在中文里,詞序非常重要;兩個(gè)字的秩序不同，意思也不同。例如“東西”和“西東”，前者是“things”，后者是“everywhere” ——“各奔西東”。再如“女兒”和“兒女”，前者是“ daughter(s)”，后者是“children”。

英語的詞序雖不像中文那樣富有語義上的變化，但也很重要，絕對(duì)不容忽視。有時(shí)，一字一詞方位的改變，全句的意思可能“牽一發(fā)動(dòng)全身”，跟著受影響。

下面便是些好例子：

① Even the government officers admitted that some tax measures were unfair.

② The government officers admitted that even some tax measures were unfair.

第一句的意思是：每個(gè)人，包括政府官員，都承認(rèn)有些稅務(wù)措施不公平。第二句的意思是：政府官員承認(rèn)，許多事情，連稅務(wù)措施在內(nèi)，都不公平。前者焦點(diǎn)在“人”;后者則在“事”。

③ The couple don’t have much money to spend on their foreign trip.

④ The couple don’t have to spend much money on their foreign trip.

第三句說“錢不夠用”;第四句卻說“不必多用錢”。“沒有錢可花”和“有錢不必多花”，呈強(qiáng)烈對(duì)照，詞序的影響，由此可見一斑!

⑤ The committee as a whole pointed out that the world economic situation had improved.

⑥ The committee pointed out that the world economic situation as a whole had improved.

第五句指的是“全部的委員”;第六句卻影射“整體的經(jīng)濟(jì)局勢(shì)”。同樣一個(gè)片語，所指有所不同。

⑦ In vain did David try to prevent the job from being done.

⑧ David tried to prevent the job from being done in vain.

⑦里的“in vain”(無結(jié)果)指的是大衛(wèi)的行動(dòng);⑧里的不是指人的行動(dòng)，而是指“在進(jìn)行中的工作”。

⑨ Approaching the shop, Helen noticed two strangers.

⑩ Helen noticed two strangers approaching the shop.

⑨里講的是“海倫走向銀行時(shí)，注意到兩個(gè)陌生人”;⑩里指的是“兩個(gè)陌生人走向銀行時(shí)，引起海倫的注意”。

(11) I may visit a sometime lecturer of English language.

(12) I may visit a lecturer of English language sometime.

(11)里的“sometime”是形容詞，意思是“以前的”;(12)里的“ sometime”是時(shí)間副詞，意思是“某時(shí)候”。前者可以改成“former ”或“previous”;后者就要變?yōu)椤癮t a certain time”了。

最后，請(qǐng)問下列二詞，哪個(gè)是“防暴警察”?哪個(gè)是“警察暴動(dòng)”?

A: RIOT POLICE

B: POLICE RIOT