作为一个学了多年英语的英语专业学生，看了无数的英语文章和英语材料。但是，我不能说在这20多年的学习里，我真的能弄懂每个句子的逻辑和结构是什么。我一直觉得英语句子是没有规律、没有套路可循的。有的时候看一个稍微长一点、难一点的句子，就会觉得把我所学的语法都用上，好像也套不出来这句话的意思。可能是我的语法基础比较薄弱吧，但是，有的时候就是会觉得即便背了语法知识，还是很难去读懂一些句子。
后来，我工作了，在英语编辑部上班。刚开始辨析长难句的时候，我还是有点困惑，很多句子觉得难以下手。但是后来，慢慢地看多了，就发现其实句子的解读还是很有规律的。
怎么解读呢？那就是先看句子的主系表，或者主谓宾结构，然后再去看一些补充的成分。抓着这个规律，其实就很好理解句子了。比如：
1. Their pupils lead the rankings in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a triennial test of 15-year-olds around the world, and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which measures ten- and 14-year-olds.---《经济学人：Singapore’s school can do even better》
解析：这句话好像很长，但其实不难理解。首先，按照规律，抓主谓宾。Their pupils lead the rankings“他们的学生名列前茅”。然后in the OECD’s Programme for International...直到最后均为补充成分，说的是这些新加坡学生在哪些研究和项目上是名列前茅的。这两个项目分别为：the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a triennial test of 15-year-olds around the world“由OECD所举办的三年一度、针对15岁国际学生的评估项目（PISA）”，以及the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which measures ten- and 14-year-olds“针对10和14岁学生群体的国际数学与科学趋势研究”。
翻译小技巧：
Their pupils lead the rankings（重要信息） in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a triennial test of 15-year-olds around the world, and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which measures ten- and 14-year-olds.（背景信息）
这句话怎么翻译呢。中文喜欢把背景信息提前，但英文恰恰相反，喜欢把重要的信息先说。当然有时候也会放在最后。所以，这句话翻译成中文时，要调整一下语序，把次要的、背景信息提前，可以翻译为，“在由OECD所举办的三年一度、针对15岁国际学生的评估项目（PISA）中，以及在针对10和14岁学生群体的国际数学与科学趋势研究中，新加坡学生皆名列前茅。”
网络图片，侵删。
2. It’s a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. ---《傲慢与偏见：第一章》
解析：这句话是一个复合句，好像很复杂。那什么是复合句呢？就是一个句子里面有一个主句，和多个从句。主句呢，就是能单独成为句子的部分。那么，在这个句子里，主句就是It’s a truth universally acknowledged。可以看到，这个句子已经有主谓宾结构了，所以呢，它已经是一个完整的句子。而从句呢，就是在这个句子中不能独立存在的部分，也就是that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. 这个从句虽然也有主谓宾结构，但是因为有了that这个引导词，所以这个句子不再是一个完整的独立的句子，只能成为从句。从句是不能单独理解的，要加上主句，才能弄懂从句是什么意思。
It’s a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. ---《傲慢与偏见》
那么，要理解上面这个句子，按照刚才说的规律，只要抓着主干的主谓宾结构就行了，那就是It’s a truth“这个一个真理”。然后universally acknowledged, that...到最后均为补充这个真理的内容。universally acknowledged“全世界公认”，是一个后置定语成分，补充说明这个真理是“全世界公认的”。而that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. 是一个同位语从句，也是补充说明这个真理，交代这个真理的具体内容是什么，也就是“凡是有钱的单身汉，总想娶位太太。”要理解这个从句，也是抓主谓宾就行了a single man must be in want of a wife，至于in possession of a good fortune就是对主语a single man的补充成分了，说明这是一个“有着很多钱的单身汉”。
翻译小技巧：
It’s a truth universally acknowledged（评价性、总括性说明）, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.（内容）
中文喜先说内容，再给出评价性、总括性的说明：凡是有钱的单身汉，总想娶位太太，这已经成了一条举世公认的真理。
网络图片，侵删。
3. The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend. ---《傲慢与偏见：第三章》
解析：这是一个非常长的句子，说的是达西先生在进入舞会的时候，给在场宾客留下的印象。一看到这句话有可能你就会觉得很长、很难理解。但是用我们刚才说的那个规律，其实这句话还是很好理解的。这个句子有3个分号。
我们先看第1个分号里的内容：
The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity;
首先这个句子其实是一个比较复杂的复合句，有多个从句。那么先抓主句的主干内容，也就是加粗的部分，为由and连接的并列句：The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared... and he was looked at...这里说的其实是男宾客、女宾客的评价以及大家总体对达西先生的态度。男宾客称赞他一表人才：The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man（主谓结构，谓语用的是pronounce sb. to be...“判断某人是怎么样的”这样一个结构）。女宾客则认为他比彬格莱先生俊俏得多：the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley（declare后不是一个句子，而是一个省略了引导词that的从句，这个从句充当declared的宾语，补充说明这些女宾客对达西先生的具体评价）。而在场宾客对待达西先生的态度是仰慕的：and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening（主谓宾为he was looked at，而with... evening都是些补充成分，说明是用赞赏的眼光看的，看的时间持续了大半晚。）最后这个till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity也是一个从句，是说明直到什么时候宾客们才不再仰慕达西先生，也就是“他的态度让大家觉得很厌恶的时候”。这个从句的理解也是抓主谓宾his manners gave a disgust。
然后是第2个分号里的内容：
for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased;
这个分号里的内容说的是达西先生为什么让大家厌恶的原因，用for来引导原因状语从句。同样，理解的时候抓主谓宾：he was discovered to be... to be... and above...“人们才发现他为人高傲，看不起人，巴结不上他”。
最后是第3个分号里的内容：
and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.
第3个分号说的是达西先生这种态度造成的后果。要理解这句话，同样抓句子主干，也就是粗体的部分，是由and连接的并列句：not all his large estate could save him from having... and being unworthy...“无论他的资产多庞大，也无法挽回……和不配……”，而其他的都是补充的成分。
这第3个分号里的内容其实并不是从句，而是主句的一部分，要和第1个分号内的内容一起理解：The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared..., and he was looked at...; and not all his large estate could save him from having... and being unworthy...“男宾客认为他……，女宾客认为他……，他被怎么看待……不管他有多大的资产也无法挽回……和不配……”。
所以The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.
可以理解为“男宾们都称赞他一表人才，女宾们都说他比彬格莱先生俊俏得多。人们差不多有半个晚上都带着爱慕的目光看着他。最后人们才发现他为人高傲，看不起人，巴结不上，因此，对他起了厌恶之感，他那众望所归的极盛一时的场面才黯然失色。他既然摆起那么一副讨人嫌惹人厌的面貌，那么，不管他在德比郡有多大的财产，也挽救不了他，况且和他的朋友比起来，他更没有什么大不了。”
网络图片，侵删
所以，在这里就总结一下我这几年看长难句的收获啦。如果有人能看到，也希望能帮助到你。
网友评论