英语讲义【163】怎样使句子简练利落

　　不是所有的长句都是罗唆的，也不是凡是短的句子都是洗练的。我们要尽量运用简练的句子；我们也要尽量把没有增添语意的词语去掉，并且将冗长句子节缩，使之简练利落。

　　我们可以从四方面着手：

　　一、消除多余的词语

　　每句话里的词藻或用语，如果对语意起不了作用就不要铺张，要给以铲除，因此（1）a-（7）a都嫌唠叨，要由（1）b-（7）b来取代：

　　（1）a. At this point of time

　 　　b. Now

　　（2）a. Bring all this to a conclusion.

　　　b. Concluding this.

　　（3）a. Has a tendency to drop

　 　　b. Can drop easily.

　　（4）a. On account of the fact that

　 　　b. As/Since

　　（5）a. Situated in the vicinity of

　 　　b. near

　　（6）a. June was detemined in her mind to

　 　　b. June was determind to /June decided to

　　（7）a. Here comes David, a person whom I idolise and for whom I have the greatest admiration.

　 　　b. Here comes David,a person I idolise./Here comes my idol, David.

　　二、避免不必要的重复

　　重复重要的字眼是种修辞手段，但是不必要或无目的的重复，却使句子累赘不自然，因此（8）a-（12）a要改为（8）b-（12）b:

　　（8）a. Close proximity

　 　　b. Proximity

　　（9）a. Cooperate together

　 　　b. Cooperate/work together

　　（10）a. Most unique

　 　 　b. unique

　　（11）a. The patient in Ward 2 is a mentally ill man.

　 　 　b. The patient in Ward 2 is mentally ill.

　　（12）a. A good teacher helps each student to become a better student, both academically and mentally.

　 　 　b. A good teacher helps each student to grow. /develop academically and mentally.

　　三、简化句子结构

　　句子结构务必明确易解，如果出现不必要的迂回状况，便要纠正加以简化，而且尽量采用恰当的动词，臻达这目的；因此（13）a-（14）a要改为（13）b-（14）b:

　　（13）a. Rarely should a doctor give a patient an estimate of how many months or years he or she will live.

　 　　　 b.Rarely should a doctor estimate/predict how long a patient will live.

　　（14）a. The manager is responsible for monitoring and balancing the annual budget for all expenses.

　　　　　b. The manager monitors and balances the annual budget.

　　四、将从句节缩为短语、短语简化为单词

　　英语从句和短语，特别是修饰性质者，可以简而略之，但语意不变，如（15）a和（16）a都可节缩为（15）b和（16）b:

　　（15）a. The oral approach,which is a method of language teaching,is effective for teaching oral communication.

　　　　b. The oral approach, a method of language teaching, is effective for teaching oral communication.

　　（16）a. Janets jacket, made of cotton, is too warm for hot weather here.

　　　　b. Janets cotton jacket, is too warm for hot weather