《英语修辞学》第四章.ppt

1、English Rhetoric,By Song Pingfeng,Chapter Four The Three Levels of Rhetorical Operations: Choice of Sentences,Page 2,1.Classification of sentences 2. Types of Sentences 2. 1 Simple, compound, complex, compound-complex 2. 2 Declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory 2. 3 Loose, periodic, bal

2、anced sentences 2. 4 Long and short sentences,Contents of This Chapter,Page 3,1. Classification of sentences,1.1 Seeking sentence variety,(1) What does sentence variety deal with?,Different sentence patterns Varied sentence lengths,(2) What does sentence variety aim at?,Avoid monotony in ones speech

3、 or writing “The joy of life is variety.” Samuel Johnson said. So variety of writing or speech is a joy. Without variety, any text can be dull and uninteresting.,Page 4,1.2 Different standards of classification (4 standards): grammar, function, rhetoric and length,(1) Grammatical classification grou

4、ps sentences according to how many and what types of clauses they contain.,(2) Functional classification groups sentences according to whether they make a statement, ask a question, issue a command, or express an exclamation.,(3) Rhetorical classification groups sentences according to where the main

5、 idea is located in the sentence.,(4) According to the number of words in a sentence, sentences can be grouped into short and long sentence.,Page 5,2 Types of sentences,2.1 Grammatical classification: Simple sentence : consists of only one clause. The subject or the predicate, or both, may be compou

6、nd. E.g. The trailer is surrounded by a wooden deck. Advantages: clarity and directness compound sentence: consists of two or more independent clauses related to each other in meaning, and linked by a coordinating conjunction or by a semicolon without a conjunction. E.g. It is nearly half past five,

7、 and we cannot reach town before dark. Advantages: help reduce wordiness and relieve monotony,Page 6,complex sentence: contains one main clause and at least one dependent clause, with a connective word denoting the relation between them. E.g. Although he wanted the job more than anything else in the

8、 world, he knew he had little chance of getting it.,compound-complex sentence: contains at least two main clauses and at least one dependent clause- a combination of a compound and complex sentence. E.g. Sister Lucy tried her best to help Martin, but he was an undisciplined boy who drove many teache

9、rs to despair. Advantage: good for a show of eloquence,Page 7,2.2 Functional classification: Declarative sentence Interrogative sentence Imperative sentence Exclamatory sentence,Page 8,2.3 Rhetorical classification: Loose sentence: also called cumulative sentence, is a basic statement with a string

10、of details added to it. It is in much the same way as a painter adds details to an initial sketch. E.g. The best procedure will depend on several factors, none of which can be neglected, namely, the genius of the teacher, the intellectual type of pupils, their prospects in life, the opportunities of

11、fered by the immediate surroundings of the school, and allied factors of this sort. Advantages: no anticipatory tension for the readers or listeners, easy, simple, natural,Page 9,Periodic sentence: is a sentence in which the subordinate idea comes first and the main idea comes last. Periodic sentenc

12、e is especially useful for creating tension or building toward a climactic or surprising ending. E.g. But if life hardly seems worth living, if liberty is used for subhuman purposes, if the pursuers of happiness know nothing about the nature of their quarry or the elementary techniques of hunting, t

13、hese constitution rights will not be very meaningful. Advantages: impressive, well-balanced, and stately (formal); Disadvantages: violate the Memory Principle, the longer the sentence is, the greater the burden upon the memory, and the greater the tension. An occasional periodic sentence is not only

14、 dramatic but also persuasive. However, we must remember: used once or twice in a piece of writing, they can be very effective, used any more than that, they can make us sound dull and pompous.,Page 10,Balanced sentence: contains two or more main points, which are paired off and are presented in par

15、allel structures so that the parts are equally prominent and mutually supportive. E.g. Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind. Advantages: Balanced sentence is most often used in speeches, because it allows the hearers to get the meaning of the words through repetition in

16、the sentence structure. Besides, the balanced sentence has another effect: creating the impression that the writer is a learned, experienced person whose opinions are worth considering, making the writer more persuasive.,Page 11,2.4 According to length: Average number of words: about 20 ( Hou Weirui

17、) Short sentence: about 10 words Long sentence: 20 words,Short sentence Short sentences are usually emphatic because they are easy to be understood and remembered. Short sentences are suitable for the presentation of important facts and ideas. Therefore, they are often used in advertising, proverbs,

18、 signs, et. E.g. Liars should have good memories. (Proverb) No Admittance! (sign) Advantages: Short sentences, if overused, will make the writing sound choppy, jerky, immature and monotonous.,Page 12,Long sentence Long sentences are capable of expressing complex ideas with precision because they may

19、 contain a number of modifiers. Long sentences are suitable for the explanation of views and theories, and for description of things with many details. E.g. Any person who without lawful authority enters or attempts to enter any prison property or loiters about or near or communicates or attempts to

20、 communicate in any way with any prisoners is liable to imprisonment for a term of six months or a penalty of $200 or both. Long sentences are common in legal, political and theoretical writing, which depends on modification for accuracy. Sentences in such documents are made long by the fact that st

21、atements and opinions have to be made very clear and explicit, leaving no room misunderstanding or misinterpretation.,Page 13,Alternating short and long sentences Both short sentences and long sentences have their own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, to make our writing effective, we need to

22、 use both short and long sentences, if possible, we should use them alternatively. After one or two long sentences, a short sentence can always be refreshing and arresting. Similarly, a long sentence that follows a series of short ones can serve as a climax or summation that relaxes the tension or f

23、ulfils the expectation created by the series, giving readers a sense of completion.,Page 14,Exercise:,Rewrite the following paragraph to give it more variety in sentence structure. Make any other improvements that you can.,Values play a major role in our society. People use these values to make certain decisions in their lives. Values can be stated as a persons view of right and wrong. Courage is an extension of a persons values. Courage takes a persons values and p