一、巧用连接词
如果在写作中大量使用简单句,势必会导致句式单一,正确使用连接词不仅能够将简单句合并,而且能够将文章的内容更清楚、更连贯地表达出来。在表示逻辑关系时,可以选用以下四种连接词。
表示增补的连接词:and, as well as, besides, furthermore, moreover, not only...but also等;
表示转折的连接词:however, in spite, though, but, otherwise, whereas, nonetheless等;
表示原因的连接词:since, as, so, because, why等;
表示时间的连接词:before, after, since, as, until, meanwhile, when, whenever, as soon as等。
同时还可使用一些表示从属关系的连接词,如who,,what, that, which等。例如:
He was born in a small village. His father was a teacher in the village school. His mother did the housework. He began to go to his father's school at seven. He graduated from it six years later. He went to the junior middle school in a nearby town. He studied at a senior middle school in the county. He was a good student there.
尽管这段话中所有的句子都是正确的,但是句型单一,而且在八个句子中只有"His father"和"His mother"两个不同的主语,其他句子都是以"He"开头的。下面是修改后的段落:
He was born in a small village. His father taught at the village school and his mother did the housework. He began to study at his father's school at seven and six years later entered the junior middle school in a nearby town. After graduating from it he was admitted to a senior middle school in the county, where he proved to be a good student.
二、活用短语
简练是写作的一个重要原则。有时可以根据前后句子之间的关系,通过灵活使用分词短语、不定式短语、介词短语或形容词短语将从句简化成短语,这样不仅能够丰富句式,还能够用最少的词汇准确地表达最多的信息。例如:
1.If he had been born in the new society, he would have developed into a great artist.
2.She was so weak that she couldn't even stand up.
3.She was frightened when she saw a lion staring at her.
4.As she was not satisfied with this, she tried to think of a better solution.
可以把以上从句分别改成下面四个短语,从而达到用较少的词汇表达同样的内容,而且更符合英语的表达习惯:
1.Born in the new society, he would have developed into a great artist.
2.She was too weak to stand up.
3.She was frightened at the sight of a lion staring at her.
4.Not satisfied with this, she tried to think of a better solution.