英文連接詞總整理
對等、從屬與轉折用法
作者:Christopher|埃森美語創辦人|美國密西根大學畢業、美國正式教師執照
連接詞是把短句變成好句子的關鍵——也是台灣學生作文最容易露餡的地方。英文的連接詞分成三類,用法和標點各不相同:對等連接詞(and、but、so⋯⋯連接對等的兩邊)、從屬連接詞(because、although、when⋯⋯帶出附屬子句)、轉折副詞(however、therefore⋯⋯它們其實不是連接詞,標點規則完全不同)。搞混第三類,就是 Although it was raining, but we went out. 這種中式英文的來源。
對等連接詞:FANBOYS 七個
| 連接詞 | 意思 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| For | 因為(較正式) | He stayed home, for he was sick. |
| And | 而且 | I like math, and I like science. |
| Nor | 也不 | She doesn't eat meat, nor does she drink milk. |
| But | 但是 | It was cold, but we went hiking. |
| Or | 或者 | We can walk or take the bus. |
| Yet | 然而 | He studied hard, yet he failed the test. |
| So | 所以 | It was late, so I went to bed. |
取七個字的字首就是 FANBOYS——美國小學教連接詞的標準記法。規則:連接兩個完整句子時,前面加逗號(I was tired, so I went home.);只連接兩個詞或片語時不加逗號(bread and butter)。
從屬連接詞:帶出附屬子句
| 類型 | 常用連接詞 | 例句 |
|---|---|---|
| 原因 | because, since, as | I stayed home because I was sick. |
| 讓步 | although, though, even though | Although it rained, we had fun. |
| 時間 | when, while, before, after, until | Call me when you get home. |
| 條件 | if, unless | If it rains, we'll stay inside. |
| 目的 | so that, in order that | She left early so that she could catch the bus. |
標點規則只有一條:附屬子句放句首要加逗號,放句尾不用。
✓ Because I was sick, I stayed home.(子句在前,加逗號)
✓ I stayed home because I was sick.(子句在後,不加)
另外注意條件句的時態:if 子句用現在式,主句用未來式——If it rains, we will stay inside.(不是 If it will rain)。這條規則是段考常客,時態的完整地圖見時態總表。
轉折副詞:不是連接詞
| 功能 | 常用副詞 | 中文 |
|---|---|---|
| 轉折 | however, nevertheless | 然而、儘管如此 |
| 結果 | therefore, thus, as a result | 因此、所以 |
| 補充 | moreover, furthermore, in addition | 此外、而且 |
| 對比 | on the other hand, in contrast | 另一方面、相反地 |
| 舉例 | for example, for instance | 舉例來說 |
這些字不能像 and/but 那樣用逗號連接兩個句子。三種正確寫法:
✓ 分成兩句:It was raining. However, we went out.
✓ 用分號:It was raining; however, we went out.
✗ 錯誤:It was raining, however, we went out.(逗號黏接,英文寫作的經典扣分)
三個最常見的錯誤
❶ Although… but…(最經典)
✗ Although he was tired, but he kept working.
✓ Although he was tired, he kept working. 或 He was tired, but he kept working.
中文說「雖然…但是…」兩個都要,英文只能留一個。同理 Because… so… 也是:✗ Because it rained, so we stayed home → ✓ 只留 because 或只留 so。
❷ 逗號黏接(comma splice):兩個完整句子不能只用逗號連。✗ I like English, it is fun. → ✓ 加連接詞 I like English, and it is fun.、用分號、或分成兩句。
❸ and 用到爛:整篇只有 and 連接,句子讀起來像小學生流水帳。作文要拿分,because、although、when、so that 換著用——連接詞的多樣性是英檢寫作評分的實際指標之一,見全民英檢初級複試攻略。
連接詞常見問題
三大類:對等連接詞(FANBOYS:for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)連接對等的兩邊;從屬連接詞(because, although, when, if⋯)帶出附屬子句;轉折副詞(however, therefore⋯)嚴格說不是連接詞,標點規則不同,不能只用逗號連接兩個完整句子。
中文的「雖然…但是…」需要成對出現,英文則是一個句子只能有一個表示轉折的連接詞。Although 已經表達了讓步,再加 but 就重複了。正確:Although he was tired, he kept working. 或 He was tired, but he kept working.
不行,理由和上一題相同。Because it rained, so we stayed home. 是中式英文。選一個即可:Because it rained, we stayed home. 或 It rained, so we stayed home.
連接兩個完整句子時用分號:It was raining; however, we went out. 或者直接分成兩句:It was raining. However, we went out. 只用逗號是 comma splice,寫作會被扣分。
一條規則:子句放在句首要加逗號(Because I was sick, I stayed home.),放在句尾不用(I stayed home because I was sick.)。記法是「先說附屬,講完要停一下」。
最有效的練法是「改寫」:拿孩子寫過的句子,要求用不同連接詞重寫三次。因為要表達的意思固定,孩子被迫去找新的連接方式——比背連接詞表有用得多。我們的寫作訂正就是這樣做的,歡迎加 LINE 預約試聽。
預約試聽
規則看得懂,
寫得出來要有人改
教室在板橋中正路、板橋國中步行 5 分鐘。美籍持證教師直授、12 人以內小班——每週寫作訂正,錯在哪、怎麼改,當面講給孩子聽。加 LINE 預約試聽(含程度評估)。