语。如：

1) It is no matter that he didn't phone. 他没打电话没关系。

2) It made no matter to him that his brother lost all his money. 他哥哥把所有的钱都弄丢了，这对他来说是无关紧要的。

3) It's no matter whether you get there early or late. 不论你到那里早或晚都无关紧要。

3. no matter与疑问词who, what, where, when, how, if, whether等连用，意为“无论，不管”。如：

1) Don't open the door, no matter who comes. 不管谁来都别开门。

2) Don't trust him, no matter what he says. 无论他说什么，都别相信他。

3) No matter where you work, you can always find time to study. 无论你在哪里工作，你都能找到时间学习。

4) No matter when and how the invaders come, they will be wiped out clean. 无论侵略者什么时候来，怎样来，他们必将被消灭得一干二净。

5)—Are you going home? 你回家吗？

—Not yet. No matter how hard I work, there is always more to do. 还不行。不管我干得多么卖力，总是有做不完的工作。

6) Mary wanted to get to school on time, no matter if she went without breakfast. 玛丽就是不吃早餐也要准时赶到学校。

7) No matter whether it is light or dark at that hour, we've decided to leave at five o'clock in the morning. 不管到时候是否天亮，我们都已决定早晨5点离开。

no matter who (what, when, where, how, whether等)引导的从句通常在句中作状语，表示让步，但有时也可在句中作宾语。如：

8) The man who is lazy radiates laziness in no matter what situation he be observed. [no matter what situation he be observed 在句中作in的宾语。另外，该从句中的谓语用了虚拟语气现在时(即动词原形)］不管什么情况下观察他，那个懒汉都显得很懒。

4. 有时， no matter what, no matter who, no matter when等可用于句末或句中。如：

1) We have to get to the airport on time, no matter what. 我们无论如何也要准时赶到机场。

2) They're going to win no matter what. 他们无论如何都要赢。

3) Anyone, no matter who, may point out our shortcomings. 不管是什么人，都可以指出我们的缺点。

5. 有时，在no matter what引出的从句中要省略谓语动词。如：

1) No matter what the excuse, you must not be late. 不管有什么借口，你一定不要迟到。

2) No matter how small a drop of water we might study under the microscope, we could not see the hydrogen and oxygen in it. (we might study under the microscope作定语修饰a drop of water) 可以放在显微镜下进行研究的水滴无论怎么微小，我们都不能看到其中的氢和氧。

3) She would be calm, no matter what the provocation. 无论受到怎样的挑衅，她都能镇定自若。

以上no matter what引出的从句中均省略了谓语is。