在线英语听力室

VOA日常语法2022--描述你的生活

时间:2022-04-22 02:12:15

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号:tingroom,领取免费英语资料大礼包。

(单词翻译)

Describing Your Life

Imagine you want to talk about your life. Perhaps you are talking to a friend, presenting to an English class, or writing about your childhood.

You might start with where your life began – in other words, where and when you were born.

In today's Everyday Grammar, we will explore how one famous writer wrote about the place and time of a birth.

You will learn about some of the grammar behind the opening lines of one of the 20th century's most famous works of literature: Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.

Opening lines

The opening lines from Midnight's Children set up an important idea that runs through the book: that is, the words link the life and times of the main character to the history of India.

Notice how the sentences jump between past and present – a clear suggestion that the narrator is in the process of writing about his life.

I was born in the city of Bombay ... once upon a time. No, that won't do, there's no getting away from the date: I was born in Doctor Narlikar's Nursing Home on August 15th, 1947.

Note that the first sentence uses the simple past – "I was." The adjective "born" follows the BE verb: "I was born in the city of Bombay...."

But then there is an expression that ends the sentence. It is "once upon a time." This is a common structure used in fairy tales or folk tales.

The next sentence introduces the present tense, suggesting the narrator is talking to himself. Then it switches back to a more exact time during the past.

No, that won't do, there's no getting away from the date: I was born in Doctor Narlikar's Nursing Home on August 15th, 1947.

Having described where he was born, the narrator then describes when he was born.

And the time? The time matters, too. Well then: at night. No, it's important to be more ... On the stroke of midnight, as a matter of fact.

Note that Rushdie used some incomplete1 sentences – sentences without a verb. Examples include "And the time?", "Well then: at night," and "On the stroke of midnight, as a matter of fact."

All of these statements bring an everyday, conversational2 quality to the story.

But then Rushdie presents a beautiful image to the reader – one that changes back to the simple past.

Clock-hands joined palms in respectful greeting as I came. Oh, spell it out, spell it out: at the precise instant of India's arrival at independence, I tumbled4 forth5 into the world.

The verb tumble3 means to move in a fast, confused, or uncontrolled way. It is often followed by an adverb, in this case forth, which means out into notice or view.

"I tumbled forth into the world" is a poetic6 way of saying "I was born."

General to specific

Notice that Rushdie's opening lines follow a very clear structure. These lines start with a general statement and then get increasingly specific.

The very general statement is: I was born in the city of Bombay.

The more specific statement is: I was born in Doctor Narlikar's Nursing Home on August 15th, 1947.

You can use the idea of moving from general information to specific information in almost any situation – describing an event, writing a story, giving a presentation, and so on.

Homework

Let's end this report with a homework assignment. In 5-8 sentences, write about the place or time of a birth. It can be either true or fictional7. Try to use ideas that you have learned about in today's report.

Words in This Story

character – n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie, or television show

narrator – n. the person who describes what is being seen

on the stroke of – expression exactly at a specific time (often on the hour)

palm – n. the inside part of the hand between the wrist and the fingers

specific – adj. precise or exact


分享到:


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 incomplete L89xt     
adj.不完全的,不完善的
参考例句:
  • The building was left incomplete.那座楼没有完工就停下来了。
  • His novel was incomplete when he died.他死的时候他的小说没有写完。
2 conversational SZ2yH     
adj.对话的,会话的
参考例句:
  • The article is written in a conversational style.该文是以对话的形式写成的。
  • She values herself on her conversational powers.她常夸耀自己的能言善辩。
3 tumble 8KQzn     
vi.跌倒,摔下,翻滚,暴跌;n.跌(摔)倒
参考例句:
  • Children tumble over each other in play.孩子们玩耍时相互连身翻滚。
  • He took a tumble down the stairs.他摔下了楼梯。
4 tumbled 451f1ad30a31c82412022b173ce25577     
v.倒塌( tumble的过去式和过去分词 );翻滚;突然摔倒;恍然大悟
参考例句:
  • He slipped and tumbled down the stairs. 他脚一滑滚下了楼梯。
  • A hundred and fifty empty bottles tumbled onto the floor. 150个空瓶子滚落到地板上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 forth Hzdz2     
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。
6 poetic b2PzT     
adj.富有诗意的,有诗人气质的,善于抒情的
参考例句:
  • His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
  • His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。
7 fictional ckEx0     
adj.小说的,虚构的
参考例句:
  • The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
  • The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎 点击提交 分享给大家。