英语语法插入语介绍

英语语法插入语在英语中使用十分频繁，是地道英语语言，尤其是书面语的一大特征。插入语的使用有时候让英语句子变得很长，从而影响我们的阅读理解。通常，插入语是为了提供一些附加信息。

在英语写作中，如果恰当使用插入语，可以使句子类型多样化（这是雅思高分作文的一个重要条件），同时让句子的内容更加丰富，也让句子读起来更接近地道的英语。

由于汉语较少使用插入语，我们往往需要刻意学习，才能学会恰当使用插入语。

句子1

Such expansion, which was to take the English language west to America and east to India, was supported by scientific developments such as the discovery of magnetism (and hence the invention of the compass), improvements in cartography and - perhaps the most important scientific revolution of them all - the new theories of astronomy and the movement of the Earth in relation to the planets and stars, developed by Copernicus (1473-1543).

译文：

这些即将把英语语言西带至美洲、东带至印度的扩张，获得了科学进步的支持，如磁场的发现以及由此而发明的指南针，地图制作技术的改进，和或许是最为重要的科学变革——哥白尼（1473-1543)创立起来的地球与其他行星和恒星相对运动的理论和天文学的新理论。

分析：

本句很长，但主句其实很简单，就是Such expansion...was supported by scientific developments...,句子用了一个which引导的非限定定语从句修饰主语expansion，对其进行了说明，同时用such as引导三个例子来具体说明scientific developments。其中，划线部分"perhaps the most important scientific revolution of them all” 是插入语，用来修饰哥白尼创立的新理论。

原题重现：（True/False/Not Given）

The most important scientific development of the Renaissance period was the discovery of magnetism.

[参考答案] False。原文明确指出欧洲文艺复兴时期最重要的科学发展哥白尼创立的新理论。这个题几乎等于送分题，是不能错的。

句子2

Bicycle use was not included in the study but Newman noted that the two most 'bicycle friendly' cities considered - Amsterdam and Copenhagen - were very efficient, even though their public transport systems were 'reasonable but not special'.

译文：

自行车没有包含在此项研究范围之内。然而，纽曼教授指出在考察研究的37座城市中，阿姆斯特丹和哥本哈根这两座自行车普及率最高的城市效率也非常高，即便他们的公共交通系统“特色全无，相当一般”。

分析：

本句划线部分的插入语是具体说明前文的two most bicycle friendly cities.

原题重现：（True/False/Not Given）

Cities with high levels of bicycle usage can be efficient even when public transport is only averagely good.

[参考答案]True。阿姆斯特丹和哥本哈根两个城市的例子恰好证明了，若广泛使用自行车（bicycle friendly），公共交通一般的城市也能做到高效运作。

句子3

In Britain, for example, many of our best-loved farmland birds, such as the skylark, the grey partridge, the lapwing and the corn bunting, have vanished from huge stretches of countryside, as have even more wild flowers and insects.

译文：

例如，在英国，许多深受人们喜爱的农田鸟类，比如云雀，灰鹧鸪、麦鸡和黍鸟，还有更多的野花和昆虫，都已经从乡村大片的土地上消失了。

分析：

本句中的for example和such as引导的例子都是插入语，这种现象在英语中非常普遍,其中such as引导的插入语将句子的主语（many of our best-loved farmland birds)和谓语（have vanished）分隔开了，造成了阅读的难度。

原题重现：（True/False/Not Given）

Several species of wildlife in the British countryside are declining.

[参考答案] True。本句中的several species of wildlife是对原文such as引导的例子的概括。

写作范文中的使用实例

1. How could they possibly tell, at such a young age, which subject is more useful than others and choose it as their focus of study in the next four years which are probably the most valuable time in their entire life?

2. By doing so, the students will be able to learn those things, be it useful or not, that really interest them.

3. Spending too much time planning for future, as is argued by many people, is a total waste of time.

【唐老雅英语写作工作室】