Chapter4&5

池无完船

Recently, I have studied Chapter 4, "Pronouns and Their Antecedents," and Chapter 5, "The Position of Phrases and Clauses," of The Translator's Guide to Chinglish, and I have gained a great deal from it. These two chapters deeply analyze the typical problems of Chinglish at the level of words and sentences, pointing out the direction for English learners and translators to improve the accuracy and authenticity of their English expressions.

Chapter 4 focuses on the relationship between pronouns and their antecedents. In English, a pronoun must have a clear, unambiguous, and logically reasonable antecedent. Otherwise, it will lead to unclear sentence meaning and confuse the reader. Through a large number of examples, the author elaborates in detail on the comprehension obstacles caused by unclear and vague antecedents, or when the antecedent is too far from the pronoun or there is a grammatical inconsistency. For example, in the sentence "the second question concerns close planting. it should neither be spread out too thinly nor planted too closely.", it is not clear what "it" refers to. It is easy for readers to wonder whether it refers to "question" or "close planting". In the revised sentence "the second question concerns close planting. crops should neither be spread out too thinly nor planted too closely.", the logical relationship is clarified, making the meaning clear. This has made me deeply aware that in English expressions, the accurate use of pronouns can not only avoid ambiguity but also enhance the coherence and logic of sentences. When writing and translating, we should always pay attention to the reference of pronouns, ensuring that the antecedent meets the requirements of being clear, unambiguous, close to the pronoun, and grammatically consistent, so that readers can easily follow our train of thought.

Chapter 5 focuses on the influence of the position of phrases and clauses on the meaning and fluency of sentences. In English sentences, the positions of phrases and clauses need to follow certain rules. If they are in the wrong position, it will change the original meaning of the sentence or make the sentence sound awkward. For instance, in "he only found the book after searching for hours" and "he found only the book after searching for hours", the different positions of "only" lead to differences in the emphasis and meaning of the sentences. In addition, modifiers should be placed as close as possible to the words they modify; otherwise, it will cause confusion in the modifying relationship. For example, in the sentence "the man saw a dog in the park with a telescope", the position of "with a telescope" makes the sentence ambiguous. It can be understood either as the man seeing the dog with a telescope or as the dog having a telescope. The correct expression should be "the man saw a dog with a telescope in the park". This has made me understand that when arranging the positions of phrases and clauses, we should not only consider the grammatical rules but also start from the semantic logic and expression habits to ensure that the sentence conveys information accurately.

The contents of these two chapters are closely linked, jointly revealing the problems of Chinglish at the micro level of sentences. Improper handling of the relationship between pronouns and their antecedents will affect the internal logic of sentences; while wrong positions of phrases and clauses will disrupt the overall structure and meaning of sentences. After studying these two chapters, I have reflected on the deficiencies in my previous English expressions and found that I often made mistakes because I did not fully consider these factors. In the future, whether it is in daily writing, translation practice, or oral communication, I will pay more attention to the use of pronouns and the arrangement of the positions of phrases and clauses, and strive to overcome the inertial thinking of Chinglish and make my English expressions more authentic and natural.

Chapters 4 and 5 of The Translator's Guide to Chinglish are valuable resources for improving English expression ability. By studying the contents of these two chapters, we can be more sensitive to the problems of Chinglish and master the correct ways of expression, laying a solid foundation for writing and speaking high-quality English. I look forward to continuously drawing on the nourishment from this book in my subsequent studies and constantly improving my English proficiency.