英语新闻常用句子特征例析
新闻报道文体属于较正式的文体,语言结构比较复杂。但它并不晦涩难懂,而是简洁明确, 主题突出,语言客观,显示出自己的独特风格。 新闻分书面和口头两大类,分别以报刊与广播为 代表,二者在写作风格和技巧上大同小异。除了语篇和词汇外,新闻的行文风格和技巧亦 表现在句子及其使用上。 新闻报道语句是构成新闻语篇的独立的基本语义单位,既受制于新闻语篇的要求,又服务 于新闻语篇。因此,新闻语句的结构和句式要符合新闻报道的结构需要和行文规范。新闻报 道语篇一般由标题、导语、正文、背景和结尾组成,其用语要求具体、准确、简明、通俗和 生动,所以句子也要反映这些语言要求,与之相辅相成,发挥出支持新闻语篇的作用。 因此,在新 闻撰写中,习惯采用许多特定结构的语句,如新闻体语句、扩展的简单句、主从复合句、 解释性语句等,这些常用句子或多或少显示新闻文体色彩、结构简洁紧凑、内容丰富明确、 修辞手段多样和口语化倾向等特征。 (一)文体色彩较浓 一 文体色彩较浓 在报道中,出现最多最明显的是新闻体词语( journalistic expressions) 。新闻体词语是指媒体 出于行文需要,使用频率较高的涉及新闻事件、 人物和机构等的词语,即新闻的“套话”、 “行话”, 包括报道套语、文头惯用语、分类常用语等, 它们在报道中单独成句或形成含有新闻体词语 的惯用句式。具有语义简明准确、位置相对固定, 使用快捷方便等特点。虽然有些新闻体词 语由于用得太多太久给人以陈旧呆板之感, 但还是不时出现在新闻的各个部分。 可以说,各种新闻体词语在报道里随处可见, 作用不一,如: as 话; 匿
1. 表示信息来源出处 quote ? 引用? who spoke on condition of anonymity 以? 名为条件; a spokesman says 发言人说 officials / sources/ critics/ analysts/observers / skeptics say 政府官员们/有关人士/评论家/分析家/观察家/怀疑者说; declined to comment on / elaborate on /give one’s name /be named 谢绝评论/提供详细情况/披露本人姓名; Witnesses said? 目击者说; Reports from ? 来自? say 的报道说; opinion polls show 民意调查显示;studies show 研究显示。
2. 表示信息状况 confirmed /unconfirmed / conflicting reports/ accounts 已证实的/未经 证实的/相互矛盾的报道/说法; Further details were not immediately available. 进一步的详情眼 下不得而知(有待随时报道) 。 Details of what happened are still unclear. 事件的详情仍不清楚。 Details of ?are still coming in. 详情正? 送来本台。 Details have emerged of? 详情已浮现出来。 It was not immediately clear whether? 目前尚不清楚。 far there is no word on? So 迄今尚无关于 ? 的消息。
3. 表示背景对照 following 随着; ( shortly) before / after 就在?之前/之后 on the sidelines of 在?背景下; against the backdrop of 在?背景下; The move follows?此举是随着; was part of 作 为?一部分; in an apparent reference to 显然是指; ? comes as 随着; ?comes after 随着; as it comes as?随着。
4. 表示意图、 预定、 推测(暗含评论分析) aim at/aimed at 旨在, in an apparent attempt to 显然是想, in an effort to / in a bid to 试图 set, slated 预定, expected 预计, feared 担心,恐怕; It appears that?似乎; it was presumed?据推测; fall short of 缺乏,达不到; likely be seen as 很可能 被视为; describe it as 描绘为。
5. 表示态度、行为过程 accuse 指责; condemn 谴责; blast 激烈抨击; hail 称赞; dismiss 驳斥; lash 严厉斥责;laud 称赞; abuse 滥用; aid 援助; air 表达,公开; back 支持;bar 阻止; block 阻止; boom 激增; boost 推进; bolster 支持;curb 抑制; clash 冲突; deal 交易; ease 缓和; flare 爆 发; grab 抢夺; leave 造成; loom 逼近; lure 吸引; mark 标志,纪念;move 举动; mull 深思,认真考 量; pound (连续)重击; probe 调查; quit 停止; row 争吵; see 目睹,经历, 显示, voice 表达意见; weigh 权衡, 仔细考量; witness 目睹, 经历; wrap( up) 结束; plays down 降低? (重要性) ; hint
(at) 示; suggest 建议;暗示。 试看以下例句: (
1) FB I arrests seven in terrorism plot: source (Reuters Jun. 23, 20
06) (
2) Envoys close to the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Russia was toughest on provisions in a draft statement and that China backed Moscow. (CNN Mar.21, 20
06) (
3) You’re tuned to News Desk in the BBC World Service from London. And we cap the main news. (BBC) (
4) The possibility of a U. S. 2Chinese military confrontation over Taiwan looms in the background of the espionage, said Ronald Guerin, the FBI‘s East Asia section chief. (USA TODAY May 18, 20
06) (
5) “We have a sound,” AP quoted Sahar Yunos of the Malaysia Disaster and Rescue Team as saying. “Knocking, something like that.” (CNN Feb. 20, 20
06) (
6) He said it was not immediately clear whether any foreigners were involved in the accident, and declined to give details of the driver. (CNN Oct. 26, 20
03) (
7) They stopped short of saying they thought the miners were dead. (Reuters Oct. 5, 20
07) (
8) Giuliani hints at ending his 2008 p residential bid (Reuters Jan. 30, 20
08) (
9) Cheney plays down NK strike calls (CNN Jun. 23, 20
06)
6. 表述专类内容 这是指为表达一定的内容而习惯选用的相关词语,包括一些专业词 汇。这类词语出现频率很高,主要出现在具体的某类新闻报道中。常见的有外交、政治、事 故灾难、军事冲突、经济、科技等 10 多类别，各类除含有一些通用的词语外,也有许多专用 词语。 这些词语自成一体,若即若离,相辅相成,成为某类新闻的标志性常用词语。 stampede, 如 crash, victim, survivor(事故灾难类) , unrest, demonstration, protest (冲突类) , talks, bilateral ties, make representations against (外交类) 。例如以下 2 例属于外交类报道新闻: (
10) ROK claims on intrusion incident strongly refuted (China Daily Jun. 15, 20
02) (
11) China makes representations against Koizumi’s shrine visit(Xinhua net Jan. 14, 20
03) (二)结构简洁紧凑 二 结构简洁紧凑 新闻报道的语言要求通俗易懂,所以其句子较短,结构较为简单,尤其是在标题和导语部 分。 英语新闻中的句子多用简单句和并列复合句,也适量使用主从复合句, 新闻报道多用这两 种简明的句式,目的在于传递更多信息的同时,增加可读性。 在新闻语篇中的不同部分,句子呈现出不同的变化。标题需要简洁生动而节省篇幅,以简 单句、省略句居多;导语既要简洁又要概括要点、突出新颖之处,以传递主要信息和引起看下 去的兴趣,所以句子交待的内容较多,带了一些修饰成分,但其句法紧凑,信息浓缩,一个句子就 包含了主要信息,回答至少
2∼3 个 W 的内容,所以有较长的附加成分,如分词短语、同位语、 从句等。 正文则按照“倒金字塔”或“金字塔”的新闻篇章结构展开内容,如使用主从复合句解释标 题,使用新闻体语句引出消息、交待来源和背景等。简言之,新闻报道较多使用短句和短的段 落,句型简单化,词序常规化,避免在一个句子中夹杂许多不太相关的信息。
1. 扩展的简单句(expanded simple sentence)扩展的简单句能容纳尽可能多的内容,故常 用同位语、介词短语、分词短语以及句词( sentence word)等语言成分来扩展简单句。这种句 子只包含一个主要意思和数个相关的次要意思。句子各部分之间关系紧密、层次分明,结构 仍然较为简单, 内容却丰富起来,从而达到简洁、严谨、信息量大的效果。例如: (
12) Russia school standoff ends with 250 dead. ( Sep t. 4, 20
04) (介词短语作状语) (
13) Searchers look for miners feared trapped (CNN Jan. 20, 20
06) (分词短语作定语) (
14) Coach carrying Poles crashes in France killing 26 (Reuters Jul. 22, 20
07) (分词短语作
定语和状语)
2. 主从复合句( complex sentence)英语新闻报道中的主从复合句一般只包含一层关系, 即简单的“主语+宾语从句/定语从句/状语从句”结构。单层的主从复合句还有口语化的特征, 易于受众快速理解和接受。例如: (
15) NEW YORK (Reuters) 2U. S. and North Korean officials held talks on Monday aimed at eventually normalizing diplomatic ties as part of an agreement under which Pyongyang has pledged to scrap its nuclear arms programs in exchange for aid. (定语从句) (
16) Philippine President Arroyo has declared a state of emergency after military officials say they blocked a coup attempt against her. (CNN Feb. 24, 20
06) (状语从句+宾语从句) (
17) BEIJ ING, China ( CNN Jan. 30, 2008 ) ???China’s worst winter in more than half a century showed no signs of abating Wednesday as forecasters told citizens to brace for three more days of snow and sleet. (状语从句)
3. 被动句(passive-voice sentence structure)被动句强调行动或事件的结果, 显示新闻事实 或动作的接受者比执行者更重要的情况,能起到简洁,突出重点的作用,还可制造悬念、激发读 者的好奇心,这尤其适用于标题、导语、事故灾难类新闻等,有时不便或不愿说出动作的执行 者, 用被动语态可起到缓和语气, 委婉礼貌的交际效果。例如: (
18) Blizzard warning posted; traffic snarled (USA TODAY Feb. 12, 20
06) (标题) (
19) It was also disclosed recently that up to a million rural businesses stop trading this year and 18, 000 building projects have been halted. (Nov. 16, 19
89) (导语) (
20) At least eight miners who had been near the mine’s exit when the explosion occurred were rescued and were hospitalized with burns and broken bones. (CNN Feb. 19, 20
06) (正文)
4. there be 结构( there be structure)这是新闻报道的一个常用句型,简单明了,可出现在开 头或文中,表示“发生”某事或“存在”某事,且显示报道的客观性,常用来报道灾祸新闻。例如: (
21) There’s been a big rail crash in Pakistan. About 200 people are reported killed and hundreds more injured. (BBC Jan. 4, 19
90) (
22) There’s been considerable public anger at the actions of photographers who were pursuing the Princess’s car on motorcycles at the time of the crash. (BBC Sep t. 1, 19
97) (三)内容丰富明确 内容丰富明确 三 内容丰富明 新闻报道的内容要求信息量大,语义关联性强,为使语言准确清楚,因而有较多的限定和 解释是必要的。许多新闻涉及比较复杂的情况,所以报道的语句往往含有大量复杂的修饰成 分,如复合从句、分词词组、介词词组、动名词等形式,它们既能传达信息又能简化语言,节省 篇幅。 由于各种成分的增加,句子就变得复杂起来。 好的新闻句子,必然信息充分,主次明晰,没有 多余的、杂乱的词语,各句子成分排列有序,在简约的表达中传递丰富的信息, 内容虽多,仍然 易于辨认和理解。
1. 松散句( loose sentence)硬新闻中主要使用松散句,而少用与之相对的圆周句(periodic sentence) 。 因为松散句在句首就显示句子的核心内容, 而起解释和说明作用的成分推后, 这 种句式的重点在前,一目了然, 是新闻写作的典型结构法。例如: (
23) Troops began moving a id to the cyclone2sha t2tered town of Inn is fail on Tuesday as residents picked through waterlogged streets littered with rubble and mangled roofs destroyed by Australia’s most powerful cyclone in decades. (CNN Mar. 21, 20
06) 句中黑体为主句要点, as 从句以后的都是附加的次要内容。 圆周句则相反, 开头由修饰、 解释成分引领,逐步过渡到后面的句子核心,为文学写作所常用。但新闻报道也不时根据圆周 句的特点,在句前部分,集中突出某些次要信息,先提供必要的背景材料,这样既可为理解稍后
的主要信息作好铺垫,又浓缩了信息而减少篇幅: (
24) Bill Beutel, the longtime television news anchor and host of the show that became ABC’s “Good Morning America,” has died, the network announced. He was
75. (CNN Mar. 20, 20
06)
2. 解释性语句( explanatory expression)包括名词性短语、定语从句、同位语、插入语等, 它们在语义上有相对的独立性,常用来补充说明事件的性质、提供背景情况或因果关系以及 表示对事件的评论等,主要起解释作用,以使新闻的言语更通俗易懂,使受众增长知识和见闻。 其位置很灵活, 可以出现在新闻的各个部分。例如: (
25) The man who's been in overall charge of the Chinese economy for the past five years Zhu Rongji has been elected p rime minister. (BBC Mar. 19, 19
98) (定语从句) (
26) The hurricane, which’s left the trail of destruction across much of Central America, has crossed into Pacific and is continuing northwards to Guatemala and El Salvador. (BBC Oct. 24, 19
88) (定语从句) (
27) The Hubble telescope has discovered a giant black hole, a collapsed star from which no light can emerge. (BBC Nov. 27, 19
97) (短语+定语从句) (
28) This year’s El Nino effec
