“基础”才是最给力的“技巧”

—— 新概念三帮你解决世界上最难的语法考试

                            北京新东方学校  徐瑾

    GMAT句子改错（Sentence Correction）是目前世界上最难的一种英语语法考试，但是相对Verbal中的另外两部分：阅读（Reading Comprehension）和逻辑（Critical Reasoning），语法部分反而是更容易提高和拿分的部分。那么如何提高？如何拿分呢？很多同学看到这类五选一的客观题，第一反应就是用“技巧”解题。可是在这类高端考试中几乎是不可能找到一把master key的，如果真的有，那么就是坚实的语法基础。茫茫题海中，如何抓住句子的关键错误，解题的核心方法，我们需要的不在是时而有效时而失效的“技巧”，如果他们是普通的中西药，那么坚实的语法基础就是中药里的西洋参，西药里的速效救心丸。下面简单分析几道考题，“基础”如何治标又治本的道理就跃然纸上，不言自明了。

    Out of America's fascination with all things antique have grown a market for bygone styles of furniture and fixtures that are bringing back the chaise lounge, the overstuffed sofa, and the claw footed bathtub.
(A) things antique have grown a market for bygone styles of furniture and  

    fixtures that are bringing
(B) things antique has grown a market for bygone styles of furniture and

    fixtures that is bringing
(C) things that are antiques has grown a market for bygone styles of

    furniture and fixtures that bring
(D) antique things have grown a market for bygone styles of furniture and

    fixtures that are bringing
(E) antique things has grown a market for bygone styles of furniture and

    fixtures that bring

    为了解决这道题，我们可以先看一下新概念三册中的这两句话：Next came a horse, swimming bravely. (Lesson 56) 和Fortunately for me, as I was wondering what to do next, there appeared on the horizon a man on horseback. (Lesson 57) 他们和上面这道GMAT考题中的共同点在于他们都使用了同样的语法结构 —— 完全倒装结构。这一类完全倒装结构的构造非常简单，就是在here, there, up, down, away, off, out, in front of, in the room, on the wall等表示方位的副词或介词短语位于句首的时候，句子主体进行主谓倒装。在这两课的学习中，我们会发现对这一类句子进行分析、理解甚至是翻译都非常简单：只要找到句子中的谓语动词，然后“乾坤大挪移”将谓语动词两侧的句子主干成分颠倒即可。这样课文中这两个句子就变为了我们更容易理解和翻译的结构：A horse came next. 和A man on horseback appeared there on the horizon.

    了解了这点之后，再回头看这道GMAT题，就会发现原句结构可以轻而易举还原成：A market for bygone styles of furniture and fixtures {that are bringing back the chaise lounge, the overstuffed sofa, and the claw-footed bathtub} have grown out of America's fascination with all things antique. 这时候我们就会发现，句子真正的主语是a market，而原句中给出的are bringing back 和have grown两个谓语显然和主语的数不一致，应改为is bringing back和has grown。这时正确答案B已经很清晰的呈现在我们面前了。

    Cajuns speak a dialect brought to southern Louisiana by the four thousand Acadians who migrated there in 1755; their language is basically seventeenth-century French to which has been added English, Spanish, and Italian words.
(A) to which has been added English, Spanish, and Italian words
(B) added to which is English, Spanish, and Italian words
(C) to which English, Spanish, and Italian words have been added
(D) with English, Spanish, and Italian words having been added to it
(E) and, in addition, English, Spanish, and Italian words are added

    在新概念三册Lesson 17 The longest suspension bridge in the world中有这样一句话They (the towers) support the cables from which the bridge has been suspended. 这其中有这样一个介词+关系代词引导定语从句的结构 from which the bridge has been suspended。在给学生展示了纽约维拉萨诺大桥的图片之后，我们得知这句话所表述的对象具有这样位置关系：They (the towers) support the cables. The bridge has been suspended from the cables. 那么作者是怎样用一句话表达这两种位置关系的呢？我们不难看出，上面两个句子中都有一个共同的名词the cables，那么，显然，我们可以将其中一句降级成为定语从句，修饰另外一句中的这个共有名词。如果选择前一句为主句，后一句需要降级的话，我们可以先对后一句中的状语部分from the cables进行简单的位置变化，也就是将其前置，句子变为From the cables the bridge has been suspended. 这时候将两个句子连接，再将重复的名词the cables替换成定语从句修饰物时使用的关系代词which，我们就重现了作者当时造句的过程。

    现在回到这道GMAT考题中，根据常识，我们不难看出划线部分的句子结构想要表达的意思是：很多英语、西班牙语和意大利语中的词汇被加入到了法语中，即English, Spanish, and Italian words has been added to French. 那么根据上面我们对于17课课文例句的还原方式，这句话也就可以轻而易举地加入主句Their language is basically seventeenth-century French中，形成正确的句子结构Their language is basically seventeenth-century French to which English, Spanish, and Italian words has been added. 正确答案C也就这样被我们确定了。

    As rare as something becomes, be it a baseball card or a musical recording or a postage stamp, the more avidly it is sought by collectors.

(A) As rare as something becomes, be it

(B) As rare as something becomes, whether it is

(C) As something becomes rarer and rarer, like

(D) The rarer something becomes, like

(E) The rarer something becomes, whether it is

    在新概念三册Lesson 9 Flying cats第二自然段中有这样一句话：It seems that the further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves. 这句话中的表语从句部分是一个the more …, the more …引导的比较状语从句结构。我们只是从表面上就可以看出这类句子结构具有高度的对称性（using a parallel phrase），这一点正是GMAT语法考试中的重点考察部分（平行结构出现频率约为9%到12%）。我们先回到课文中，看看这类句子是如何构成的。原文中写猫，说它下落的地方越高，伤害到自己的可能性就越低，交代了猫从高处下落（Cats fall far.）和他们不可能伤害到自己（They are little likely to injure themselves.）两件事情。因为这两件事情之间具有“越高越不可能”的比较程度同级增加的关系，所以将比较关系的形容词或副词（这里面的far和little两个都是副词）变为比较级结构，即变为Cats fall further.和They are less likely to injure themselves.最后再在该比较结构的成分前面加the，将其整体提前，即可将两个分句合成一个具有比较程度同级增加的完整句子了The further cats fall, the less they are likely to injure themselves.

    了解了这类句子构成的过程，我们再回到这道考题中，可以发现原句表达的是这样两件事：Something becomes rare.和It is sought by collectors avidly. 而二者之间具有“越是稀有越激烈追求”这样的比较程度同时增加的关系。那么根据上面讲到的变化过程我们便可以写出这样一个句子The rarer something becomes, the more avidly it is sought by collectors. 显然，这时候正确答案就锁定在了D和E上面，最后再根据like + n.结构在正规书面语中只作比较不表示举例，从而得到正确答案E。

    The nation's three military academies have seen a dramatic rise in applications, one fueled by a resurgence of patriotism, increasing tuition costs at private colleges, and improved recruiting by the academies.

(A) one fueled by a resurgence of patriotism, increasing tuition costs at

    private colleges, and improved recruiting by the academies

(B) one fueled by a resurgence of patriotism, tuition costs that have   

    increased at private colleges, and academies improving their recruiting

(C) one fueled by a resurgence of patriotism, private colleges that

    increased their tuition costs, and recruiting improvements by the

    academies

(D) fueled by a resurgence of patriotism, tuition costs increasing at

    private colleges, and academies improving their recruiting

(E) fueled by a resurgence of patriotism, increasing tuition costs at

    private colleges, and academies improving their recruiting

    新概念三册中Lesson 45课有这样一句话：But they suddenly became the parents of quintuplets, four girls and a boy, an event which radically changed their lives. 这里我总会提出一个问题：最后这个定语从句前面的同位语an event去掉是否还能够表达原句的意思？学生中很多都会回答“可以”，因为which引导非限制性定语从句可以修饰前面整个句子，但是大家都忽略了，which引导的非限制性定语从句还可以紧跟修饰前面出现的名词（four girls and a boy）。如果只要求做到理解文章意思，这样的句子显然没有问题。但是在对语法结构要求及其严格的GMAT考试中，这种语法结构上面的模糊（ambiguous）是判误的重要根据之一。

所以回到上面这道语法题上，我们不难看出它和我们45课中的句子结构是一致的：都是“主句+名词（同位语）+定语成分（45课中的定语成分是以定语从句形式出现的，而这道GMAT语法听中的成分是以分词形式出现的）”。所以答案为什么不能是D和E就不言自明了。最后再根据平衡结构顺利选出正确答案A就不是问题了。

    华罗庚曾经说过：“难”是如此，面对悬崖峭壁，一百年也看不出一条缝来，但用斧凿，能进一寸进一寸，得进一尺进一尺，不断积累，飞跃必来，突破随之。当我们面对世界上最“难”的语法考试，也许梦想着一步登顶确实不可能，但是只要找准方法，进行高效的语法基础学习，就一定能够踏上一条通顶的捷径，“飞跃必来，突破随之”。