句子是文章的基礎,英語單句練習是英語寫作練習的一項基本功。如何指導學生正確使用語法規則去遣詞造句,寫出合乎語法要求、用詞恰當的句子是英語教學中十分重要的問題。
本文從英語規范、良好表達角度,結合句子的準確性、統一性、平行性和多樣性四種屬性要求,結合寫作實例,進行了簡要的分析。
一、用詞的準確性
有道是“萬丈高樓從底起”,寫作亦然。如果一篇文章連最基本的句子都失范了,那還有什么段落、篇章和寫作技巧可言呢?即使是勉強拼湊成文,也必然是邏輯混亂、語義缺失,或令人不知所云,或令人頓生歧見,甚而可能會鑄成大錯。
現列舉以下例子進行分析:
例1:How you behave at dinner will expose the kind of person you are.
例2:During the dinner, don't forget to speak some interesting things in a friendly way with others.
上例引自學生習作,畫線單詞所表現出的用詞失范現象非常典型。顯然,例1中expose一詞運用不當。該詞意為“暴露,顯露”(如Do not expose it to the sun.)或“揭示,揭露”(如He exposed the plan to the police.)。由于學生只知中文意思而不顧英語慣用法,所以該詞的使用顯然不妥,應用reveal或show替換。在例2中,speak一詞表示“說某種語言”,后面常跟表示語言的詞。此外,它還作不及物動詞使用。例2中使用speak不妥當,應改為say。另外,some和things合并為something interesting置于其后則更為準確,更為符合英語習慣。
由此可見,在平時的英語教學中,教師應特別注意基本詞匯——同義詞、近義詞在使用性質、范圍、方法及搭配方式、習慣用法等方面的使用方法。在教學中應多舉例子,反復比較,嚴格訓練,讓學生能夠區分詞匯的用法。讓學生通過讀寫積累詞匯,避免出現用中文詞匯套用英文詞義的錯誤做法,平時多做改錯練習,從而保證學生寫出正確的英語句子和符合英語表達方式的文章。
二、句子的統一性
句子的統一性(Unity)也是寫作教學中的一個關鍵組成部分。所謂“統一”,即是指每一句話只能有一個中心思想或語義核心,這樣有助于清楚地表達思想。在教學時,教師應注意以下兩點:
第一,必須講清每句話只有一個中心思想的原則,而相關的次要語義成分則應改為從屬句或分句短語等適當形式,把不相關的語義成分分開,各自成句。
例1:I was walking in the park yesterday morning,and saw a snake.
此句結構松散,中心思想不明確,前后兩部分含義獨立,相互之間關系不密切,缺乏統一性。可將句子改為:Yesterday morning,while l was walking in the park,I saw a snake.如此修改,詞句重點突出明確,主次分明,使讀者一目了然。
例2:Bom in a small village in 1966,he grew up to be a postgraduate.
此句過去分詞短語和主句的含義不相關,分別屬于不同的兩個概念,缺乏統一性。應改為:He was bom in a small village in 1966.He finally became a postgraduate.
第二,避免用and,but以及so等連詞把不關聯的語義成分連接成一個句子,過多的細節會喧賓奪主,影響句子的中心思想。
例如:The vessel made for the shore,and the passengers soon crowded into the boats,and the beach was reached in safety,where the inhabitants of the island received them with the utmost kindness.
此句中的and把幾個各有不同主語的分句勉強地連接在一起,造成句子概念模糊,意思混亂。通過分析,此句真正的主語顯然是the passenger,因此,按照此線索可以將此句改為:
The vessel having made for the shore, the passengers soon crowded into the boats,and safely reached the beach,where they were received with the utmost kindness by the inhabitants of the island.
綜上所述,句子不論長短,其各個組成部分都是為一個中心思想服務,句子中任何一個從句、短語或一個詞,都應在合適的位置上。要想思想表達清晰和主次分明,就應遵循句子的統一性,只有這樣才能寫出完美統一的句子。
三、句子的平行性
句子的平行性(Parallelism)指當一個句子的語言材料在形式與作用方面相同,而且重復使用時,采用相同的詞類或結構使其對稱。平行結構可使句子自然平穩、句子清楚、語義貫通和音調和諧。反之,就會破壞結構對稱,使句子生硬別扭。在教學中,通過對比方式讓學生領會句子平行性的意義及特點。
例1:When l was young,I liked to swim,playing tennis and riding.
此句的三個動詞賓語的形式不一致:to swim,playing,riding。其中,to swim和其他并列產生結構失衡。鑒此,此句結構應當做如下調整:When I was young,I liked swimming,playing tennis and riding.
例2:She is charming,intelligent,and a very capable young woman.
此句結構不平行的原因在于and并列的a very capable young woman與前面的charming和intelligent不協調,結果破壞了句子的平行性。很簡單,此句應當用三個形容詞形成平行結構,改為:She is charming, intelligent, and capable.
例3:A man is judged not only by what he says but also by his actions.
此句中not only…but also所連接的成分不一致,what he says和by his actions不能形成平行結構,因此應適當調整,改為:A man is judged not only by his words but also k by his actions.或者改為:A man is judged not only by what he says but also by how he acts.
四、句子的多樣性
句子的多樣性(Variety)指根據句義使句式富有變化,生動活潑、重點突出及饒有趣味。寫作時,如果只用一種句式,文章會因句式簡單而顯得單調乏味,例如:They were waiting for the meeting to begin. They talked with each other.They talked about the women’s volleyball team.The team had won victories in Tokyo.
顯然,此段落平淡枯燥,句間無內在聯系,因而也就缺乏正常的表現力和感染力。如果遵循句子多樣性原則,將各句之間適當地連接起來,那么此語段的表現力就會得到改善,例如:While waiting for the meeting to begin,They talked about the victories won by the woman’s volley ball team in Tokyo.
在教學上需要注意的是,句式變化決不是簡單地將單句連接成長句,而是要分析句間關系,選用最佳方法,使文章句式靈活多樣、生動活潑。
為了使學生靈活多樣地運用句式,教師應多給學生布置一些一句多譯練習。例如:“因為身體很差,他被迫放棄工作。”學生可根據學過的從句,將此句譯成分詞短語、獨立結構、with的復合結構、虛擬語氣、強調句等句式:
1.He had to give up working because he was in poor health。
2.He was in poor health,so he had to give up working.
3.He had to give up working because of poor health.
4.Being in poor health,he had to give up working.
5.His health being poor,he had to give up working.
6.He had to give up working,with his health being poor.
7.His poor health forced him to give up working.
8.1f he had not been in poor health,he would,not have had to give up working.
9.1t was because of poor health that he had to give up working.
一句多譯,開拓了學生思路,既訓練了學生綜合運用知識的能力,又為其靈活表達思想積累了更豐富的詞匯和語言材料。
綜上所述,英語寫作是英語教學中的一個涉及面很廣的教學部分,而句子寫作則是其重要組成部分。在教學實踐中,教師應時常引導學生進行寫作基本功訓練,引導學生多讀、多寫、多觀察、多思考、多練習。