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Fuzzy Grammar 文法的灰色地带

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Irked by that squiggly green line underneath your sentences when you’re word processing? You’re not alone. Although the vast majority of grammatical rules are necessary to maintain clarity of meaning, the logic of some grammar rules is somewhat fuzzy.

在你处理文字的过程中，可会为句子下面那条弯弯曲曲的绿线烦恼过吗？别人也有相同的困扰。为了让语意清晰，虽然大多数文法规则都是必须的，但有些文法规则的逻辑却是处于不甚清楚的灰色地带。

One dubious rule of grammar that probably originated with a highly respected source, seventeenth-century poet and playwright John Dryden, is that one may not end a sentence with a preposition. This is false. Indeed, there is evidence that such usage is rooted in Old English – the ultimate reference for all English rules of grammar. Possibly, Dryden was unduly influenced, as were many English writers of his century, by Latin. When Winston Churchill noted that an editor had corrected his preposition usage in one of his books, he retorted, “This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.”

其中一项源自受到高度尊崇的17世纪诗人与剧作家约翰莱登，而又混淆不清的文法规则是，不能以介系词做为句子结尾。这说法是谬误的。的确，这种用法始于旧式英语──所有英文文法规则的最终参考准则──是有根据的。如同他的许多同期英文作家，德莱登或许受到过多拉丁文的影响。当温斯顿丘吉尔注意到，一位编辑校正他某一本书中的介系词用法，他反驳道，「就是这种英文受我不能忍。」【注】

Unnecessary imitation of Latin is probably responsible for another cherished grammatical notion: that infinitives – such as “to read,” and “to follow” – should not be split by an adverb. Although split infinitives have been used since at least the fourteenth century, few grammarians objected until they became common in the nineteenth century. However, as fans of the television series, Star Trek, can attest, it is permissible “to boldly go ….”.

非必要地模仿拉丁文或许导致了另一个抱持已久的文法观念：不定词──诸如「去读」，和「去跟随」──不应该被副词分开。虽然至少从14世纪起，分开不定词就已被采用，但直到它们在19世纪被广为使用前，少有文法专家会反对。然而，电视影集「星舰迷航记」的忠实观众会证明，还是可以「去大胆地闯荡…」。

【注】：丘吉尔原来的句子“This is the sort of English I will not put up with.”意思明显清楚。但是他为配合编辑要求正确的用法，把句子改成“This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.”反而增加嘲讽效果，愈发显出该文法规定的不适当。

Vocabulary

单词发音

fuzzy [ˋfʌzɪ] adj. 模糊不清的

irk [ɝk] v. 使厌倦；使苦恼; 使恼怒; 使气愤〔尤指因对局势无能为力时〕

squiggly [ˋskwɪglɪ] adv. 弯弯曲曲地

word processing 文字处理

grammatical [grəˋmætɪk!] adj. 文法的

clarity [ˋklærətɪ] n.（思想、文体等的）清楚；明晰

dubious [ˋdjubɪəs] adj. 暧昧的，含糊的

preposition [͵prɛpəˋzɪʃən] n.【文】介系词，前置词

unduly [ʌnˋdjulɪ] adv.【正式】过度地 ﹐过分地

note [not] v. 注意，注目；注意到[+（that）][+wh-]

retort [rɪˋtɔrt] v. 反驳，回嘴说[+that]

put up with 容忍, 忍受

imitation [͵ɪməˋteʃən] n. 模仿，模拟

infinitive [ɪnˋfɪnətɪv] n.【文】不定词

adverb [ˋædvɚb] adv. 副词

grammarian [grəˋmɛrɪən] n. 文法家

attest [əˋtɛst] v. 证实，证明[（+to）]

permissible [pɚˋmɪsəb!] adj.【正式】〔根据法律或规定〕允许的﹐许可的﹐准许的

Sentence of the Day

Sometimes you must close your eyes to the grammar check.

有时候你得对文法检查睁一只眼闭一只眼。

close one’s eyes to 闭目不看, 视而不见; 熟视无睹; 不理会; 拒绝考虑

课文讲解

But the list of fuzzy grammar rules doesn’t stop with split infinitives. For example, the previous sentence breaks the schoolmarm rule that one shouldn’t begin a sentence with a conjunction like “and” or “but.” Actually, beginning a sentence with “but” is not only correct, but creates an effective contrast with the previous sentence.

但是模棱两可的文法规则并不仅止于分离不定词。例如，前一句就打破了老学究的规则，即不能以「然后」或「但是」这种连接词做为句子的开头。其实，以「但是」做为句子的开头不仅没错，而且也创造了和前一个句子的鲜明对比。

The rule concerning not beginning a sentence with “and” probably emerged to teach children not to string sentences together in this manner: “We played. And we ate hamburgers. And we …” Nevertheless, this construction was used in a manuscript from A.D. 855, then later by Shakespeare. And how can one question such authority?

不要以「然后」做为句子开头的规则，或许是为了教学童不要把句子串成这样：「我们玩。然后我们吃汉堡。然后我们…」尽管如此，公元855年的一份手稿就有人这么使用连接词，之后的莎士比亚也这么用。然后谁还能质疑这种权威？

Our final grammar rule is the subject of much recent debate. Many modern English speakers bemoan the absence of a non-gender-specific singular pronoun. For example, the statement “Everyone has his favorite movie.” Now strikes many as sexist (by only using the masculine pronoun) and misleading (by suggesting that only men like movies). Rather than the awkward “his or her” or the unpronounceable “(s)he” most speakers now say “their favorite movie.” Though this usage can lead to subject-verb agreement problems, in spoken English at least, its use is standard.

我们要讨论最后一个近来颇具争议的主题。许多现代说英语的人感叹缺乏不具特定性别的单数代名词。例如，「每个人都有他最喜爱的电影」这个句子现在让许多人（因为只使用男性代名词）成了性别歧视者，并（因为暗示只有男人喜爱电影）也误导读者。大部分的人现在说「『他们』最喜爱的电影」，也不愿用冗赘的「他的或她的」或不能发音的「(S)他」。虽然这个用法会使主词动词的对等产生问题，至少在口说英语里它是标准用法。

Next time you face the green line, remember that some grammar rules aren’t clear – they’re fuzzy.

下次你再碰到绿色底线，记得有些文法规则并不黑白分明──而是模棱两可的

－by Iain Ferguson

Vocabulary

单词发音

schoolmarm [ˋskul͵mɑrm] n. 装出教师派头的人

conjunction [kənˋdʒʌŋkʃən] n.【文】连接词

manuscript [ˋmænjə͵skrɪpt] n. 手稿；原稿

bemoan [bɪˋmon] v. 悲悼；为……恸哭

gender-specific 只（适）用于男性或女性单方的；特定性别的

strike [straɪk] v. 给……以印象[（+as）]

sexist [ˋsɛksɪst] adj. 歧视妇女的﹐ 性别歧视的

masculine [ˋmæskjəlɪn] adj. 男性的，男子的

pronoun [ˋpronaʊn] n.【文】代名词

misleading [mɪsˋlidɪŋ] adj. 使人误解的；骗人的；迷惑人的

unpronounceable [͵ʌnprəˋnaʊnsəb!] adj. 不能发音的; 〔单词或名字〕难发音的

agreement [əˋgrimənt] n.【文】（人称，性别，数，格的）一致

Sentence of the Day

It's necessary to bend the rules at times.

有时候必须网开一面。

bend the rules  (根据情况)放宽规定; 变通; 通融