密歇根新闻广播 解析back and forth

 

We can talk about sending emails back and forth¹. But why does it sound odd to talk about sending them forth and back?

It may not sound right, but some would argue that "forth and back" makes more sense. So why is the order flipped²?

As it turns out, "back and forth" has been around for about 400 years.

This phrase is typically used as an adverb, such as "We sent emails back and forth." Since the 1940s though, it can also be used as a noun, as in "We had a long back and forth about that."

It's true that "back and forth" is not logical. For example, saying, "I go back and forth to work" doesn't make any sense, because you "go forth" to work before you "go back" home.

However, in the 560-million-word Corpus of Contemporary American English, there are around 12 thousand examples of "back and forth." There are only three examples of "forth and back."

In contrast, in the expression "to and fro," the directionality is different. Going away, or "to," comes first. The coming back from, "fro," comes second. This expression is rarely found in reverse, "fro and to."

The truth is, "back and forth" is an idiomatic³ expression. In English, idiomatic expressions don't have to make sense. They just have to be there.

1 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

2 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
• The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。

3 idiomatic   

adj.成语的，符合语言习惯的

参考例句：

• In our reading we should always be alert for idiomatic expressions.我们在阅读过程中应经常注意惯用法。
• In his lecture,he bore down on the importance of idiomatic usage in a language.他在演讲中着重强调了语言中习惯用法的重要性。