建議三:選擇最恰當(dāng)?shù)恼Z法結(jié)構(gòu)
選擇合適的語法結(jié)構(gòu)可以使句子意思的表達(dá)更為精確和簡練。雖然語法的多樣性也很重要,但選擇最恰當(dāng)?shù)恼Z法結(jié)構(gòu)仍然是更為重要的考慮因素。以下原則是在考慮選擇何種語法結(jié)構(gòu)時(shí)可以參考的原則:
1. 一個(gè)句子的主語和謂語動詞應(yīng)該能夠反映句子中的最重要的意思。例如:
The situation that resulted in my grandfather's not being able to study engineering was that his father needed help on the farm.
從意思上來分析,上面這句話需要表達(dá)的重要的概念是“grandfather's not being able to study”,而在表達(dá)這個(gè)概念時(shí),原句用的主語是situation,謂語動詞是was,不能強(qiáng)調(diào)需要表達(dá)的重點(diǎn)概念,可以改為下面這句話:
My grandfather couldn't study engineering because his father needed help on the farm.
2. 避免頻繁使用“there be”結(jié)構(gòu),例如下面的句子:
There were 25 cows on the farm that my grandfather had to milk every day. It was hard work for my grandfather.
可以改為:
My grandfather worked hard. He had to milk 25 cows on the farm every day.
更簡潔的句式為:
My grandfather worked hard milking 25 cows daily.
3. 把從句改為短語或單詞。例如:
Dairy cows were raised on the farm, which was located100 kilometers from the nearest university and was in an area that was remote.
簡介的表達(dá)方式為:
The dairy farm was located in a remote area, 100 kilometers to the nearest university.
4. 僅在需要強(qiáng)調(diào)賓語而不是主語的時(shí)候,才使用被動語態(tài)。例如:
In the fall, not only did the cows have to be milked, but also the hay was mowed and stacked by my grandfather's family.
本句不夠簡潔的原因是本句的重心應(yīng)該是“忙碌的家庭——my grandfather's family”,而使用了被動語態(tài)后,仿佛重心變成了cows和hay。下面的表達(dá)方式是主動語態(tài),相對來說更簡潔一些:
In the fall, my grandfather's family not only milked the cow but also mowed and stacked the hay.
5. 用更為精確的一個(gè)動詞來代替動詞短語,例如下面這句話:
My grandfather didn't have time to stand around doing nothing with his school friends.
Stand around doing nothing其實(shí)可以用一個(gè)動詞來表達(dá),即loiter:
My grandfather didn't have time to loiter with his school friends.
6. 有時(shí)兩句話的信息經(jīng)過組合完全可以用一句話來簡練地表達(dá),例如:
Profits from the farm were not large. Sometimes they were too small to meet the expenses of running a farm. They were not sufficient to pay for a university degree.
兩句話的信息可以合并為下面這句更為簡潔的句子:
Profits from the farm were sometimes too small to meet operational expenses, let alone pay for a university degree.
(來源:考試吧)
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