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巧用还原法 破解语法难点

2020-12-11余慧华

求学·理科版 2020年11期
关键词:陈述句虚拟语气空格

余慧华

高中英语语法的学习是培养高中学生语言能力,提高语言水平的必要手段。笔者在教学中逐步摸索出“还原法”来帮助同学们更好地理解一些语言现象,从而提高语法学习的效果。所谓“还原法”,顾名思义,即是把觉得难以理解的、复杂的语言现象通过各种形式进行简化还原,便于对该语言现象的理解和把握,从而对相关语法知识理解得更加透彻。

运用“还原法”分析定语从句

在定语从句的教学中,同学们最难把握的就是关系代词和关系副词的选定。请看下面例句:

①I will never forget the day___________we spent together.

②I will never forget the day ___________I first met him.

以上两个例句看起来非常相像,它们的主句相同,都是 “I will never forget the day” ,后面定语从句的先行词都是“the day”。要想确定空格部分到底填关系代词还是关系副词,首先要确定先行词“the day”在定语从句中所承担的成分。如何确定先行词在定语从句中所承担的成分呢?我们可以把定语从句抽离出来,同时把先行词还原到定语从句中,请看如下句子:

③We spent the day together.

④I first met him on the day.

如此还原以后,就很容易看出句③中,the day在定语从句中作spent的宾语,因此,句①空格处应填关系代词which或者that或者省略。句④中,the day需要和介词on一起构成介宾短语在句中作时间状语,所以,句②中空格处应填表示时间的关系副词when或者on which。即:

I will never forget the day which/that/不填 we spent together.

I will never forget the day when/on which I first met him.

利用“还原法”来分析,把原本看似差不多的两个句子之间的差别凸显出来,为我们理解定语从句的关系代词和关系副词的选定提供了依据和帮助。

运用“还原法”分析名词性从句

名词性从句的连接词的选用也是高中英语语法中的一个难点。我们也可以运用“还原法”把句子结构理顺,从而解决这个问题。

(2018年北京卷)This is___________my father has taught me——to always face difficulties and hope for the best.

我们把句中的表语从句连同空格一起抽离出来并还原成陈述句语序,即:

My father has taught me___________.

从这里我们可以看出来has taught 后面缺直接宾语,所以要填连接代词。再结合句意,空格处应填表示事物的连接代词what。

(2016年天津卷)The manager put forward a suggestion___________we should have an assistant. There is too much work to do.

我们还是把从句部分连同空格一起抽离出来,即:

___________we should have an assistant.

这个句子结构完整,句意解释说明了suggestion的内容,因此可以确定空格处应该填引导同位语从句的that。

(2017年北京卷)Jane moved aimlessly down the tree-lined street, not knowing___________she was heading.

我们仍然把not knowing 后面的宾语从句连同空格一起抽离出来,并还原成陈述句:

She was heading.

作者要表达的意思是Jane沿着林荫道漫无目的地走着,不知前往何处。句中head是不及物动词,空格处要么是表示地点或方向的副词,要么是介词加宾语,总之空格处应该是状语,所以此处应该填where。

运用“还原法”分析强调句型

在学习强调句型的过程中,有些同学由于理解不够透彻,在实际运用中出现各种各样的问题。其实,我们仍然可以在“还原法”的帮助下真正理解和把握强调句型的关键点,从而使之运用自如。

(1)运用“还原法”辨识强调句型

有些句型容易跟强调句型混淆,例如下面两个句子:

①It was at midnight___________I received his message.

②It was midnight___________I received his message.

如何判断是不是强调句型,最简便易行的办法就是把it is/was和that/who去掉,将剩下的部分还原成陈述句,看句子是否完整。以上两句我们依此方法还原一下:

I received his message at midnight.(句子结构和意义都是完整的)

I received his message midnight.(midnight不能独立作狀语,需要一个介词at)

由此,我们可以判断出句①是强调句型,空格处填that;句②不是强调句型,空格处应该填when来引导时间状语从句。

再来看一个句子:

—Where did you get to know her?

—It was on the farm___________we worked.

这个句子很容易错填that。根据句子意思,答句其实是省略了一部分的强调句,补充完整是“It was on the farm___________we worked that I got to know her.”运用“还原法”把it was 和that 去掉, 剩下的部分组成一个陈述句,即:

I got to know her on the farm___________we worked.

这样就很容易判断出来此处應该填where来引导定语从句。带有类似陷阱的句子还有很多,我们再看一例:

—Who are making so much noise in the garden?

—___________the children.

A.It is        B. They are      C. That is       D. There are

根据对话的意思,把答句还原成完整的句子,便是It is the children that are making so much noise in the garden. 即选A。

(2)运用“还原法”处理“not...until”的强调句型

很多同学遇到“It is /was not until + 时间状语/时间状语从句 +that + 剩余部分”这种强调句型的时候不知如何作答,有的同学甚至因为not位置改变而把句意理解反了。我们以下面这句话为例看看如何运用“还原法”来帮助我们正确理解句意:

(2015年重庆卷改编)Bach died in 1750, but it was not until the early 19th century that his musical gift was fully recognized.

先把强调句型中it was和that去掉,剩下的部分还原成陈述句,即:

His musical gift was not fully recognized until the early 19th.

直到19世纪初,他的音乐天赋才得到充分认可。

句子还原以后,句意就明了多了。

(3)运用“还原法”处理强调句型的疑问句

强调句型的疑问句分为一般疑问句和特殊疑问句,其构成如下:

一般疑问句:  Is / Was it +被强调部分+that /who+ 剩余部分。

特殊疑问句:特殊疑问词 +is / was it + 被强调部分 +that /who + 剩余部分

如:___________is it that makes some people appear astonishingly youthful while others seem much older than their actual age?

对这个句子的理解,我们可以分几步进行多次还原。

第一步:还原成强调陈述句,即:___________

It is___________that makes some people appear astonishingly youthful while others seem much older than their actual age.

第二步:还原成非强调的陈述句,也就是去掉it is和that,即:

___________makes some people appear astonishingly youthful while others seem much older than their actual age.

经过这两步还原,就很清楚原句是对陈述句中的主语进行提问,所以空格处用疑问代词what。

运用“还原法”分析虚拟语气

英语中的虚拟语气可以表达丰富的语用含义,它不是简单地陈述一个事实,而是表达言外之意,以达到某种特定的交流目的。很多同学在学习虚拟语气的时候只是死记硬背虚拟语气的句型,不去理解虚拟语气的语用含义,因此在实际运用时常常出错。我们以下面三个句子为例看一看怎么运用“还原法”来理解虚拟语气表达的含义。

If you had come earlier, he would have told you the news.(主从句都是对过去的虚拟)

If he had spent more time practising speaking English, he would be able to get this job.(主句对现在虚拟,从句对过去虚拟)

We lost our way in that small village. Otherwise, we would have visited more places of interest yesterday.(otherwise表达虚拟条件,主句对过去的虚拟)

我们用“还原法”把这三个句子还原成其对应的事实,即:

You came late, so he didnt tell you the news.

He didnt spend enough time practising speaking English, so he is not able to get this job.

We lost our way in that small village, so we didnt visit many places of interest yesterday.

将还原后的这组句子跟原组句对照,就更容易理解虚拟语气的不同形式和它们所表达的语用含义。这样,在阅读和写作中就能够更准确地运用虚拟语气来理解和表达各种特定情感。

运用“还原法”分析长难句

在阅读过程中,不少同学见到结构稍微復杂的句子就会感到无从下手,理解起来很困难。我们以下面这几个句子为例,看看怎么利用“还原法”来破除理解长难句的阻碍。

1.Bradford sold the building and land to a local development firm, which plans to build a shopping complex on the land where the theater is located.(摘自2017年全国卷Ⅲ阅读理解B篇)

我们把这个句子进行拆分和还原,得到如下三个句子:

Bradford sold the building and land to a local development firm.

The local development firm plans to build a shopping complex on the land.

The theater is located on the land.

这三个句子就把原句中Bradford,local development firm,land,theater几者之间的关系理清楚了,对原句的理解就容易得多。原句中which引导非限制性定语从句,修饰先行词a local development firm;此外,定语从句中又包含一个where引导的定语从句。由此可知,原句意为:布拉德福德把建筑物和土地卖给了一家当地的开发商,这家开发商打算在电影院所在的土地上建一个购物中心。

2.To do this I have searched through dozens of plays to find the ones that I think best show the power and purpose of the short play.

(摘自2020年7月浙江卷阅读理解A篇)

有不少同学将句中的ones误以为等同于dozens of plays。如果将该复合句分解还原成如下两个独立的句子,那么句中的ones的指代对象就很清楚,不会因为误解而影响到答题。

(1)To do this I have searched through dozens of plays to find the plays.

(2)I think the plays best show the power and purpose of the short paly.

3. Challenging work that requires lots of analytical thinking, planning and other managerial skills might help your brain stay sharp as you age.(摘自2020年7月浙江卷阅读理解C篇)

该句较长,而且出现了analytical thinking,planning and managerial skills等同学们不熟悉的词汇,因此很多同学读得一头雾水,不知所云。其实,我们用“还原法”把这个句子还原成最简单的句子“ Challenging work might help your brain stay sharp. ”这样句子的意思就变得清晰多了。该句是全文的主题句,把这个句子理解清楚了,对全文的理解也水到渠成。

实践证明,“还原法”在语法学习中十分实用。很多句子经过“还原”,意思变得清楚明朗了许多,很多语法现象也变得更容易理解和掌握了,阅读的时候也能够从容面对长难句,极大地提高了语法学习的效率和阅读的效果。

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