逍遥右脑 2010-05-20 00:31
英文段落中的各个语句在长度上应该有一定变换,即所谓的长短句之说。短句给人以精炼强调之感,长句则给人以严谨深刻之感。一般说来,长句有两种情况,一种是由于结构复杂而形成的长句,多见于书面语;还有一种是由简单句扩展而成以使语句表达得更加生动和清楚,主要出现在口语的表达中。
例如,有人曾请两个人用英文表达同一内容:“今有一物,不知其数,三三数之余二;五五数之余三;七七数之余二。问物几何?”第一个人的英文表达很书面化:We have a number of things which, counted by threes, leave two; by fives, leave three; and by sevens, leave two. Find the number.
第二个人的英文表达使用了比较长的语句:We have things of which we do not know the number. If we count them by threes, they leave a remainder of two. If we count them by fives,they leave a remainder of two. If we count them by sevens, they leave a remainder of two. How many things are there?
英文写作不能一味地使用短句。段落中的短句过多,不仅使得段落显得单调,而且使得段落非常零散、内容浅薄。如果一旦发现段落中尽是写短句的话,这时就需要将某些简短的语句扩展成比较长的句子。语句的扩展主要是在语句的主干上增添修饰成分(如定语、状语等)。