Mon, Jun 16, 2025 page11

• BOOKMAN BILINGUAL 雙語書林： Chinglish or Natural English? 中式英語或道地英語？

  The Dos and Don’ts of English 英語的對與錯

  • By 作 者 蘇正隆
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  1. 他昨天告訴我們，他已經寫完了他的第一本書。

  ˇ He told us yesterday that he had finished writing his first book.

  ˇ Yesterday he told us that he had finished writing his first book.

  

  hoto: AdobeStock l 圖片:AdobeStock

  χ He told us that he had finished writing his first book yesterday.

  註︰一般而言，時間副詞應放在句末，但誤句 yesterday 放在句末，會使人誤以為 yesterday 修飾從屬句中的 had finished，與原意不合，因此 yesterday 宜放在中間或句首。

  2. 從他的談吐中，我們可以看出他是有教養的人。

  

  hoto: AdobeStock l 圖片:AdobeStock

  ˇ We can tell from his speech that he is a well-educated man.

  ˇ From his speech we can tell that he is a well-educated man.

  χ We can tell that he is a well-educated man from his speech.

  註︰第三句不算錯，但 from his speech 放在句末，易使人誤解為修飾從屬句中的動詞，最好放在句首或主句動詞之後。

  3. 消息傳來，我們的人員受困沙漠。

  ˇ The news came that our men were stranded in a desert.

  χ The news that our men were stranded in a desert came.

  註： that 所引導的同位語從屬句，應緊接它所說明的詞 the news，但這裏從屬句過長，主詞與動詞隔得太遠，而主句中的動詞又僅僅是 came 一個字，讀來非常不順，遇到這種情況，從屬句要往後移。

  4. 他來這裡不是為了幫你。

  ˇ He did not come here to help you.

  χ He came here not to help you.

  註：一般來說，這裡 not 應與助動詞 did 結合。正句也可以解釋為「他沒有來這裡幫你」。只有在含有對照的敘述中，才用其他的否定形式。

  例如：

  He came here not to ask for your help, but to give you some information.（對照）

  A stronger bond between humans and their pets comes not from assumptions, but from true understanding.（對照）

  5. 母親在我桌上放了些水果，我下班後就把它吃了。

  ˇ After work, I ate the fruit which my mother put on my desk.

  χ My mother put some fruit on my desk which I ate after work.

  註：作限定形容詞從屬子句應盡可能緊接所修飾的先行詞。

  Exercises

  A. 他到那裡不是為了幫助他們。

  ____________________ help them.

  1. He went there not to 2. He did not go there to

  3. He did go there not to 4. He went there to not

  B. 謠傳他中了大獎。

  Rumor __________ that he won a grand prize.

  1. that have 2. it have

  3. has it 4. is

  Answers: A. 2 B. 3

  文章由書林出版公司提供：

  www.bookman.com.tw

  蘇正隆 — 台灣翻譯學學會前理事長、師大翻譯研究所兼任副教授; 編著《走讀自然.花言樹語》，《英語的對與錯》，《世紀病毒：必讀防疫英文知識與詞彙》...等。國家教育研究院中英雙語詞彙審議委員；研究領域為翻譯、術語及詞典編譯，從事植物與人文導覽數十年，亦曾應邀遠赴國外大學做植物人文導覽。
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