Periodic sentence - Wondering out of the bookstore, distracted from my next shopping bargain, I sat down on the nearest bench to consider my next move. (最後一個逗號之後即為主要子句)
Loose sentence – We would like to explain our concerns about the proposed changes in the Sunshine Act, changes that would allow agency commissioners to meet behind closed doors and exclude tax-paying citizens. (句子有點長,抓住重點即可,逗號之前是主要子句,逗號之後附屬子句則在形容句子想要強調的重點)
As a boy, Tom cared little about schoolwork, preferring the piano to a book.(Tom 這男孩不太關心學校功課,他寧願彈琴而不願唸書。) 用preferring 這個現在分詞將附屬元素與主要子句連接起來。
Modifying with a past participle(過去分詞),例句如下,
Tom once sneaked aboard a riverboat, drawn by the seductive note of the steam calliope.(Tom曾經對蒸汽管風琴的聲音著迷到偷溜到江輪上。) 用drawn 這個過去分詞將附屬元素與主要子句連接起來。
Modifying with an adjective(形容詞),例句如下,
Tom was happiest when he was playing the cornet, oblivious to everything but his music.(Tom在吹小號時最開心了,除了音樂,他可以把任何事丟在腦後。) 用oblivious這個形容詞將附屬元素與主要子句連接起來。
2. Connect by repeating,例句如下, We would like to explain our concerns about the proposed changes in the Sunshine Act, changes that would allow agency commissioners to meet behind closed doors and exclude tax-paying citizens. 斜體字changes即為repeating,利用這個repeating來產生停頓並讓讀者對主要子句內的這個changes有更清楚的概念。
3. Connect by restating,例句如下, The third method of connecting the trailing element to the main clause of a loose sentence is with a word that restates or sums up what has been said, a technique I am using in the sentence you are reading. 斜體字a technique指的就是前面主要子句中講的‘用一個字重新闡述或作結論’的這個概念。
以下才是我想分享的重點 -- 上述提到的這些方法可以避免誤用關係代名詞which 的機會,which 是一個相當弱也常被錯用的連接詞。下面即是使用which 得當與不得當的兩個例句, I found my glove, which I had dropped in the snow. (which很明確的是指手套glove,這是使用which得當的例子) I found my glove, which was fortunate. (which指的是找到手套這件事,是which使用不當的例子)