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。
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。
! b# ?6 o* V2 ?( O" j& s: q+ A中文和英文几乎完全对应的例子不是没有，比如：
命悬一线When he was ill, his life hung by a thread.
  B  F/ K8 q1 k# ]: I; ], M这就是几乎完全对应，用中文释义并不影响理解。
% {! N8 [# e  P  {' C/ ]0 Y4 q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。
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。
* j% W& _. K+ i' `# d) M) K- g& A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。
$ d. y8 P0 U/ A3 D! b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.
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8 E! x8 }+ Z( w! t5 E. }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.

) E+ D9 u0 ~% S' I" u' C# aTry it, and you'll enjoy it.

  p. p- R) z6 T+ X" b9 OPan.

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？

老版的是5本

1209991128

218218 发表于 2021-2-21 15:32
老版的是5本

% r& ?/ N4 i  }0 D( `2 D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

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pan 发表于 2021-2-21 08:53
I recommend a more ... practical way of practicing your English.
- A1 N# \- K! [/ m2 y) j; s8 k
; ~3 }% F- ~; r4 U- GWrite whatever you want to say in ...

0 H! c" J! l* J
* z: ?/ s+ a# P* rThank 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
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,

- _1 C1 m, m) x" PIt'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.
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0 @# S/ o$ a1 ~' f5 H/ dIn 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".

: p3 u' A- n( q( o: G0 f7 EThat 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.

Anyway, 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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* J) v7 H- q. }1 j2 K0 OPan.

badnumber

pan 发表于 2021-3-1 08:50
Hi Badnumber,
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It's a nice surprise to receive a message that is written in English here. I had d ...

7 J2 P; @2 z+ y5 HI think you have a point in the importance of communicating with others in English rather than a monologue.
Actually 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.
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I can say unabashedly that I love the language, but I balk at the idea of poring over such books. :D

, b& n5 a+ S+ U: l# v. A6 A  f1 ?* QAnyway, whatever tickles your fancy.
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Pan.