张道真编《现代英语用法词典》阅读体会

badnumber

作者在序言里说：“这书如何使用，不同人可作不同考虑......一般来说，通读一遍是有好处的，虽然不可能都记住，但可以留下较深印象，以后查考比较方便，在运用语言时可比较自觉。阅读时不宜象看小说一样一溜而过，最好是细嚼慢咽不抢速度。如果可能的话，还可把某些例句译为汉语进行对比。要发展听说及写作能力的人，最好做些记忆工作，以加深印象......”我就照他说的，通读了一遍。这套书共5本，5000多页，如果真象他说的那样“细嚼慢咽不抢速度”，恐怕要好几年才能读完。我没那个耐心，只是走马观花“一溜而过”，即使是这样，还是花了将近两星期才读完。是否留下“较深印象”不敢说，倒是有些体会值得一说。
/ m1 c6 v6 \5 G2 C/ N这本词典最大的特色就是例句多。例句对于理解词汇的确切含义和用法确实有很大帮助。记得我对common和ordinary，accurate和precise的区别，就完全是通过研读多条例句而理解的。但是光有例句也不行，总还要先知道词的释义。这本辞典的释义用的是中文，对于某些名词，中文释义简明扼要，比英文释义方便，但是对于动词和形容词就不好说了。
" c9 K# `# M" m- o! G中文和英文几乎完全对应的例子不是没有，比如：
0 ~' W' S0 @1 d命悬一线When he was ill, his life hung by a thread.
- j' V+ @. @9 u8 z$ O这就是几乎完全对应，用中文释义并不影响理解。
: D4 X( J8 _# w7 C+ `: X2 m但这样的例子毕竟是少数。比如论持久战on protracted war，这个protract如果光从中文释义来理解，恐怕就不够precise了。这时候就要查英语释义了，比如韦氏的解释是to prolong in time or space : CONTINUE。
1 s7 `' ~- N( G/ w2 k这个解释应该既accurate又precise了吧，但看了这个释义，或者背熟了这个释义甚至连同例句，你就真的理解了，能用了？我是还感觉似懂非懂的。
问题出在哪里？就是没有“感觉”。回想学习汉语的经验，那些词汇是怎么掌握的？最初或许是在课本上学到的，似懂非懂，然后在练习中，考试中用到，即使做对了，但自己写文章，仍然没有把握用。一直要到某天在某本书上看到一个例句，严格说是在某个段落，某个故事，总之是比句子更大的context里看到这个词，忽然“有感觉”了，从此，才算真正理解，并能运用了。
# D% W& P; `& A/ S! o9 x所以我觉得学活用词汇，光是中文释义不够，加上英文释义，也不够，加上例句，也不够，需要更大的context，争取接触多了，在某个context中忽然获得了“感觉”，这才能掌握。
先说这些，有机会再写。

1209991128

为啥我看到的只有一本1000多页的？哪里来的五本？

pan

I recommend a more ... practical way of practicing your English.

Write whatever you want to say in English. Be it your feelings about relationship with your boy/girlfriend, your regret about a mistake you made, or in this case, your review of a book that you think is worth the time.
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( `0 Z. N6 g. M6 ?. P9 kTry it, and you'll enjoy it.
: e4 l6 r2 U0 s2 A+ z
Pan.

218218

1209991128 发表于 2021-2-19 12:01
为啥我看到的只有一本1000多页的？哪里来的五本？

/ E  c) P6 C2 e4 e老版的是5本

1209991128

218218 发表于 2021-2-21 15:32
老版的是5本

新版好像只有英文例句，没有中文译文？

ksandkm

新版好像只有英文例句，没有中文译文？

littlebush123

有没有电子版的？张道真也是海归一枚，那个年代的学者，治学普遍很严谨，应该还是靠谱的

badnumber

pan 发表于 2021-2-21 08:53
! y% O( z& W' c/ z$ hI recommend a more ... practical way of practicing your English.

' q% i6 P& p/ R  J) VWrite whatever you want to say in ...

- F2 W" w2 u1 M# E- P! |5 F, j* K
Thank you for your comment. "Once upon a time", I kept a short diary every day for around half a year. But it didn't seem to significantly improve my written English. Later I found out it's because my vocabulary, not words that I can only recognize but words that I can use in speaking and writing, was still limited. So writing practice alone is not enough to improve my writing. That's why I attempted to enlarge my "working" vocabulary in a couple of ways, including reading word usage dictionaries. But it didn't seem to work. Now I'm exploring more ways.

badnumber

littlebush123 发表于 2021-2-27 15:07
( J( J1 p, i; j5 X' D有没有电子版的？张道真也是海归一枚，那个年代的学者，治学普遍很严谨，应该还是靠谱的 ...

论坛里有扫描版（重排本，5000多页缩印为1700多页）

pan

badnumber 发表于 2021-2-28 22:23
Thank you for your comment. "Once upon a time", I kept a short diary every day for around half a y ...

Hi Badnumber,

It's a nice surprise to receive a message that is written in English here. I had decided not to participate in any discussions, but your message made me change my mind.

In my previous message I meant to point out that one has to keep using what he learns in everyday communications; that's how we keep the language fresh and alive. By "using the language" I referred to chatting with others, by way of voice chatting or "thumbs-chatting", and by writing on a forum such as this one. It's different from reading and hearing all by yourself. I am not saying reading and listening is not important; it's just that you still have to strike a balance between "inhaling" and "exhaling".

2 y- W& V0 P' i0 Y) dThat explains for your frustration about keeping a diary-writing habit not being the most helpful way. Writing a diary is still helpful, actually, but that is hardly better than a monologue, a soliloquy; you're your own audience. Therefore, the solution to that issue is staring us in the face: talk to or write to someone, rather than yourself, someone who can talk you back or write you back, preferrably a native English speaker. Go as deep into the subject as your English would allow. You will practice what you have learned, and will pick up new expressions along the way.
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2 V# m- o# g1 @4 [& k8 XAnyway, it's my humble learning experience talking. It has worked for me like a charm, and I hope you'll find it helpful, too.
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Pan.

badnumber

pan 发表于 2021-3-1 08:50
Hi Badnumber,

It's a nice surprise to receive a message that is written in English here. I had d ...

I think you have a point in the importance of communicating with others in English rather than a monologue.
( a" A1 ~, x- B; |& J, NActually I have to use English in my daily work and I think my English is sufficient to deal with the routines. But I know my English is just a bit above the elementary level and would like to make it better, not for materialistic purpose but just for kind of self-satisfaction. Or I may say that I don't quite like English, but after all I did spend a lot of time learning that, which somehow ties me with English.

pan

Well, from the way you delve so deep in those heavy tomes, I'd say you seem to have a passion in English.

I can say unabashedly that I love the language, but I balk at the idea of poring over such books. :D
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Anyway, whatever tickles your fancy.

+ l6 i, y) C+ ?Pan.