109 连词概论

英语语法进深──博客

109   连词概论                                                                                               11/17/2014

  

连词与介词都是关连语.  不过连词有规则可循, 比较容易使用.  中文也有类似的一些连词单词.  如, 和,及,以及,或者,或,与其,宁可,而,并,并且,不但,而且,况且,何况,再说,因为,由于,和虽然 等.  但是不如英语使用时有规则.  它们也没有如英语一般的分类, 容易应用, 不致出错.

有了关连语的连词, 英语句子就有变化.  林语堂博士所写的 “开明英文法” 中有一个例子,说明修饰语及关连语在英语造句中的重要性(第九章9:10节第210-211页).  他举例说,  ‘Flood came’  是完全对的短句, 但是似乎太单调, 欠缺什幺, 至於这 ‘洪水’ (flood)在何时何地发生, 水势大小, 泛滥得可怕不可怕等等都没谈到.  读者及听者却希望多知道一些.  现在仅以关连语的加入, 连接修饰语, 说明该例句间的关系及连接, 如何把简单的  ‘Flood came’ 短句,  写成如下面所描述令人难忘的洪灾景象.

            (All of a sudden) and [1](without any warning) (the terrible) flood came, (a foaming, furious, thundering torrent), (that [2] destroyed houses, streets and [3] whole villages), (drowning men, women children, cats, dogs and [4] cattle) and [5] (turning the whole region into a lake, dotted here and [6] there with tree-tops and [7] house-roofs with men and [8] women on them like drowned monkeys).

     (中译:  突然间, 一点也没有预兆, 来了一阵可恐怖洪水── 一阵白浪滔天, 狂怒了似的响声如雷的激流──把房屋, 街道和一个个村落都毁灭了,  把男女和小孩, 猫狗和牛都淹死了,  全地变成了一片汪洋, 到处点缀着许多树顶和屋脊, 上面爬满了许多男男女女, 好象落汤鸡似的.) 

     用连词来连接并说明其句子中各词汇的关系(括号内是修饰语), 把简单句子 ‘Flood came’描绘成使人读后真是惊心动魄文句.  今说明这七个对等连词 “and”及一个从属连词 “that”等连词如何形成英语的可读性句子:

      1. 第一个and 连接All of a sudden 和without any warning两修饰短语

2. 第二个 ‘that’ 是从属连词, 用来连接独立句子flood came与从属子句. 说明其

    相互间的关系.

3. 第三个and 连接从属子句的宾语houses, streets 和 whole villages.

4. 第四个and 连接前面的修饰分词短语中的men, women children, cats, dogs 和

    cattle.

5. 第五个and 连接前后两个修饰分词短语.

6. 第六个and 连接后面修饰分词短语中的here 和there.

7. 第七个and 连接修饰介词短语中的宾语  tree-tops 和house-roofs. 

8. 第八个and连接修饰介词短语中的宾语men 和 women.

连词可明显的分为三大类:

1.      对等连词(Coordinating conjunctions): 如, but, or, yet, for, and, nor, so 等. 其应用是平行, 同等的, 没有主要或从属的分别.

例如:

      The dog and cat were sleeping peacefully. (单字的连接)

      She enjoys jogging but not swimming. (单字的连接)

      We were lost, for we had never been on this trail before.(独立子句的连接)

      Hoping to earn money and to save for school, Steve searched for a summer

                      job. (两个无限式短语的连接)

      He knew I was right, yet he continued to argue. (独立子句的连接)

[注]:  对等连词用斜体字表示.

 2.      从属连词(Subordinating conjunctions):  如, if, because, after, since, when, 
while, until, unless, although, for (作 "because ‘因为’ "), wherever, than, till, as 等.
它们只有连接独立子句和从属子句的功能. 只用于子句间的连接. 举例如下.

        例如:

    While I was in Texas, my motorcycle was stolen.

    You'll regret your actions, if you waste your money.

    The audience waited for the speaker until it grew weary.

    Because few students elected to take them, the courses were canceled.

        [注]:  独立子句用加黑字, 从属子句用斜体字.

            在从属连词内还包括一些关系代名词用成从属连词. 如, who, whom, whose,

which, what, that 等.  在前面我曾用很多长的时间来介绍, 因为它们在英语语

法中应用很广泛, 故在此不重复. (参考 83-87讲)

3.      相关的连词 (Correlative conjunctions)

     相关的连词都是成对的, 它们的功能不但连接句子中的字, 短语, 子句和句子;

并且阐明其间的关系.  如,  either. . . or, neither. . . nor, whether. . . or,
   both. . . and, not only. . . but also 等. 

     例如:
          Either you'll clean your equipment or you'll have to stay in camp.
             (连接子句)

Both Nancy and John were eager for the play to begin.   (连接单字)

  [注]:  我们在不定代名词谈到它们, 故在此也不重复. (参考82讲)