内容正文:
第五节 语言描写
1. 口语中的简单句
日常的对话多使用简单句,并不会像书面语那么冗长复杂,如下面这段对话:
— “Hey, girl, you want to have noodles?”
— “Oh, yes, but I have no money on me,” she replied.
— “Oh, that’s nothing. I’ll treat you today,” the owner said, “come in.”
而且,在长句中插入简短的语言描写,可以改变文字的节奏,使其更有韵律感。
2. 正确使用标点符号
(1) 说话人+说话内容
“说”后用逗号,引号内第一个字母大写,句尾标点符号放在引号内。
如:He said, “You are my best friend!”
(2) 说话内容+说话人
陈述句引号内用逗号,引号外第一个字母小写;疑问句或感叹句引号内用问号或感叹号,引号外第一个字母小写。且“某人说”可以写作“sb. said”也可以写作“said sb.”。
① “Yes,” he said.
② “You may both go,” said Pa.
③ “Don’t move,” she said to William in a soft voice.
(3) 说话内容+说话人+说话内容
“某人说”可以写作“sb. said”也可以写作“said sb.”;“某人说”前面引号内用逗号,引号外第一个字母小写。“某人说”后面如果用句号,则后面引号内第一个字母大写;“某人说”后面如果用逗号,则后面引号内第一个字母小写。
“That’s cool,” he said. “Can I have a try?”
“You’d better let me go,” teased her twin brother, William. “There are dangers all over this prairie.”
“You can go any place you want,” Beto said, “but I think you’ll find what you need.”
3. 避免重复使用say
如果续写中语言描写较多,那么一定要避免通篇都是“said”,而要灵活多变地使用表示“说”的动词,比如以下这两个例子:
例1: I laughed, “There’s no way! I’m 55!” But he persisted, and before I knew what I had done, I was enrolled for classes in English and crafts. “This is only an experiment,” I warned him, but he just smiled.
翻译:我笑道:“没办法!我55岁了!”但他很坚持,在我还不知道自己做了什么之前,就报名参加了英语和手工艺课。“这只是一个实验,”我警告他,但他只是笑了。
例2: “What is the matter now?” asked his wife. “I just can’t remember why I come back and where I am supposed to be going on such a hot summer day,” replied the professor. However, the real reason was that he forgot where he had left his children. Sensing something wrong, Mrs.Smith didn’t believe his words, because whenever he told a lie, he would usually blink his eyes quickly. “Tell me the truth,” ordered his wife. “As you told me, I didn’t forget where I put the name of that town, but I forget the station where I left our children!” whispered the professor, his voice trembling. “What a bad memory!” shouted his wife.
翻译:“现在怎么了?”他的妻子问道。“我只是记不清我为什么回来,也不知道我在这么炎热的夏天应该去哪里。”教授回答道。然而,真正的原因是他忘了把孩子们留在哪里了。Smith太太觉察到有什么不对劲,