建议三:选择最恰当的语法结构
选择合适的语法结构可以使句子意思的表达更为精确和简练。虽然语法的多样性也很重要,但选择最恰当的语法结构仍然是更为重要的考虑因素。以下原则是在考虑选择何种语法结构时可以参考的原则:
1. 一个句子的主语和谓语动词应该能够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.
从意思上来分析,上面这句话需要表达的重要的概念是“grandfather's not being able to study”,而在表达这个概念时,原句用的主语是situation,谓语动词是was,不能强调需要表达的重点概念,可以改为下面这句话:
My grandfather couldn't study engineering because his father needed help on the farm.
2. 避免频繁使用“there be”结构,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.
可以改为:
My grandfather worked hard. He had to milk 25 cows on the farm every day.
更简洁的句式为:
My grandfather worked hard milking 25 cows daily.
3. 把从句改为短语或单词。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.
简介的表达方式为:
The dairy farm was located in a remote area, 100 kilometers tothe nearest university.
4. 仅在需要强调宾语而不是主语的时候,才使用被动语态。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.
本句不够简洁的原因是本句的重心应该是“忙碌的家庭-my grandfather's family”,而使用了被动语态后,仿佛重心变成了cows和hay。下面的表达方式是主动语态,相对来说更简洁一些:
In the fall, my grandfather's family not only milked the cow but also mowed and stacked the hay.
5. 用更为精确的一个动词来代替动词短语,例如下面这句话:
My grandfather didn't have time to stand around doing nothing with his school friends.
Stand around doing nothing其实可以用一个动词来表达,即loiter:
My grandfather didn't have time to loiter with his school friends.
6. 有时两句话的信息经过组合完全可以用一句话来简练地表达,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.
两句话的信息可以合并为下面这句更为简洁的句子:
Profits from the farm were sometimes too small to meet operational expenses, let alone pay for a university degree.