英文语法多样化且复杂,尤其是英文句子的结构更是容易让人一头雾水。这期电子报,我们来简略讨论一下四种英文句构的使用方式以及差异。
1. 简单句(simple sentence)
简单句是最基本的英文句型,由一个具有完整意思的独立子句(independent clause)组成。独立子句为"主语+谓语"的句式,如:
He is a good boy.(他很乖。)
She used to come every Sunday.(她以前每周日都会来。)
I go to work every weekday.(周一到周五我每天都去上班。)
2. 复合句(compound sentence)
复合句由两个以上句意完整的独立子句所组成;其中,两个子句透过对等连接词(coordinating conjunction)或是分号连接。英文对等连接词一共有七个,分别是: "for、and、nor、but、or、yet、so"(记忆口诀:FANBOYS)。以下提供几个复合句的例句:
People gathered at the memorial, for they wanted to pay tribute to those sacrificed in the war.(人们聚集在纪念碑前,缅怀那些因战争而牺牲的人。)
I went to the party, and Jane was there.(我参加了派对,Jane也在那。)
He has not replied in the group chat, nor has he answered any of our calls.(他没在群组回复,也没有接听我们任何人的电话。)
I went to bed early, but my sister stayed up all night.(我早早就睡了,但我姊姊整晚都没睡。)
You need to study harder, or you will fail the course.(你要更认真念书,不然会考试不及格。)
I was feeling a bit unwell, so I did not go to work today.(我有点不舒服,所以今天没去上班。)
I broke the news to them; they were devastated and could not speak for a few minutes.(我告诉了他们这个消息;他们非常难过,有好几分钟都没办法说话。)
3. 复杂子句(complex sentence)
由一个独立子句(independent clause)充当主句,搭配一个或多个从属子句(dependent clause)组成的长句。从属子句须以从属连接词(subordinating conjunction)起头;常见的从属连接词有 "because、although、when、after、before" 等。从属子句多用来修饰主句或提供补充信息,无法单独存在。以下提供几则例句:
Everyone loves him because he has a generous personality.(他生性大方,所以大家都喜欢他。)
We decided to go with Ian's proposal although there were still parts that needed to be
clarified.(我们决定采纳Ian的提案,虽然其中一些地方尚待进一步厘清。)
My mom walked in when I was on a Zoom call for work.(我在进行Zoom视讯工作会议时,我妈走了进来。)
He was a bit overwhelmed after he heard the news.(他听到消息后一时无法接受。)
I take 15 minutes to meditate every day before I go to sleep.(我每天睡前会花15分钟冥
想。)
注意:上述例子在主句优先、从属子句在后的结构下,主句与从属子句之间不需要使用逗号,但若两者顺序调换就需要使用逗号隔开。以下提供三个例子:
Because he has a generous personality, everyone loves him.(由于他的大方个性,因此受到了大家的喜爱。)
Although there were still parts that needed to be clarified, we decided to go with Ian's proposal.(虽然还有一些细节需要澄清,但我们决定接受伊恩的提议。)
When I was on a Zoom call for work, my mom walked in.(当我正在进行Zoom工作通话时,妈妈走了进来。)
4. 复合复杂句(compound-complex sentence)
顾名思义,复合复杂句就是由复合句与复杂句组成,并含有两个以上的独立子句以及一个以上的从属子句。以下提供几个例子供您参考:
She was already on her way to work when she got the call, so she told them to wait until she finished work.(她接到电话时已经在去公司的路上,所以她请他们等她完工后再说。)
Rumors about their break-up have been circulating for days after they deleted all their photos together on Instagram, and the fans are still waiting for an official statement.(在他们删光IG上所有合照后,有关他们分手的传言传了好几天,粉丝目前还在等待官方的声明。)