新SAT文法：簡潔有效才能拿高分

相信看過星爺?shù)摹洞笤捨饔巍返耐瑢W(xué)們一定會對孫悟空的一段臺詞記憶深刻：

“大家看到啦?這個家伙沒事就長篇大論婆婆媽媽嘰嘰歪歪，就好像整天有一只蒼蠅，嗡……對不起，不是一只，是一堆蒼蠅圍著你，嗡……飛到你的耳朵里面，救命啊……” (悟空倒地翻滾，異常痛苦。)

這段話是孫悟空在抱怨唐僧的嘮叨，電影中的孫悟空不喜歡啰嗦的表達。其實，新SAT文法對句子的考察也不喜冗長，偏愛簡潔。

英語句子的簡潔性是英語寫作的高級目標，學(xué)會寫簡潔的句子是一個人語言應(yīng)用能力的重要體現(xiàn)。當(dāng)然，簡潔并不完全意味著最短的選項即為正確答案，有時候當(dāng)你選擇一個過于簡短的選項，會失去部分有效的句意。

所謂“簡潔性”是指用盡可能少的詞和盡可能簡單的句式結(jié)構(gòu)表達盡可能多的內(nèi)容。在處理簡潔性這一原則的時候，我們應(yīng)把握以下原則：

1.刪去或簡化無實義的表達

Original: He is a man who is always busy. He often switches in a hasty manner from one task to the next.

More concise: He is always busy. He often switches hastily from one task to the next.

盡管在這兩個例句中，前后兩句話含義相同，但毫無疑問，改造后的句子要簡潔得多，它們符合表達的“經(jīng)濟性”原則。要提高英語表達的效果和效率，就要設(shè)法提高語言表達的簡潔性。

同學(xué)們可以將下表中列舉的簡潔化表達運用于做題中：

Cutting empty words

Original More concise

At all times Always

At the present time Currently

At this point in time Now

For the purpose of For

The question as to whether Whether

Used for the purpose of Used for

Due to the fact that Because (表示原因使用because最簡)

Because of the fact that Because

The reason why…… is that Because

In spite of /despite the fact that Although

Call your attention to the fact that Remind you that

The question as to whether Whether

There is no doubt No doubt

Used for fuel purpose Used for fuel

He is a man who He

In a hasty manner Hastily

In the final analysis Finally

For the purpose of For

2.避免重復(fù)

Original: Novice drivers who do not have much experience driving are more More precise: likely to be involved in car accidents.

More concise: Novice drivers are more likely to be involved in car accidents.

在第一句中，“we do not have much experience driving”是不必要的，因為我們已經(jīng)得知他們是 “novice drivers”。因為“Novice”表示的就是缺乏經(jīng)驗的新手，不需要重復(fù)使用 “do not have much experience driving”。

那么，我們來結(jié)合題目看看如何做到不使用重復(fù)的詞：

The pattern Box observed in 2012 may repeat itself again, with harmful effects on the Arctic ecosystem.(OG P357)

A)NO CHANGE

B)Itself,

C)Itself, with damage and

D)Itself possibly,

正確選項：B

通過判斷，我們會發(fā)現(xiàn)題目中的repeat和選項A中的again重復(fù)，題目中的harmful effects和選項C中的damage重復(fù)，題目中的may和選項D中的possibly重復(fù)，所以正確答案為B。類似重復(fù)的表達還有 “each year”和”annually”, “at the same time”和 “simultaneously”等，希望同學(xué)們可以在做題過程中多多積累。

3.優(yōu)先原則：

3.1主動語態(tài)優(yōu)先于被動語態(tài)：主動語態(tài)通常比被動語態(tài)更直接(direct)，更有力(powerful);

3.2直接使用動詞優(yōu)先于there be結(jié)構(gòu);

Original: There were a great number of dead leaves lying on the ground.

More concise: Dead leaves covered the ground.

3.3行為動詞 優(yōu)先于be動詞

Original: The reason that he left college was that his health became impaired.

More concise: Failing health compelled him to leave college.

3.4 詞優(yōu)先于短語，短語優(yōu)先于從句，從句優(yōu)先于完整句

Original: The weight-loss industry faces new competition from lipolysis, which is a cosmetic procedure that is relatively noninvasive.

More concise: The weight-loss industry faces new competition from lipolysis, a relatively noninvasive cosmetic procedure.

錢歌川教授在《翻譯的基礎(chǔ)知識》一書印證了flesh 的研究結(jié)果：“伊麗莎白時代的文句，長度平均是四十五字，維多利亞時代平均是二十九字，到現(xiàn)代便只是十幾二十字了。”現(xiàn)代英語正朝著更簡潔的方向發(fā)展，同學(xué)們在做題的過程中多多注意語言的簡潔有效性，這才是王道。