means of doing something的doing something丰富means的内涵。例句如,
【例句1】Is there any means of contacting him?(有什么办法联系他吗？) [牛津高级学者辞典]
【例句2】Interest rates are used as a means of controlling borrowing. (利率被用作控制借贷的手段。)[牛津高级学者辞典]
【例句3】Homework should not be used as a means of controlling children. （家庭作业不应被用作控制孩子的手段。） [朗文当代英语词典]
【例句4】I had no means of telling him I would be late. （我无法告诉他我会迟到。）[朗文当代英语词典]
【例句5】The army had perfected the use of terror as a means of controlling the population. （军队已经完善了使用恐怖作为控制人口的手段。） [柯林斯高级学者辞典]
【例句6】There is no means of tracing the debt at all. （根本无法追踪债务。） [剑桥高级学者辞典]
means to do也是用的，如
【例句7】They are using peaceful means to achieve their aims. (他们正在使用和平手段来实现他们的目标。) [牛津高级学者辞典]
【例句8】Brian was prepared to use any means to get what he wanted. （布莱恩准备用任何手段得到他想要的东西。） [朗文当代英语词典]
【例句9】The move is a means to fight crime. （此举是打击犯罪的一种手段。） [柯林斯高级学者辞典]
但这里不定式to do不太像定语修饰means, 更像动词use的补语，即进一步补充动词信息，特别是【例句7,8】补充use的目的信息。
【例句9】的to fight crime也更像要实施的动作，不像of doing那样修饰means。这可能是因为means容易激起“去干”的图景。
下面例句的means是“财力、财富”，不是“方式、方法”，
【例句10】He doesn't have the means to hire a lawyer. （他没有能力聘请律师。） [牛津高级学者辞典]
【例句11】I don't have the means to support a family. (我没有能力养家。) [朗文当代英语词典]
【例句12】He did not have the means to compensate her. （他没有办法补偿她。）[柯林斯高级学者辞典]
【例句13】He has the means to buy half the houses in the street if he wanted to. （如果他愿意，他有能力买下街上一半的房子。） [剑桥高级学者辞典]
其to do也与动词have更密切。
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