一、词汇手段表强调
英语中有些词在句中起强调作用,强调句中的动词、名词、数词、形容词、副词等。常见的如下:
(一)do表强调
1.在一般句型中,do(does,did)常用来强调谓语动词的语气,在句中要重读,且需符合下列两个条件:1句子是肯定句;2句子中的谓语动词是一般现在时或一般过去时。此时的do可译为“真的”、“果真”、“的确”、“确实”等。例如:
You do look nice today.
你今天看起来真的很漂亮。
Jack said he would come and he did come.
杰克说他要来,他果真来了。
2.在祈使句中,do表强意的请求,而不是命令,有时它可以使邀请对方的心意更加客气、热情、友好,而且亲切,此时的do可译为“务”、“务必”等。例如:
Please do sit down.
务请坐下。
Do be careful!
请务必小心谨慎!
Do tell me all about it.I\'ll keep it a dead secret.
请告诉我吧,我一定严守秘密。
(二)good表强调
1.形容词good置于名词或形容词之前,可以起到强调作用,在不同的句子中可译为:“足足”、“整整”、“狠狠地”、“相当”、“很”等。例如:
It'll take you a good four hours to get there.
到达那里足足需要你四个小时。
His father gave him a good beating.
他父亲狠狠地揍了他一顿。
I covered a good hundred miles that day.
那天我整整走了一百英里。
除good之外,cool,solid,clear等词也可以用来表强调。例如:
His father earns a cool thousand dollars a month.
他父亲每月能挣足足一千美元。
She has been waiting for her husband a solid hour.
她等她丈夫等了整整一个小时。
The snake measures ten clear feet long.
蛇足有十英尺长。
2.形容词good和and结合起来,构成good and …表强调,程度副词作状语,相当于very,thoroughly,completely等,强调and之后的形容词或副词。例如:
These apples are good and ripe.
这些苹果完全熟透了。
He drove good and fast.
他开车相当快。
When it was good and dark,he left his home。
当天完全黑了时,他离开了家。
除good之外,形容词nice,fine,sweet,rare,lovely等词也可以与and连用表强调。例如:
The building stands nice and high.
这座建筑挺高。
The child was rare and hungry.
这孩子饿得慌。
It was lovely and cool there.
那儿非常凉爽。
(三)very表强调
very常用在the,this,that或物主代词my,his ,our,your之后,加强名词的语意,意为“正是”、“就是”、“仅仅”、“甚至”等。例如:
You are the very man I\'m looking for.
你正是我要找的人。
At this very moment the telephone rang.
就在这个时候电话铃响了。
He knows our very thoughts.
他甚至了解我们内心深处的思想。
The fault is your very own.
这完全是你自己的错。
(四)only表强调
only常置于单数名词之前,以加强名词的语意,意为“唯一的”、“仅有的”、“最合适的”、“无与伦比的”等。例如:
This is the only book of its kind in the world.
这本书是世界上仅有的一本。
Mr Brown is the only person able to do it.
布朗先生是唯一能胜任的人。
She is the only woman for the position.
她是那个职位的最佳人选。