■先请看两到高考试题对blame用法的理解
①赵振才编著《英语常见问题解答大词典》(增订版)(世界图书西安出版公司2005年3月第1版)p217：
【问】 I feel it is your husband who ____ for the spoiled child.
A. is to blame B. is going to blame
C. is to be blamed D. should blamed (上海高考, 02― 24)
答案为A。但我认为who is blame是错误的，因为who与 blame时被动关系(受责备)，应改为who is blamed。要知道，blame时及物动词呀! She blamed him for the failure. 她因失败而责怪他。
【答】要记住：在be to blame 结构中，主动形式的 blame 具有被动意义，……。
1. The children were not to blame for the accident. 这次事故不能怪孩子们。
2.She was in no way to blame.她决不应当受责备。
② [2006年高考英语安徽卷英语试题―35] Mr. Green stood up in defence of the 16-year-old boy, saying that he was not the one______.
A. blamed B. blaming C. to blame D. to be blamed
所给答案为C。
从以上可以看出：两道高考试题的命题专家及赵振才教授都认为这两道高考试题的答案都应该用be to blame，而不应该用be to be blamed。理由是在be to blame结构中，主动形式的blame具有被动意义。就算主动形式的blame具有被动意义，那么be to be blamed就是错误的或至少是不能使用吗？
实际上，像句 ① 中的选择项C也是正确的，即I feel it is your husband who is to be blamed for the spoiled child.也是正确的；句②中的选择项D也是正确的，即Mr. Green stood up in defence of the 16-year-old boy, saying that he was not the one to be blamed.(=... the one that was to be blamed)
■请看有关例证
1. 杨民生主编《英语语法正误词典》(湖北教育出版社1996年3月第1版)p125-126：多数人认为应该用主动形式的不定式表示被动意思，但也可用be to be blamed。
R：He is to blame.
R：He is to be blamed.
应该责备他。
R：Who is to be blamed for the fact that there are no cherries?
没有樱桃该怪谁呢？
2. 江希和编著《当代英美语惯用法词典》(上海外语教育出版社 2001年2月第1版)p88：be to blame for sth.或 be to be blamed for sth.(=be at fault)都可以说。如：I am to blame for this. I am to be blamed for this.(这件事我应当受责备。)
3. 李在铭著《现代英语惯用法词典》(现代出版社1995年5月第1版)p55：……，可以说“He is certainly to be blamed.”，但不普遍。
4. N D Turton and J B Heaton主编的Longman Dictionary of Common Errors (Eleventh impression 2003) p53：? Who is to be blamed for this? (笔者注：此句与句①中的选择项C惊人的相似！)
5. (日) 市川繁治郎主编《英语搭配大辞典》(外语教学与研究出版社2006年10月第1版)p180：He is greatly [much, highly] to be blamed for this.
6. 在BNC(英国国家语料库http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk):
和BUY-BNC BRTISH NATIONAL CORPUS (UK,1980s-1993) (Mark Davies, Brigham Young University ) http://corpus.byu.edu/bnc/上至少有9例包含be to be blamed的例证：
They're to be blamed, not pitied.
She was thankful that Holly was not to be blamed after all.
The sunglasses were not to be blamed.
...,the sufferer is not to be blamed for having allowed herself to become addicted.
Poor productivity, according to the DTI, is to be blamed partly on bad management of the workforce and partly on lack of investment (which is bad management in another form).
Lear is to be blamed for believing Goneril and Regan, ...
Again, I do not think that individuals are to be blamed for this: whole societies were caught up in this sexist interpretation of reality.
He believes that Augustinian thought is largely to be blamed for the split between Christian morality and nature.
..., then the owners are not to be blamed for thinking that their long-lost friend has finally found its way home.
7. 在BYU: THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY
(http://corpus.byu/oed/)上至少有4例包含be to be blamed的例证：
1651 Is the Sun to be blamed that the Travellers cloak swelts him with heat?
1729 ... a poor servant is not to be blamed if he strives to better himself; that service is no inheritance.
1875 Nor is any one to be blamed for doing any honourable service or ministration to any man.
1913 If bad shows are booked for this theatre the actors are not the people to be blamed; they are, naturally, trying to do their best give them a sporting chance.
8. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
(http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary)
The decision to increase interest rates was widely blamed (=blamed by many people) for the crisis.
9. 在TIME CORPUS OF AMERICAN ENGLISH (1923-2006) (Mark Davies, Brigham Young University ) (http://corpus.byu.edu/time) 上至少有8例包含be to be blamed的例证：
1926/12/13 While the Government is not to be blamed for failure to perform the impossible, the agriculture regions are entitled to know that...
1933/11/20 Scripps-Howard's high command was scarcely to be blamed for regarding Fusion's victory as their own.
1944/12/11 ..., she is perhaps less to be blamed for not realizing that he loves her.
1947/08/19 ..., Gilmore is not to be blamed for leaving the seamy side of Russian news unreported....
1953/11/11 Are children to be blamed if they grow up to believe that the three Rs and material success are more important than honor, integrity and spiritual values?...
1959/06/15 ..., and " so on edge that from time to time they gave the impression that Czechoslovakia was to be blamed for having brought all this trouble upon us.
1965/02/05 If he is to be blamed at all, it is not so much for assuming his role, but for demanding and wearing his crown so naturally. "
1988/03/21 Readers are not to be blamed if they keep an eye on the silverware.
10. 在BUY CORPUS OF AMERICAN ENGLISH (1990-2008) (Mark Davies, Brigham Young University) http://www.americancorpus.org/上至少有7例包含be to be blamed的例证：
1990 Who is to be blamed?
1990 If that peaceful solution is not available to us, Saddam Hussein is to be blamed for it.
1991 They are to be blamed because in them the wrong opposite is ascendent;...
1994 Am I to be blamed for something that happened when I was 4 or 5 years old?
1997 ...I was told that the problems of Africa are to be blamed on Africans --
2001 And America is to be blamed for this problem.
2006 ...it was the 80 percent male legislature that is to be blamed for taking a stand for life.
从以上例证可以看出：英国英语中(至少)早在1449年就出现了be to be blamed的真实例证；美国英语中(至少)早在1926年就出现了be to be blamed的真实例证，而且无论英国英语还是美国英语都仍然在使用be to be blamed，这难道还不能证明be to be blamed的正确性吗？
■结论与分析
由此看来，文章开头提到的两道高考试题的答案都不是唯一的，既可以用be to blame，又可以用be to be blamed。 萧凤歧在其编著的《现代英语惯用法实例词典》(北京理工大学出版社1989年10月第1版)p134上指出了二者之间的差别：
1. be to blame通常作“该受责怪”解，严重时有“该叫人家戳脊梁骨”的含义，这里的to blame是pseudo-active，这个pseudo-active的语义主体“受责怪”是“该”的，其主语可以是指人的词，也可是指事物的词。
2. be blamed 通常作“任人责怪”，或“任人戳脊梁骨”解。这里的be blamed是实义的passive voice，这个passive通常多用以表示be blamed的语义主体“受责怪”是不该的。请看：‘... I’ll be blamed for trying something too different.’(Stephen E. Whitfield[Am.]1968)
按照萧凤歧教授说法，句②中所给的答案to blame远不如 to be blamed更恰当，正因为the 16-year-old boy“受责怪”是不该的(即to be blamed)，才有可能Mr. Green stood up in defence of the 16-year-old boy；如果the 16-year-old boy“受责怪”是“该”的(即to blame)，那么Mr. Green就没有理由 stood up in defence of the 16-year-old boy。
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