新聞英語的語法特征

1、新聞英語中的語法特征Grammatical features of news Englishv1. flexible usage of the tense時態(tài)運用靈活v1.1 tense in news headlinev時態(tài)的運用在英語新聞文體中有其獨特之處，在標(biāo)題中尤為突出。為了給讀者一種現(xiàn)實感和新聞的及時感，標(biāo)題中常用一般現(xiàn)在時、不定式或現(xiàn)在分詞分別表示過去、將來或正在進行的動作。For example:v（1）Hillary Clinton suffers collapsev US senator and former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton

2、 has collapsed during a pubic appearance in Buffalo, New York statev(2) Stars rock Bangkok for tsunami reliefv World entertainment giant, MTV Asia, will hold a star-studded concert today to raise money for the tsunami relief effort.v1.2 the disagreement of tenses時態(tài)的不一致性v在一般文體中，按照傳統(tǒng)英語語法規(guī)則，賓語從句中謂語動詞的時

3、態(tài)要受制于主句中謂語動詞的時態(tài)，這被稱之為時態(tài)的一致或呼應(yīng)。同樣，當(dāng)間接引語被改為直接引語時，動詞形態(tài)也要做相應(yīng)的調(diào)整。英語新聞一般也應(yīng)該遵循這種時態(tài)的變化規(guī)則。然而，在實際的新聞報道中，起時態(tài)常常并不拘泥于這種語言規(guī)則，而是按照實際情況，根據(jù)新聞事實發(fā)生的時間變化與順序，酌情靈活使用各種時態(tài)。例如：vThe new post, undersecretary-general for administration and management, involves overall responsibility for budget and personal matters and is one o

4、f eight deputy positions created by Mr. Butros Ghali in a restructuring of the Secretariat announced on Friday, the officials said.v2. Passive voice is frequently used 頻繁使用被動語態(tài)v被動語態(tài)在英語新聞中使用得相當(dāng)廣泛，起使用頻率往往多于其他英語文體。其原因主要有兩方面。一方面是因為新聞報道最重要的作用是向大宗報道最新的，有重大意義的事件和信息。為了能突出重點，新聞報道中常用被動語態(tài)強調(diào)事件或行為的結(jié)果，突出強調(diào)新聞事實或動作

5、的接受者而不是執(zhí)行者。例如：v(1) More than 50 million acres of farmland have been submerged and grain stores damaged. Thousands of peasants have been shown on television trying to save their grain by loading sacks into boats or trying to move them to higher ground.v(2) At least 26 people were killed at the weeken

6、d in a new army offensive in which the army fired rockets, artillery and mortars at targets around the town as air force made repeated strikes.v另一方面，記者為迅速、有效地抓住讀者的注意力，有時不得不采用被動語態(tài)，這可謂是英語新聞文體的特征之一，因為它恰如其分地掌握了讀者閱報時的普遍心理。人們閱讀時都是處于漫不經(jīng)心的狀態(tài)，只有當(dāng)念到感興趣部分時才會集中注意力。為此，被動語態(tài)將動作的承受者移至句首，正好起到這一作用。例如vA brief case con

7、taining highly sensitive documents about British operations in Saudi Arabia was stolen. It was revealed last night to the press. But no details were provided.v3. complexity and variety in sentence pattern.復(fù)雜多樣的句式v3.1 simple sentences are more frequently used than complex sentence 單句多于復(fù)合句v要較好地達到英語新聞的

8、告知和傳播功能，適應(yīng)并迎合各層次讀者的口味，英語新聞的句式結(jié)構(gòu)要盡力做到簡潔。人們讀報就是為了在最短的時間內(nèi)獲得最多的信息，因此，英語新聞中的句子多用簡單句。英語新聞經(jīng)常使用分詞短語、介詞短語、名詞短語、不定式短語等代替從句，使句子的結(jié)構(gòu)更加簡單、明了，使新聞的敘述更加清楚，從而使聽、讀新聞的人思路更加清晰，這樣可以使新聞在短時間內(nèi)被聽眾或讀者理解和接受。例如：v(1) Screaming and weeping mourners clambered around the flag-draped coffin carrying the body of former Prime Minister

9、 Rafik Hariri as hundreds of thousands of people turned out for his burial Wednesday, two days after a huge bomb killed the man credited with rebuilding post-civil war.v(2) Partial election returns released yesterday showed a clergy-backed Shiite coalition performing better than expected in Baghdad

10、and southern Iraq, diminishing Iyad Allawis chances of holding onto the position of prime minister in political horse-trading that already has begun.v英語新聞中通常大量使用簡單句的主要原因是受版面的限制，記者往往力求用盡量少的篇幅，來報道盡量多的事實，提供盡量廣的知識。此外記者們寫稿和發(fā)稿都受截稿時間的限制，常常將想到的新情況和背景補插到已經(jīng)寫好的句子中，造成句子主干極其簡單，但修飾成分相當(dāng)復(fù)雜，這對非英語母語的讀者來說是一種挑戰(zhàn)，有時無法弄清楚

11、插入的詞語到底修飾、說明哪一部分。這時需要掌握的一個規(guī)律就是，修飾成分一定離它所修飾的中心詞最近，千萬不要走遠了。例如vPresident Bush said that the Russian leaders response to the message, sent on Friday, had been inadequate.v當(dāng)然英語新聞中也使用適量的并列復(fù)合句，主從復(fù)合句。但需要指出的是，英語新聞中的主從復(fù)合句一般只包含一層關(guān)系，寄簡單的賓語從句、定語從句、狀語從句等。經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)在科技語體和小說中的復(fù)雜的多重從句在新聞中是很難見到的，所以英語新聞中單句明顯多于復(fù)合句的特點是非常顯著的，但

12、是單句絕對不等于簡單，而復(fù)合句絕對不等于復(fù)雜。v3.2 the dense packing of premodifiers前置修飾語高度濃縮v為了濃縮結(jié)構(gòu)，節(jié)省篇幅，新聞工作者常常使用前置修飾語，前置修飾語的使用可以避免因使用從句而帶來的句式拖沓。所以，英語新聞中句子的一大特色是盡可能用形容詞（詞組）、介詞（詞組）、分詞（詞組）等來做名稱的修飾語，并將它們并置于被修飾詞之前，形成一長串的前置修飾語組合。例如：v(1) Always erudite, famously verbose, and often controversial, Harvard paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould died last week at 60.v(2) Thirty-five foreign ministers from the “group of 77” developing nations will be present and other member-countries are expected to be represented by high-level-non-ministerial delegation at the two-day meeting.v3.3 direc