内容简介
听众 “刺猬” 想知道 “because of、due to、owing to” 和 “for” 有何不同。这些连接词都能引出事情发生的原因。它们当中有些较为正式,有些则常用于口语交流中。在它们中,哪个词后面必须接从句?哪个词后面要接名词或代词?哪个词作连接词的用法已经不常见?听节目,学习这四个连接词的用法和区别。
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文字稿
(关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。)
Beth
Hello and welcome to Question and Answer of the Week. I'm Beth.
Jiaying
And I'm Jiaying. 本期 “你问我答” 节目要回答的问题来自听众 “刺猬”。问题如下:
Question
你好,请问 “because of、owing to、due to” 和 “for” 的区别是什么?谢谢!
Jiaying
谢谢 “刺猬” 发来的问题。问题中的这些词翻译成汉语都是 “因为”,而且它们都是连接词。
Beth
To explain the difference, we're first going to hear a dialogue.
Jiaying
在听对话的过程中,想想两人在谈论什么问题。
Dialogue
A: Everyone is late to work today because of the icy roads.
今天大家都因地面结冰上班迟到了。
B: Yes, a lot of trains were cancelled due to the weather.
是呀,由于天气原因,多班火车被取消了。
A: The train company sent a notification: 'Owing to the icy weather, journeys may take longer today.'
火车公司发来了一条通知,上面说:“今日因天冷结冰,车程可能会更长。”
Jiaying
对话中的两人谈论的问题是 “icy roads(地面结冰)” 导致的一系列后果。我们接下来在讲解不同连接词的过程中,会重新播放对话中的相应例句。
Beth
Now we're going to look at the meaning and use of each word to explain the differences. 'Because of' is used in spoken and written English and can be used in formal and informal situations.
Jiaying
“Because of(因为)” 在口语和书面语,以及正式和非正式场合中都能使用。它可以用于句中或句首。
Dialogue
A: Everyone is late to work today because of the icy roads.
今天大家都因地面结冰上班迟到了。
Beth
If we move 'because of' to the beginning, the sentence sounds slightly more formal and is more common in writing.
Examples
Everyone is late to work today because of the icy roads.
今天大家都因地面结冰上班迟到了。
Because of the icy roads, everyone was late to work today.
因为地面结冰,今天大家上班都迟到了。
Beth
'Because of' can be followed by a noun or a pronoun. And if a verb follows these, it must be in the -ing form.
Jiaying
是的,“because of” 后接名词或代词。名词或代词的后面可以接动词的现在分词形式。在对话中,“because of” 后接 “icy roads”。
Beth
Now, let's compare this with 'due to'. 'Due to' is a little more formal than 'because of'.
Jiaying
“Due to” 的意思是 “由于”,它在日常英语交流中并不常见,但你可以在正式场合和写作中,特别是学术英语中使用 “due to”。
Beth
But, it does have the same grammar as 'because of'. So, 'due to' can be followed by a noun or a pronoun and then an -ing verb.
Jiaying
“Due to” 后面可以接名词或代词,再接动词的现在分词。
Example
Trains were cancelled due to it snowing heavily.
火车因大雪被取消了。
Jiaying
“Due to” 可以放在句首或句中,但它在句子中的位置并不改变句子的正式程度。
Examples
A lot of trains were cancelled due to the weather.
由于天气原因,多班火车被取消了。
Due to the weather, trains were cancelled.
由于天气原因,火车被取消了。
Beth
Now let's look at 'owing to'. It's more common in writing than speaking because it's formal.
Jiaying
连接词 “owing to” 在写作中比在口语交流中更常见,而且比 “because of” 和 “due to” 更正式。另外,“owing to” 特别适用于正式公告或官方通知中。
Dialogue
A: 'Owing to the icy weather, journeys may take longer today.'
“今日因天冷结冰,车程可能会更长。”
Beth
'Owing to' can go at the beginning or the middle of a sentence.
Jiaying
从句中的位置来看,“owing to” 可以用于句首或句中,不过它的位置并不影响句子的正式程度。
Examples
'Owing to the icy weather, journeys may take longer today.'
“今日因天冷结冰,车程可能会更长。”
'Journeys may take longer today owing to the icy weather.'
“今日车程可能会更长,这是天冷结冰的缘故。”
Beth
Let's compare this with 'for', which is used differently to the other linkers.
Example
I didn't go out for the weather was awful.
我因天气很糟糕而没有出门。
Beth
After 'for', we use a main clause, which means it's followed by a subject and a verb in the infinitive or relevant tense, like the past simple.
Jiaying
与问题中的前三个词不同的是,“for” 后接包含主语和谓语动词的主从句,而且这里,“for” 只能放在句中,不能放在句首。
Beth
And the use of 'for' as a linker is quite archaic in English now so, if used, in speaking, it can be considered pretentious.
Jiaying
不过大家要注意,“for” 虽然也有 “由于” 的意思,但它作连接词的用法已经不常用了。如果在口语中这样使用 “for”,那么听起来可能有些做作。连接词 “for” 多用于诗歌和故事中,听起来比较有诗意。
希望我们的讲解和例句让你对这些说明因果关系的连接词有了更深的理解。
Beth
If you have a question about the English language you'd like to ask us, please send us an email. Our email address is: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk
Jiaying
你也可以通过微博向我们提问。我们的微博账号是 “BBC英语教学”。Bye, everyone.
Beth
Bye!