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英语表达中的言不由衷

        当我们判定一个句子是肯定还是否定,我们多会首先从形式上加以裁判。在汉语里有“不”“非”等,在英语里有“no”“not”等来表示否定;用“是”“yes”来表示肯定。

       句中使用了表示否定意义的词的句子为否定句,反之则为肯定句。在绝大多数时候,句子的形式及其传达的意义是统一的。然而,无论中文还是英文,都会出现由于表达的习惯,语气的不同以及修辞等目的,用否定句式表达肯定含义,用肯定形式表达否定含义的“言不由衷”的情况。

       在英语中,时常为了达到某种交际的目的而采取一种以否定句式来表达肯定含义的修辞方法,以加强语气或使语气更加委婉含蓄。我们常使用一些特殊的手段来达到此目的。

       第一,词汇和短语手段。

       cannot / couldn't 或 can / could + 否定词(not, never, hardly, scarcely, etc);

       eg: I can't wait to see him. ( = I'm excited to see him.)

       否定词 no, not, little, nothing, none, nobody, etc 与 but, beyond, except, etc 连用。

       eg: Nobody but Peter can do it well. ( = Only Peter can do it well.)

       第二,使用一些特殊的句式。

       否定形式的虚拟语气句;

       eg: If he had not study hard, he could not go to college now. ( = Thanks to his hard work, he is in college now.)

       否定的一般疑问句;

       eg: Don't you think we should try again? ( = I think we should try again.)

       否定的特殊疑问句;

       eg: There is a lift, but why not use the lift? ( = You should use the lift since there is a lift.)

       含有过去时的 no sooner... than 等否定结构的句子;

       eg: No sooner had she got to Guangzhou, she called me. ( = She called me the moment she reached Guangzhou.)

       含有 not + 表瞬间动作的动词 + till / untill 的短语或从句。

       eg: He didn't come back till 12:00. ( = He came back at 12:00.)

       与此同时,又有一些肯定的句式表达着否定的含义。我们也借助一些词汇和句型来达到此目的。

        在名词及短语中,常见的有absence(不在)、stranger(不熟悉);

       eg: I am a stranger in this city. ( = I am not familiar with this city.)

       动词及短语有escape(逃过)、ignore(忽略)、miss(错过);

       eg: I missed the early bus. ( = I didn't catch the early bus.)

       形容词及短语有last(不愿意的)、deaf to(不听)、blind to(看不见);

       eg: He is the last man I want to see. ( = I don't want to see him at all.)

       介词及短语except、instead of;

       eg: I'd like all kinds of food except noodle. ( = I don't like noodle.)

       在复合句中包含before引出的状语从句。

       He left before I got there. ( = When I got there he wasn't there.)

       英语中为表达否肯含义的肯否句式精彩纷呈。了解、熟悉并掌握这些表意手段不仅可以帮助我们正确地理解英文,还可以丰富我们的表达手段。以肯表否或以否表肯的语言现象说明,学习语言不仅要注意语句的表层结构(surface structure),更要研究其深层结构(deep stucture),即要研究其形式和传达的意义之间的各种不同类型的生成关系,切不可不求甚解,望文生义,将语句误解或错用。

(来源:英语写作网)

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