中英词序不同
中英词序不同● 陈清霖
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中英两种语言的结构有很大不同，词序便是其中一种。例如英语单数人称代名词（singular personal pronouns）的秩序是：You and I; he and I; you, he and I。You常常居前；I则殿后。复数人称代词（plural personal pronouns）的位置是：We and you; you and they; we, you and they。We常常在最前；they在最后。
后面这词序和中文的一样，但前面那种排列，却和中文的不同： “我和你；我和他；我，你，他”。我常在前；他常在后。
简简单单的人称代词的秩序，就有这么大的差别，其他更复杂的结构之间的差异，可想而知了。
现在试再举些其他词序的差异，以飨读者。 ① 要分清敌我→We must distinguish between ourselves and the enemy. ② 男女老少→men and women, young and old ③ 发展钢铁工业→develop the iron and steel industry
此外，中英文并列的词语有轻重之分。中文往往把重的词放在前，把分量较轻的摆在后；英语则恰恰相反：轻者在前，重者在后。例如： ④ 无地和少地的农民→Those peasants who have little or no land... ⑤ 救死扶伤→Heal the wounded and rescue the dying. （扶也可译为“support”或“assist”） ⑥ 使人民经济有所增长，有所补充→We must help the people to supplement and expand their economy.
上述中英词序的差异，稍微不察，便会出错，在各别使用中文式英语时，难免感到句式不自然，不舒畅；因此要多多留意。
其实，不谈两种不同语言的词序，就英语来说，词序（word order）也是运用上的错误之一，只是不比其他几种常见错误普遍罢了。
⒈频率副词（adverbs of frequency），如：
⑦a. Jim always is happy.
b. Jim is always happy.
⒉倒装句（inverted constructions），如：
⑧a. Only by working hard you can become useful to the country.
b. Only by working hard can you become useful to the country.
⑨a. Seldom I have seen such an irrational person.
b. Seldom have I seen such an irrational person.
⑩a. Under no circumstances we will help those not wishing to help themselves.
b. Under no circumstances will we help those not wishing to help themselves.
⒊可分开的片语动词宾语（objects of separable phrasal verbs），如：
11a. - Take off your hat, please!
Take off it now !
b. - O.K. Let me take it off straight away.
⑦a-11a的词序都错；⑦b-11b的才对。
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