"be taken captive"是被动语态短语,表示“被俘虏;被抓获;沦为阶下囚”,强调“失去自由、被控制的状态”。
它源于主动结构"take sb. captive"(“俘虏某人”),其中"captive"是形容词(作宾语补足语),因此被动形式保留"captive"的原形态(不用变复数)。
最常见于描述战争、绑架、抢劫等场景中,人被敌人/罪犯控制,需用"by"引出“俘虏者”。
During the battle, 50 soldiers were taken captive by the enemy.(战斗中,50名士兵被敌人俘虏。)
The journalist was taken captive by rebels while reporting in the war zone.(记者在战区报道时被叛军抓获。)
Two tourists were taken captive by kidnappers and held for a $1 million ransom.(两名游客被绑架者劫持,索要100万美元赎金。)
有时可引申为“被某种事物强烈吸引,仿佛失去自主”,属于文学性用法。
She was taken captive by the beauty of the ancient castle and stayed there for hours.(她被古堡的美迷住了,在那里待了好几个小时。)
He was taken captive by her voice—soft, melodic, and impossible to ignore.(他被她的声音迷住了——温柔、悦耳,让人无法忽视。)
形式易错点:被动结构中"captive"是形容词,不能加s(即不说"be taken captives")。
同义词区分:
"be captured"(被捕获):更强调“捕获的动作”;
"be taken captive":更强调“成为俘虏的状态”,语气更正式。
"be taken captive"既可以描述实际的“被俘虏”(战争、犯罪等),也可以比喻“被吸引”(情感、美景等),核心是“失去自由/自主的状态”。使用时需注意搭配"by"引出执行者,并避免形式错误。