【英语：基础高阶_经典外刊阅读】L3.长句子扒皮—如何快速寻找主干

1.长难句分析

阅读当中常常会出现一些很长的句子, 那么究竟应该如何更好的快速理顺句意, 找到突破口呢？

2.准确把握长难句的关键点

2.1.名词

英文当中的长难句中存在很多修饰成分, 特别是名词. 名词后可能会出现of 短语、介词短语、形容词短语、分词、不定式或从句, 不管其后是哪种成分, 一般情况下, 名词后面的成分, 一般来讲就是修饰或解释这个名词的. 找到中心名词, 再来读句子就会显得顺畅很多.

2.2.动词

我们要明确的概念是动词只能做谓语, 谓语只能是动词. 所以我们需要把不做谓语的动词变成非谓语动词转而变成句子的其他成分. 如何把一个动词变成非谓语动词呢？就是我们之前讲过的三种非谓语动词构成：变成 to do(不定式)、变成v-ing(现在分词/动名词)、变成done(过去分词).

2.3.逗号

• 长难句中的逗号一旦数量增加也会对大家理解句子造成某种程度上的阻碍.
• 逗号在长句中主要以四种情况出现：
  • 用连词连接的两个并列句子之间.
  • 主句与从句之间.
  • 用分词短语做的状语与其他成分之间.
  • 插入语或同位语前后

我们只要分清楚句中的逗号是出现在哪种情况当中, 就可能划分中细致的结构了.

3.分析长难句的步骤

3.1.寻找谓语动词

一般来讲, 有时态的动词就一定是谓语.

如果顺着谓语动词往前找, 却没有引导词存在, 那说明这是主句的谓语动词, 那它的前面就是主语, 后面就应该是宾语或表语.

如果顺着谓语动词往前找, 发现有引导词存在, 说明这个谓语动词所在的句子就是个从句, 再根据引导词前的单词判定这是个什么从句：
A. 如果引导词前是个名词, 那就根据情况区别是定语从句还是同位语从句；
B. 如果引导词前是实意动词, 那就说明这个从句是宾语从句；
C. 如果引导词前面是系动词, 那就说明这个从句是表语从句；
D. 如果引导词前面是状语从句的引导词, 那就说明这是个状语从句.

如：
This alone demonstrates that the television business is not an easy world to survive in, a fact underlined by statistics that show that out of eighty European television networks no less than 50% took a loss in 1989.
来看看句中的谓语动词有哪些？

如：
This alone demonstrates that the television business is not an easy world to survive in, a fact underlined by statistics that show that out of eighty European television networks no less than 50% took a loss in 1989.
标黄的部分就是句中的谓语动词.

demonstrates 前面没有引导词, 它就是主句的谓语动词；is 前有引导词 that, 且 that 前是实意动词demonstrates, 所以这是宾语从句；show 前有引导词 that, 其前是名词statistics, 且 that 在从句中显然做主语, 所以这里有一个 that 引导的定语从句；最后一个动词是 took, 其前也存在着 that, 且 that 前是实意动词, 所以 took 所在的句子是宾语从句.

综上, 本题主句是一个主谓宾结构, 并且宾语中又有一个定语从句和宾语从句.

3.2.寻找并列连词

常见的并列连词有and, but, yet, or,so, for, not only…but also…等. 看到这些单词, 很有可能就有并列结构存在, 我们就需要判断句子之间的连接关系, 找到对应的主谓结构. 很多时候还会存在一些省略成分.

分析下面的句子：
They are the possessions of the autonomous (self-governing) man of traditional theory, and they are essential to practices in which a person is held responsible for his conduct and given credit for his achievements.

They are the possessions of the autonomous (self-governing) man of traditional theory, and they are essential to practices in which a person is held responsible for his conduct and given credit for his achievements.

并列连词如上已经标出, 显然第一个 and 前后的两个句子是完全并列的；后面的and 前后两句话也应该是并列的, 并且其前的谓语动词前有引导词 in which, in which 前又是个名词, 所以这是由 and引导的两个定语从句.

因为存在并列, 所以第二个定从和第一个相比, 省略了in which a person is. 完整结构如下：
They are the possessions of the autonomous (self-governing) man of traditional theory, and they are essential to practices in which a person is held responsible for his conduct and (in which a person is) given credit for his achievements.

综上, 本句话是由第一个 and 连接的两个并列的句子, 并且两个句子都是主系表结构；且 and 后面的句子中还有一个and引导的两个并列定语从句, 共同修饰practices.

3.3.寻找从句引导词

从句前一定要有一个引导词, 所以找到引导词就找到了从句, 再根据引导词前的单词确定其是什么从句.

来分析下面这个句子：

• Whorf came to believe in a sort of linguistic determinism which, in its strongest form,states that language imprisons the mind, and that the grammatical patterns in a language can produce far-reaching consequences for the culture of a society.

Whorf came to believe in a sort of linguistic determinism which, in its strongest form,states that language imprisons the mind, and that the grammatical patterns in a language can produce far-reaching consequences for the culture of a society.

• 句中的引导词已经被标注出来, which前面是名词determinism, 并且which 在从句中做主语, 显然这是个定语从句, 修饰其前面的名词.
• 第二个引导词that前面是实意动词states, 所以这是个宾语从句.
• 最后的引导词that前有并列连词and, 显然后两个that从句是完全并列的宾语从句.
• 综上, 该句是个简单的主谓宾结构, 宾语名词被一个定语从句所修饰, 定语从句中又有两个并列的宾语从句.

3.4.寻找名词

一般的长句子中, 名词后只要不是谓语动词(即作主语), 一般都有修饰限定成分, 即定语或同位语. 也就是说, 我们只要能寻找到被修饰的核心名词, 其后的修饰也就可以被清楚地定位了.

分析下面的长句子：
Pearson has pieced together the work of hundreds of researchers around the world to produce a unique millennium technology calendar that gives the latest dates when we can expect hundreds of key breakthroughs and discoveries to take place.

Pearson has pieced together the work of hundreds of researchers around the world to produce a unique millennium technology calendar that gives the latest dates when we can expect hundreds of key breakthroughs and discoveries to take place.

• 如上, 分析各个名词, 第一个名词Pearson后显然是谓语动词；
• 第二个名词work后面of短语显然是修饰work的；
• 第三个名词calendar后从句也是修饰该名词的.
• 这样句子的主干就显示出来了：Pearson has pieced together the work to produce a calendar.

4.长难句分析实战

4.1.所有句子均选自四六级、考研及雅思托福阅读原文

During the 1980s,revolutionary changes in the work lives of Americans, caused by technological advances which will permit greater productivity by fewer workers, will likely result in shortened work weeks, increased released time for workers, and increased pressure for early retirements.

During the 1980s,revolutionary changes in the work lives of Americans, caused by technological advances which will permit greater productivity by fewer workers, will likely result in shortened work weeks,increased released time for workers, and increased pressure for early retirements.

分析：
这句第一个动词caused因为其后边有by, 而前面没有系动词, 所以很容易判断它是过去分词, 整个复杂的分词短语caused by …by fewer workers修饰本句主语revolutionary changes(它还有另一个定语in the work lives of Americans), 并且该分词短语隔开了主语和谓语, 因此该句核心结构是：revolutionary changes… will likely result in… 在宾语中含有四个动词shortened, increased,released, increased, 而这四个动词都不是谓语, 而是作定语的分词. 这从result in后边的并列宾语结构可以判断出来, 这里有三个并列宾语：shortened work weeks, 表示"工人每周的工作时间缩短了" ；increased released time for workers, 表示"闲暇时间增多了" ；increased pressure for early retirements, 表示"提前退休的压力加大了".

During the 1980s,revolutionary changes in the work lives of Americans, caused by technological advances which will permit greater productivity by fewer workers, will likely result in shortened work weeks, increased released time for workers, and increased pressure for early retirements.

结构细节

• During the 1980s 时间状语
• revolutionary changes 主语
• in the work lives of Americans 介词短语定语, 修饰主语
• caused by technological advances 过去分词作定语, 修饰主语
• which will permit greater productivity by fewer workers 定语从句, 修饰technological advances
• will likely result in… 谓语动词结构
• shortened work weeks, increased released time for workers, and increased pressure for early retirements宾语, 其中四个过去分词都是定语, 修饰不同的名词
• 句子主干：revolutionary changes… will likely