怎样写好句子（3）

　　2)句子长度的多样性

　　尽管人称海明威"电报大师",但纵观其作品,句子也是长短相间,富于变化,给人以"万峰起伏,层峦叠嶂"之感。这一点值得我们在写作中好好借鉴。从整体效果考虑,好的文章应该是该用长句时用长句,该用短句就用短句。因为长句和短句各有千秋。长句的特点是结构层次多,凝重典雅,严密周详,气势畅达,利于复杂思想的表达。严密的论证,但使用起来不够活泼,不够简便。短句的特点是生动简洁,短小精悍,活泼有力,但容量较小,不利于表达复杂的语义内容。在具体语言活动中,为了达到简洁明快。生动活泼,又严密精确。细腻委婉的目的,往往是长短句交替使用。这既体现了节奏上的要求,也是意义上的需要。请看下面这段:

　　John went to work on foot. He took a bottle of hot tea and delicious lunch in a paper bag. He walked slowly. He enjoyed the cool, early morning air. He also enjoyed the sights and sounds of the streets. The big city was rapidly waking up. It was noisy and turbulent. An energetic little boy was setting his battered shoeshine stand in front of a hotel entrance. A deliveryman was busily slapping down cartons of let-tuce on the sidewalk in front of a grocery store and he was dressed in a white uniform. John saw a friend. The friend was waiting for a taxi. He stopped briefly for a short chat. The walk could yield pleasurable observations. John usually walked to work and he seldom took taxis. Walking made him happy. It also kept him healthy.

　　从语法和用词来看, 这段文字无可挑剔。但句子长度大体相当,且都是短句,读起来平淡无奇,不妨这样修改:  

　　With a bottle of hot tea and delicious lunch in a paper bag,John walked to work.Slowly he walked,enjoying the cool,early morning air and the sights and sounds of the streets.The big,noisy,turbulent city was rapidly waking up. An energetic little boy was setting his battered shoeshine stand in front of a hotel entrance.A deliveryman dressed in a white uniform was busily slapping down cartons of lettuce on the side walk in front of a grocery store.John saw a friend waiting for a taxi.He stopped briefly a short chat.As the walk usually could yield pleasurable observations,John seldom took taxis.Walking not only made him happy but also kept him healthy.  

　　改写后的段落中,长短句交替使用,语句叠峦起伏,音韵和谐,语言表达有张有弛,活泼而不乏凝练,紧凑而不显呆板。所以句子的好坏,并不在于长短,简单还是复杂,归根结底在于多变。句子是否多变是衡量一篇文章是否老练成熟的主要标志之一,当然也显示出一个人的英语水平的高低。句子多变主要表现在句型的多样化与长短句的交替使用。但这种交替使用并不是机械的,而是根据不同的语境,选择最能表达作者意图的句子。 

　　总之,面对多种多样的句子,在写作时不分场合简单地偏爱某种句型,会使文字显得呆板,单调,而一味追求长句。复杂句,特别对于那些基本功不扎实的英语初学者来说,会使文章显得华而不实,甚至弄巧成拙。但也有一些初学者为保险起见,过多地使用简单句,甚至认为使用simple sentence符合我们提倡的 Simple English,这也是一种误解。一篇文章只有交替使用合适的长句。 短句,交替使用有效的简单句。复合句,才会显得生动有力。