英文寫作時,使用大量的英文短句會令文章節奏短促,讀起來有跌跌撞撞、不順暢的感覺。為了避免這樣的狀況發生,可以試著使用下面的方法:
1. 以對等連接詞連接句子
使用 “and、but、or、nor、yet、for、so” 等連接詞將完整句、子句或片語結合,是改變短句結構的常見用法。以下句為例:
例:Doonesbury cartoons satirize contemporary politics. Readers don’t always find this funny. They demand that newspapers not carry the strip.
修改為:Doonesbury cartoons laugh at contemporary politicians, but readers don’t always find this funny and demand that newspapers not carry the strip.
以連接詞銜接各句就能夠流暢地表達原意。
2. 以從屬連接詞(關係子句)連接
用從屬連接詞連接兩個句子會形成一個主要子句與從屬子句的結構,讓段落結構可以更多元。從屬連接詞列表如下:
“After、although、as、as if、because、before、even if、even though、if、if only、rather than、since、that、though、unless、until、when、where、whereas、wherever、whether、which、while”
例:The campus parking problem is getting worse. The university is not building any new garages.
修改為:The campus parking problem is getting worse because the university is not building any new garages.
例: The US has been highly dependent on foreign oil for many years. Alternate sources of energy are only now being sought.
修改為:Although the US has been highly dependent on foreign oil for many years, alternate sources are only now being sought.
在上述的例句中,從屬子句的位置可以在前也可以在後,而這樣的彈性配置讓寫作者可以視情況選用適合的表達方式,增加文章段落的變化性。
除了使用從屬連接詞之外,也可用關係代名詞所引導的關係子句來增進句構間的連接。
例:The university developed an innovative model. The model helps evaluate teachers’ teaching performance.
修改為:The university developed an innovative model that helps evaluate teachers’ teaching performance.
例:The boy is in white. The boy runs so fast.
修改為:The boy who is in white runs so fast.
下面的例句可以進一步簡化:
修改:The boy in white runs so fast.
這種進階的關係子句修改技巧可查閱其他相關的電子報介紹,此處不多加贅述。
總而言之,對一般寫作者來說,掌握基本的連接詞與從屬連接詞的使用,在適當的地方加以運用可令文章可讀性大幅增加,讓關鍵概念得以突顯出來,進而增加文章被接受出版的可能性。
過往有不少香港學者使用華樂思英文編修服務來檢查英文段落和句子結構,而我們的英文母語編修師在檢視稿件時,常常發現句子及文法的錯誤。因此若您對論文裡的結構有任何疑問,請隨時上傳您的稿件,讓我們為您打造精準、專業及高品質的作品!