講了那么多，示範一下假如我是菜鳥 (我真的是菜鳥 ^_^)，我會怎樣學英語，學英語單詞。每次選一篇500字指定某個領域的英語文章，個人覺得剛開始最好選法律或經濟領域，先了解人家怎樣正正經經寫，怎樣用詞，怎樣造句，千萬別選什麼文學類啊，批評評論之類，一來用詞很難，二來通常這類文章不好讀，很快你就覺得沒意思。這里我選Alchian在Econlib寫的Property Right，之所以選他是因為他的文章非常清晰，用詞簡單直接。推薦大家向他學怎樣寫英語文章。
Property Rights
By Armen A. Alchian
One of the most fundamental requirements of a capitalist economic system—and one of the most misunderstood concepts—is a strong system of property rights. For decades social critics in the United States and throughout the Western world have complained that “property” rights too often take precedence over “human” rights, with the result that people are treated unequally and have unequal opportunities. Inequality exists in any society. But the purported conflict between property rights and human rights is a mirage. Property rights are human rights.
先讀第一段，不用說不懂的詞肯定要查，更重要的是要關注人家介詞的用法。例如 throughout，還有 with後面原來可以配result等等。
The definition, allocation, and protection of property rights comprise one of the most complex and difficult sets of issues that any society has to resolve, but one that must be resolved in some fashion. For the most part, social critics of “property” rights do not want to abolish those rights. Rather, they want to transfer them from private ownership to government ownership. Some transfers to public ownership (or control, which is similar) make an economy more effective. Others make it less effective. The worst outcome by far occurs when property rights really are abolished (seetragedy of the commons).
我自己閱讀英語文章的時候，特別留意主語是動作是名詞 (nominalization) 的情況，即主語的後輟有 tion的詞，然後看這類詞後面會配什麼動詞，記下來，以後寫作時候模仿人家的寫法。所以，我喜歡用詞組配簡單的句子，例如 詞組 + 動詞 + 詞組 。好像第二段第一句就是好例子，The definition, allocation, and protection of property rights comprise one of the most complex and difficult sets of issues，主語如果用中文表達可能是一句，英語則用詞組更緊密地表達。有時可能再加一句短小的從句，我喜歡從句寫得短來作修辭用途，有些人甚至有些老師強調越長越好，我沒本事，知道自己不是如福克納等大文豪(褔克納，亨利詹姆士等文豪特喜歡用長從句)，也不覺得他們寫的從句有什麼了不起。寫得短的好處是不會錯得太離譜，人家讀也好讀，幫你校對也好改。反正我寫英文是不求有功，但求無過啦。
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