English lesson 10

pp95

English lesson 10

English lesson 10 ----- STRANGE STRUCTURE OF SENTENCE.

题目:奇怪的句子构造


Index:大纲:
(1) exclamation(惊叹)
(2) as soon as
(3) Bush it is.
(4) The company to be in the black.
(5) How come newspapers use present tense to tell the matter in the past?(为什么英文报纸用present tense 来诉说过去的事情?)
(6) include, including
(7) the word (so) at the beginning of a clause((so) 这个字在分句前面)


(1) exclamations(惊叹)

Boy, am I hungry!
Wow, did she make a mistake!
Was I furious!
Have you got a surprise coming!
How beautiful are the flowers!
Am I mad!


How come they put ‘am’ in front of ‘I’? Aren’t we supposed to put ‘I am..’, ‘She is..’?

为什么他们把‘am’ 放在 ‘I’前面? 我们不是应该说 ‘I am..’, ‘She is..’?

They are exclamations. America speakers may use ordinary (non-negative) question forms in exclamations.

这些是惊叹.美国人可能用正常的(没有isn't , aren't)问的方式在惊叹.



[By the way, the name of this structure of sentence is ‘inversion’. When we put an auxiliary verb (must, should, shall) and non-auxiliary verb (be, do and have) before the subject (he, she, it, John, Peter) of a clause in several different structures.]

(这种句子的构造被称为‘inversion’"倒转,否定,倒置".)

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(2)as soon as

(a) I had hardly / scarcely closed my eyes when the phone rang. （我刚关上眼睛，电话就响起了。）
(b) She was hardly / scarcely inside the house before the kids started screaming. （她刚进到屋子里面，孩子们就开始呼叫了。）
(c) I had no sooner closed the door than somebody knocked. （我一关门，有人就敲门了。）


In a formal or literary style, these structures are sometimes used with inverted word order. (see the definition of inversion in number one)

在一个正式的或者文学的方式,这些构造可能用在倒转或倒置的文字秩序.

(a) Scarcely had I arrived at the station before the train left.（我刚抵达车站，火车就走了）
(b) Hardly had I arrived at the station when the train left. （我刚抵达车站，火车就走了）
(c) No sooner had I arrived at the station than the train left. （我刚抵达车站，火车就走了）


What do they mean?

它们的含义是什么?

They mean:

它们的含义是:

(a) ..hardly..when / before ... （刚。。。就。。。）
(b) ..scarecely.. when / before .. （刚。。。就。。。）
(c) ..no sooner..than.. （一。。。就。。。）


Anyway, this is old-fashioned English. Today we would say,

无论如何,这是老式的英语.今天我们会说,

‘As soon as I got to the station, the train had left.’ （我刚抵达车站，火车就走了）


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(3)Bush it is.

English is confusing. When the American President was selected. The newspapers said, 'Bush it is' while I don’t know what this means. About 'Bush it is.', does that mean whatever I choose, I can say, 'Something it is.'? If I choose a ball, I can say, 'Ball it is.'? If I choose this girl to be my partner, I can say, 'This girl it is." ?

英语时常混淆人.当美国总统布什当选时,英文报写'Bush it is' .我不明白这个句子的含义.

关于'Bush it is'这种句子的方式,这是不是表示我可以说,我选什么,我就说, 'Something it is.'?如果我选一粒球, 我是否可以说, 'Ball it is.'? 如果我选这个女孩子成为我的伴侣, 我是否可以说, 'This girl it is." ?



ANWER:答案:
‘Bush it is’ - this type of phrase is used when there is some competition between two or more people or teams. So in the US election the fight was between Bush and Gore. Bush won so we might say, ‘Bush it is’ when giving the result.

‘Bush it is’ - 这种句子类型是用在当有两个或多个竞争的人或队伍. 在有一次美国总统选举,两个竞争对手是布什和格尔. 布什赢了,所以我们说,‘Bush it is’ 当宣布成绩.

If we had the choice between a ball and a racket and we chose the ball then we could say ‘The ball it is.’ You might say, "The soccer ball it is" if you had to choose among several balls.

如果你选择球或球拍,而你选球,你可以说‘The ball it is.’你也可以说, "The soccer ball it is"如果你必须选不同运动类型的球.

If we are choosing a partner there has to be a choice between two or more!! If I have the choice between Mary and Ann and I want to choose Ann - I would say ‘Ann it is.’ You might say, "The red-headed girl it is" if you were trying to decide which girl you wanted.

如果我们正在选一个伴侣,必须有一个选择在两者或多者之间.如果你有一个选择在Mary 和 Ann中间,而你选择了Ann,我就会说‘Ann it is.’你可能说 "The red-headed girl it is" 如果你选其中一个你不知道名字的女孩子.

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(4) The company to be in the black.


ANWER:答案:
That's rather common form for a newspaper headline. 'To be in the black' means that they will show a profit. 'To be in the red' means that they're losing money. It's an accounting term.

这是很普遍的方式对于英文报纸头条.'To be in the black' 的含义是他们赚钱.'To be in the red' 的含义是他们亏钱. 这是会计的术语.

It is a quotation from a newspaper and is another case of 'journalese' where the writer has left out a number of words to give the statement more impact. Newspapers tend to leave out words which are not really necessary in order to make their headlines bigger.

这是一个从英文报纸摘录的句子和另一种新闻记者的文体的方式.写的人省去一大堆字以便让陈述更有影响力.英文报章倾向于省略许多不必要的字以便让报纸的标题更大.

‘The company to be in the black’ means ‘The company will be in the black.’ It is correct if it is a headline.

‘The company (to) be in the black’ 的含义是 ‘The company (will) be in the black.’ 如果这是报纸标题,这是正确的.

If I was speaking it then I would say, ‘The company will be in the black.’ or ‘The company should be in the black.’ depending on how certain it is.

如果我在平常会话中说,我会说, ‘The company (will) be in the black.’ 或者 ‘The company (should) be in the black.’ 取决于我有多么肯定.

[ 本帖最后由 pp95 于 2007-12-31 21:14 编辑 ]

pp95

(5) How come newspapers use present tense to tell the matter in the past?

题目:为什么英文报纸用present tense (现在时式)来描述过去的事情


I find that the newspapers like to use present tense in the headline or in the news.

我发觉英文报章喜欢用present tense (现在时式)在标题或者新闻中.

For example ----列如:
(1) I heard the children screaming, (says) the girl.
(2)"eople are disillusioned." She (says).
(3) Desease peaked. Doctor says

QUESTION:问题:
Aren't they supposed to use "past tense" as it was in the past. The sentences here can't be wrong as they were taken from "TIME" magazine.

他们不是应该用"past tense"(过去时式)既然这些事情发生在过去?这些句子不会错误因为它们是从 "TIME" 杂志摘录下来的.

ANSWER:答案:
Sorry I didn't comment on the examples from Time magazine.  Clearly the reporter is writing about an interview she has done.  Using the present tense gives an immediacy and authenticity to her article.   It is up-to-the-minute reporting, even if it is not completely correct English.

对不起,我没有评论"TIME" 杂志的例子.明显的,记者正在写她正在写她已经做的访问.用现在时式比较直接性和真实性给她的文章.这是最新的报道,虽然这不是完全正确的英语.

This is choice of style and the decision is often left up to the writer. In this case, I think the writer wanted to give a feeling of and interview that was going on as you - the reader - were reading it.  That is why he used the present tense for the "say" verbs.  It makes the situation in the article seems more "now." Perhaps the author thought that using the past tense would take away some of the immediacy (the "now"ness) of the story.

这是方式和决定的选择,和归于写作人决定.在这个情况,我觉得写作人要给一种感觉,访问正在进行当读者正在读有关文章的时候.这就是为什么他用现在时式在"say"这个动词.这样做,让文章的形势显得很"现在".或许作者以为用过去时式会拿掉一些故事的直接性和现在感.

This is a journalistic convention.  The writer uses the simple present tense as if he is interviewing the doctor as he writes.  It makes the news seem more immediate.

这是一个新闻业的惯例.写的人用现在时式仿佛他正在访问那个医生当他写的时候.它使新闻变得更有直接性.

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(6)include, including

How come we should use "include" in this sentence "Hobbies include net surfing."?

为什么我们必须用"include"在"Hobbies include net surfing."这个句子?

How come we should use "including" in this sentence "I've washed all my clothes this morning, including the bed sheets as well."?

为什么我们必须用"including" 在 "I've washed all my clothes this morning, including the bed sheets as well."这个句子?

When to use include and including?

到底什么时候用include 或者 including?


ANSWER:答案:

In the first sentence, "include" is the verb.  In the second sentence, the verb is "washed" and "including . . ." is a participial phrase.

在第一个句子,"include"是一个动词.在第二个句子,"washed" 和 "including . . ."是一个分词的短语.

Anyway, I have to correct some of the mistakes in the sentences.

无论如何,我必须改正一些句子的错误.

(i) "My hobbies include net surfing."
(`Include' is a verb here.)
(`Include' 在这里是一个动词.)

(ii)  I've washed all my clothes this morning, including the bed sheets.
(Leave out `as well': `including' means `as well'.)
(略去 `as well': `including' 的含义是 `as well'.)

You have MISUSED（错用） the present-participle phrase: In this sentence it is functioning as an adjective. It should therefore describe the noun closest to it: `all my clothes'.

你已经错用现在分词短语. 在这个句子,它的作用是形容词.它必须形容最接近它的名词: `all my clothes'


So either:所以,你或者说:

(a) I've washed all my clothes this morning, including my socks. (`All my clothes' is described as `including my socks' It cannot be described by `including the bedsheets' because `the bedsheets' are not included  in `my clothes'.)

(a) I've washed all my clothes this morning, including my socks.(`All my clothes'(我全部的衣服) 应该被描述成 `including my socks'(包刮我的袜子)它不应该被描述成`including the bedsheets'(包刮我的床单)因为`the bedsheets'(床单)不包刮在 `my clothes'(我的衣服). )

or:或者:

(b) I've washed everything this morning, including the bedsheets.
(`Everything' is described as `including the bedsheets'. Or: `everything' includes `bedsheets'.)
(`Everything' (每一样东西)被描述成 `including the bedsheets'(包刮我的床单).或者`everything' (每一样东西)包刮`bedsheets'(床单).)


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(7) THE WORD (SO) AT THE BEGINNING OF A CLAUSE

题目so) 这个字在分句前面


When we talk to people, we will hear the people say the sentences like “So I heard.”, “So I understand.”, “So they say.”

当我们和别人说话的时候,我们会听到别人说一些句子如“So I heard.”, “So I understand.”, “So they say.”

Now, what does the word ‘so’ mean here? The word ‘so’ does not seem to mean ‘therefore’ in those sentences. Can you tell me its meaning here?

‘so’ 在这些句子的含义是什么?‘so’在这里的含义不像是"所以".你可以告诉我‘so’ 在这些句子的含义吗?

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A structure is possible with so at the beginning of a clause, with be, say, hear, understand, tell, believe and a number of other verbs. This structure is used

一种‘so’在分句前面的句子结构是可能的.它会同时和 be, say, hear, understand, tell, believe 和一些其他的动词用在一起.这些结构被用在:

(1) to say where the speakers’ opinion comes from(表达讲话的人的意见是哪里来的)
(2) to say you heard/saw what the person say.(表达你听到或明白这个人说什么)
(3) to agree with something that has just been mentioned and that you had not noticed or had forgotten(表达你同意一件刚刚提过的事情,而你没有注意或忘记)

* This structure is not used with the verbs think, hope or suppose
(这一种结构的句子没有被用和 think, hope or suppose这些动词)

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(1) to say where the speakers’ opinion comes from(表达讲话的人的意见是哪里来的)

Example:
It is going to be a cold winter, or so the newspaper says.


(2) to say you heard/saw what the person say.(表达你听到或明白这个人说什么)

Example:列子:
A: Mary’s getting married.
B: Yes, so I heard.

A: The professor’s ill.
B: So I understand(heard).

A: I broke my leg.
B: So I see. How did it happen?

A: I hate my dyed hair.
B: So you said.


(3) to agree with something that has just been mentioned and that you had not noticed or had forgotten(表达你同意一件刚刚提过的事情,而你没有注意或忘记)

Example:
A: My eyes are slightly different colours.
B: So they are.

A: That is her brother --- he looks like James Dean.
B: So he does.

A: There, I told you there was a sculpture outside the restaurant.
B: So there is ---- how strange I hadn’t noticed it.

A: I’m sorry I am late.
B: So you should be.

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[ 本帖最后由 pp95 于 2007-12-31 21:16 编辑 ]