最近总有家长找我推荐语法书，因为担心孩子的语法学不好，英文学习会遇到瓶颈。我不反对孩子去看原版英文语法书，比如剑桥大学出版的Grammar in Use (外研社有增加了中文翻译的版本《语法在用》，比如国家地理的Great Writing 除了讲写作的方法就在讲语法，简直可以当语法书用。但是在孩子的英语阅读理解进阶到经典文学之前，担心语法学习其实是多余的，因为如果只关注语法，英文学习很难达到母语同龄人的水平；而过多关注语法则会占用太多听读文学书籍的时间，不利于拔高听力天花板，相当于本末倒置。当孩子的阅读能力达到了蓝思值1000左右，才有讨论语法的必要，或者说，这时候才有必要通过分析文学作品的长句，集中火力总结各种语法现象。一句话，所有的前期原版阅读都是为了帮助孩子达到诵读经典作品的水平，而能顺畅阅读和讨论经典应该是英文学习的最终目的。下面我将引用《乱世佳人》（Gone with the Wind ）中的优美长句带你领略英语长句之美，并点拨其中的语法现象。之所以选择这本书，是因为我最近两个月再次细读了全书，既感动有震撼，对美国的南北战争有了更深刻的理解，对战争的残酷有了深切的体会，至少对林肯的悲惨结局不再那么义愤填膺。南方种植园阶层，为了保卫他们的农场庄园，为了捍卫贵族的生活方式，付出了太大的代价。南方淑女斯嘉丽在战前和战后判若两人，使战火中交织的爱情故事波澜起伏，格外感人。1、先看一句漂亮的宾语从句。一组由how to 引导的定语从句，让斯嘉丽的风情万种跃然纸上。
She knew how to smile so that her dimples leaped, how to walk pigeon-toed so that her wide hoop skirts swayed entrancingly, how to look up into a man's face and then drop her eyes and bat the lids rapidly so that she seemed a- tremble with gentle emotion. Most of all she learned how to conceal from men a sharp intelligence beneath a face as sweet and bland as a baby's.参考译文：她知道如何微笑，让酒窝显得更深；如何脚尖朝里走路，让裙裾迷人地随步摇摆；如何仰脸看一眼男人，再低头扑闪睫毛，快快地，使自己显得内心柔情震颤。最重要的是，她知道用一张像婴儿一样恬静、柔和的脸掩饰了骨子里绝顶的聪明与才智。2、再看下面这个长句，一共出现了五个sobbing, 会不会看起来有些迷糊。仔细分析一下语法结构，第一处was sobbing是这个长句的并列谓语，第二个和第三个sobbing相当于现在分词做非谓语动词，是描述哭泣状态的方式状语，所以两个非谓语结构之间不需要连词and连接。 第四和第五个sobbing就是动名词的用法了，分别做介词by的宾语和和help的主语，这个小句中的child后面跟了一个who引导的定语从句。这些V-ing结构的用法显得音韵悠长，把一时冲动嫁给查尔斯但又很快成为寡妇的斯嘉丽刻画得细致入微。读完这样的长句，一定能感受到她的绝望和悔恨。Scarlett had thrown herself on the bed and was sobbing at the top of her voice, sobbing for her lost youth and the pleasures of youth that were denied her, sobbing with the indignation and despair of a child who once could get anything she wanted by sobbing and now knows that sobbing can no longer help her.
参考译文：思嘉已经扑倒在床上放声大哭，为她逝去的青春而哭，为青春所能带来的快乐而她却被拒之门外而哭。她带着孩子般的愤愤不平和伤心绝望大声哭着。孩提时她曾经用哭泣就能得到自己想要的东西，而现在，她知道，哭泣再也帮不了她了。3. 再来欣赏描写媚兰迷人个性的一段话，注意段落中who引导的定语从句和So..... that ...... 并列结构。听到读到这样优美的好句子，没有不会心微笑的，英文语言的美感，需要在经典文学中感受。Like Aunt Pitty, Melanie had the face of a sheltered child who had never known anything but simplicity and kindness, truth and love, a child who had never looked upon harshness or evil and would not recognize them if she saw them. Because she had always been happy, she wanted everyone about her to be happy or, at least, pleased with themselves.To this end, she always saw the best in everyone and remarked kindly upon it. There was no servant so stupid that she did not find some redeeming trait of loyalty and kindheartedness, no girl so ugly and disagreeable that she could not discover grace of form or nobility of character in her, and no man so worthless or so boring that she did not view him in the light of his possibilities rather than his actualities.媚兰也像姑妈那样有一张受宠爱的孩子脸，这样的从来只只知道单纯善良，诚实和爱，她从没注意过粗暴和邪恶，即使看见了也认不出来。因为她经常是愉快的，她要周围所有的人也都愉快，至少对自己感到舒适。怀着这一目的，她常常只看见每个人最好的一面，并给以善意的评论。一个仆人无论怎样愚蠢，她都能在他身上找到弥补这一缺陷的忠诚与好心；一个女孩子无论怎样丑陋和令人生厌，她总会在她身上发现姿态的优美之处，或者性格方面的高尚之处；一个男人无论怎样不中用或令人厌烦，她都要从他可能改变的角度而不是实际行为的角度来估量他。Because of these qualities that came sincerely and spontaneously from a generous heart, everyone flocked about her for who can resist the charm of one who discovers in others admirable qualities undreamed of even by himself? She had more girl friends than anyone in town and more men friends too, though she had few beaux for she lacked the willfulness and selfishness that go far towards trapping men's hearts. 由于她具备这些诚恳而自发地出自一个宽广胸怀的美德，所有的人便都拥戴她，因为她既然能在别人的身上发现他们连自己也不曾梦想到的优良品质，谁还能抵挡住她诱人的魅力呢？她比城里任何人都有更多的女友，男友也是这样；不过追求她的人却很少，因为她缺乏那种最能迷惑男人的任性和自私的特点。
4. 媚兰难产死后，斯嘉丽幡然醒悟，媚兰才是她身后最坚强的后盾，而阿希礼也并非真的爱他，真正爱她的男人是白瑞德，但白瑞德已经被她伤透了心。下面第一句过去完成时，是对过去的事实的陈述，后两句过去完成时用在倒装结构的条件句中，表示对过去的假设，刻画了她的悔恨之情。
She had never understood either of the men she had loved and so she had lost them both. Now she had a fumble knowledge that, had she ever understood Ashley, she would never have loved him; had she ever understood Rhett, she would never have lost him. She wondered forlornly if she had ever really understood anyone in the world.
她爱的和她爱而复失的两个人，她其实一个也不了解，现在她才笨拙的理解到：要是她真的了解阿希礼，她就压根不会爱他；如果她真的了解白瑞德，她也不会就这样失去他，她凄凉地想着，她在这个世界上到底有没有真的了解过一个人。
这本小说太精彩了，远比成为经典的费雯丽电影版更加经典。看完书再看电影的时候，会更加喜欢原文，更加佩服作者的文笔功力。电影不过是撷取了一些重要的片段，就创造了那么跌宕起伏的情节，想想原文会有多精彩。
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