And God said let there be light, and there was light

2018/07/24 04:13:17 網誌分類: 生活

24 Jul

        　　Readers often send emails asking me about the use of English. Many ask about the correct use of grammar. I hope readers understand it is impossible to reply to all emails. As a columnist, I should not give advice on how to do homework, write office memos, or job applications. But from time to time I receive interesting questions about English usage which I like to share with all readers. I received an email recently from a reader who wanted to know if it is grammatically acceptable to start a sentence with a conjunction. A conjunction is a word that connects words, phrases, or clauses in a sentence. Words such as “and”, “but”, “although” and “because” are all conjunctions.

        　　Teachers in Hong Kong and elsewhere often tell students it is grammatically incorrect to start a sentence with a conjunction. But, in fact, it is totally acceptable, especially nowadays, to start a sentence with a conjunction. If you look at what I have written so far, you will see I have already used a conjunction three times to start a sentence. Many famous writers, including William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, used conjunctions to start sentences. The sentence in the Old Testament, “And God said let there be light, and there was light”, starts with a conjunction. I often start sentences with conjunctions because they make sentences more interesting.

        　　I read in the Oxford Dictionary that it is better to say: “Because it was so hot, we went swimming”, than to say: “We went swimming because it was so hot”. I am not saying you should ignore your teachers. Whether or not you start a sentence with a conjunction is really a matter of choice and style. When I talk to friends, I often say: “I love to drink wine. And I like whiskey too.” There is nothing wrong with saying that. It’s a matter of choice. When children ask parents why they should eat vegetables, parents often reply: “Because vegetables are good for you.”

        ***

        　　不時有讀者傳電郵過來，問我有關英語使用的問題，許多人會問到有關文法的正確使用。我希望讀者明白，要回覆所有電郵是不可能的。各位如何做功課、寫辦公室的備忘錄甚或求職信等，我身為專欄作家，實在不應該給予任何意見。不過，偶爾我也會收到有關英語使用的有趣問題，讓我很想跟所有讀者分享。我最近就收到一封電郵，那位讀者想知道以conjunction開始一句句子，在文法上可不可以？Conjunction即連接詞，就是在句子中將字詞、片語或子句連接起來的字，“and”、“but”、“although”和“because”這些字都是連詞（conjunctions）。

        　　香港又或其他地方的老師，時常會提醒學生，以連詞（conjunction）作為句子的起首，在文法上是錯誤的。然而事實是，以連詞（conjunction）開始一句句子，這種寫法是完全可以接受的，尤其放諸今天。若你看看我寫到這裏為止的段落，便可見到我已三次用了連詞（conjunction）開啟句子。許多著名的作家，包括威廉．莎士比亞和查爾斯．狄更斯，也曾用連詞（conjunctions）去開始一句句子。《聖經》的舊約中有一句：“And God said let there be light, and there was light”（「神說，要有光，就有了光。」）也是以一個連詞（conjunction）開始的。我就不時以連詞（conjunctions）開啟句子，因為它們可令句子更有趣。

        　　我在牛津字典中也讀到，寫“Because it was so hot, we went swimming”（「因為天氣太熱了，我們便去了游泳。」）比“We went swimming because it was so hot”要來得好。我並不是說，你應無視你的老師們。你是否以連詞（conjunction）開啟句子，實在是個人的選擇和風格的問題。當我跟朋友談天時，我時常會說：“I love to drink wine. And I like whiskey too.”（「我喜歡喝葡萄酒。也喜歡喝威士忌呢。」這樣說並無不妥，只不過是個人的選擇。當小孩問父母，為甚麼他們非吃蔬菜不可，父母總是會回道： “Because vegetables are good for you.”（「因為蔬菜對你有益。」）

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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