英文文法多樣化且複雜,尤其是英文句子的結構更是容易讓人一頭霧水。這個禮拜,我們來快速討論四種英文句子的使用方式以及差異。
1. 簡單句(simple sentence)
簡單句是最基本的英文句型,由一個具有完整意思的獨立子句(independent clause)組成。獨立子句為「主詞+動詞」的句型,以下提供幾個簡單句的例子:
He is a good boy.(他很乖。)
She used to come every Sunday.(她以前每週日都會來。)
I go to work every weekday.(我週一到週五每天都要去上班。)
2. 複合句(compound sentence)
複合句由兩個以上意思完整的獨立子句所組成;兩個子句則透過對等連接詞(coordinating conjunction)或是分號連接。英文對等連接詞一共有七個,分別是: "for"、"and"、"nor"、" but"、"or"、"yet"、"so"(記憶口訣:FANBOYS)。以下提供幾個複合句的例子:
People gathered at the memorial, for they wanted to pay tribute to those sacrificed in the war.(大家都聚在紀念碑,想對那些因戰爭而犧牲的人們表達敬意。)
I went to the party, and Jane was there.(我參加了派對,Jane也在那。)
He has not replied in the group chat, nor has he answered any of our calls.(他還沒在群組回覆,也沒有接聽我們任何人的電話。)
I went to bed early, but my sister stayed up all night.(我早早就睡了,但我姊姊整夜都沒睡。)
You need to study harder, or you will fail the course.(你要更認真唸書,不然會被當的。)
I was feeling a bit unwell, so I did not go to work today.(我有點不舒服,所以今天沒去上班。)
I had to break the news to them; they were devastated and could not speak for a few minutes.(我必須告訴他們這個消息,他們非常難過,有好幾分鐘都沒辦法說話。)
3. 複雜子句(complex sentence)
由一完整句子的獨立子句(independent clause)搭配一個以上從屬子句(dependent clause)組成的句子。從屬子句以從屬連接詞(subordinating conjunction)開頭;常見的從屬連接詞有 "because"、"although"、"when"、"after"、"before" 等。從屬子句無法單獨使用,因為它是用來修飾獨立子句或是補充資訊。以下提供幾個例子:
Everyone loves him because he has a big personality.(他很大方,所以大家都喜歡他。)
We decided to go with Ian's proposal although there were still parts that needed to be
clarified.(我們決定採納Ian的提案,但還是有許多地方需要進一步釐清。)
My mom walked in when I was on a Zoom call for work.(我媽在我用Zoom視訊開會的
時候走進來。)
He was a bit overwhelmed after he heard the news.(他聽到消息後有點無法消化。)
I take 15 minutes to meditate every day before I go to sleep.(我每天睡前會花15分鐘冥
想。)
注意:上述例子在獨立子句優先、從屬子句在後的結構下,獨立與從屬句子之間不需要使用逗號,但若兩者順序調換就需要逗號。以下提供三個例子:
Because he has a big personality, everyone loves him.(由於他個性開朗,因此受到了大家的喜愛。)
Although there were still parts that needed to be clarified, we decided to go with Ian's proposal.(雖然還有一些細節需要澄清,但我們決定接受伊恩的提議。)
When I was on a Zoom call for work, my mom walked in.(當我正在進行工作的Zoom通話時,媽媽走了進來。)
4. 複合複雜句(compound-complex sentence)
顧名思義,複合複雜句就是由複合句與複雜句組成,並含有兩個以上的獨立子句以及一個以上的從屬子句。以下提供幾個例子供您參考:
She was already on her way to work when she got the call, so she told them to wait until she finished work.(她接到電話時已經在去公司的路上了,所以她請他們等她下班再說。)
Rumors about their break-up have been circulating for days after they deleted all their photos together on Instagram, and the fans are still waiting for an official statement.(在他們刪光IG上所有的合照後,他們分手的傳言已經持續好幾天,粉絲目前還在等待官方的聲明。)