reference. 第二章 写作的基本原理[eos-0003]

本章讨论的是写作的基本原理,与第一章的用法规则相对。

规则12 选定合适的设计并坚持[rule-12]

每一种写作都建立在某种基本的结构设计之上。写作者会部分遵循这一设计,部分偏离它,具体取决于他们的技巧、他们的需要,以及伴随写作过程而来的意外事件。写作若要有效,就必须紧密追随写作者的思路,但不必按照这些思路出现的顺序。这就需要一套程序方案。在某些情况下,最好的设计就是没有设计,比如情书,它只是一次倾诉;又比如随性的随笔,它是一段漫谈。但在大多数情况下,筹划必须是写作之前刻意的前奏。因此,写作的第一条原理,是预见或确定将要写出的内容的形状,并追求那个形状。

十四行诗建立在十四行的框架之上,每行包含五个音步。因此,十四行诗作者清楚知道自己要走向哪里,尽管他们可能不知道如何到达那里。大多数写作形式界定得不那么清晰,也更为灵活,但都有骨架,写作者要为其添上血肉。写作者越清楚地感知到这个形状,成功的机会就越大。

规则13 以段落为写作单位[rule-13]

段落是一个方便的单位;它适用于各种形式的文学写作。只要段落内部连贯,它可以是任意长度——一个单独的短句,或者一大段很长的文字。

如果你所写的主题范围不大,或者你打算简要处理它,可能没有必要把它分成若干议题。因此,一段简短的描写、一篇简短的书评、对某一事件的简短叙述、仅勾勒一个动作的叙事、对单一思想的阐述——其中任何一种都最好写成一个段落。段落写完之后,检查一下,看看分段是否会使它更好。

然而,通常一个主题需要分成若干议题,每个议题都应在一个段落中处理。把每个议题单独放在一个段落中处理,目的当然是帮助读者。每个段落的开头都是一个信号,表明主题的展开已经到达了新的一步。

一般说来,不应把单个句子写成或排成一个段落。过渡句可以例外,它们表明说明文或论说文各部分之间的关系。

在对话中,每一段话,即使只是一个词,通常也自成一段;也就是说,每当说话者更换,就开始一个新段落。当对话与叙事结合在一起时,这条规则的运用最好从编校精良的小说作品的实例中学习。有时,写作者为了制造快速交谈的效果,或出于其他原因,会选择不把每一段话单独分出来,而是把几段话连排在一起。然而,通常的做法,也是在大多数情况下最有效的做法,是让每一段话自成一个段落。

一般说来,每个段落都要么以一个点出主题的句子开头,要么以一个有助于过渡的句子开头。如果一个段落是一篇更大的文章的一部分,它可能与前面内容的关系,或者它作为整体一部分的功能,需要加以表达。有时只需在第一个句子中用上一个词或短语(again、therefore、for the same reason)就能做到。然而,有时借助一两句引言或过渡、慢慢进入主题更为可取。

在叙事和描写中,段落有时以一个简洁而全面的陈述开头,用来把随后出现的细节维系在一起。

The breeze served us admirably. The campaign opened with a series of reverses. The next ten or twelve pages were filled with a curious set of entries.

但这种手法,或任何一种手法,用得过于频繁时,就会变成一种习气。更常见的是,开头的句子仅通过它的主语就表明了段落将要展开的方向。

At length I thought I might return toward the stockade. He picked up the heavy lamp from the table and began to explore. Another flight of steps, and they emerged on the roof.

在生动的叙事中,段落往往很短,全无主题句的样子,写作者一往直前,事件一个接一个迅速发生。这类段落之间的分隔仅仅起到修辞上停顿的作用,把动作的某个细节突显出来。

总的来说,要记住分段既需要良好的眼力,也需要有逻辑的头脑。大块大块的印刷文字在读者看来令人生畏,他们常常不愿去啃。因此,把长段落一分为二,即使从道理、意义或逻辑展开上说并无必要,也往往在视觉上有帮助。但也别忘了,接二连三地抛出许多短段落,可能让人分心。仅为炫耀而使用的分段,读起来像商业文书或展示广告的写法。适度与秩序感应当是分段时的主要考虑。

规则14 使用主动语态[rule-14]

主动语态通常比被动语态更直接、更有力:

I shall always remember my first visit to Boston.

这比下面这一句好得多:

My first visit to Boston will always be remembered by me.

后一句不那么直接,不那么大胆,也不那么简洁。如果写作者试图删去“by me”使它更简洁,

My first visit to Boston will always be remembered,

它就变得含混不清:将永远记得这次访问的,是写作者本人,还是某个未透露的人,还是世人?

当然,这条规则并不意味着写作者应当完全弃用被动语态,它常常很方便,有时还必不可少。

  • The dramatists of the Restoration are little esteemed today.
  • Modern readers have little esteem for the dramatists of the Restoration.

在一个关于王政复辟时期剧作家的段落里,第一种说法更可取;在一个关于现代读者品味的段落里,第二种更可取。如同这些例子一样,把某个特定的词作为句子主语的需要,往往会决定该用哪种语态。

然而,惯常使用主动语态有助于写出有力的文章。这不仅适用于主要关注动作的叙事,也适用于任何类型的写作。许多平淡的描写句或说明句,只要用一个主动语态的及物动词来替换像there is或could be heard这类敷衍的表达,就能变得生动而有力。

  • 误:There were a great number of dead leaves lying on the ground.
  • 正:Dead leaves covered the ground.
  • 误:At dawn the crowing of a rooster could be heard.
  • 正:The cock's crow came with dawn.
  • 误:The reason he left college was that his health became impaired.
  • 正:Failing health compelled him to leave college.
  • 误:It was not long before she was very sorry that she had said what she had.
  • 正:She soon repented her words.

注意,在上面的例子里,句子变得更有力时,通常也会变得更短。因此,简洁是有力的副产品。

规则15 用肯定形式表述[rule-15]

做出明确的断言。避免平淡、苍白、犹豫、不置可否的语言。把not这个词用作否定或对照的手段,绝不要用作回避的手段。

  • 误:He was not very often on time.
  • 正:He usually came late.
  • 误:She did not think that studying Latin was a sensible way to use one's time.
  • 正:She thought the study of Latin a waste of time.
  • 误:The Taming of the Shrew is rather weak in spots. Shakespeare does not portray Katharine as a very admirable character, nor does Bianca remain long in memory as an important character in Shakespeare's works.
  • 正:The women in The Taming of the Shrew are unattractive. Katharine is disagreeable, Bianca insignificant.

最后一个例子在修改之前,既含混又是否定的。因此,修改后的版本其实只是对写作者意图的一种猜测。

三个例子都显示了not这个词固有的弱点。读者无论有意还是无意,都不满足于只被告知不是什么;读者希望被告知是什么。因此,一般说来,即使是否定,也最好用肯定形式来表达。

  • not honest — dishonest
  • not important — trifling
  • did not remember — forgot
  • did not pay any attention to — ignored
  • did not have much confidence in — distrusted

把否定与肯定对置,能形成更强的结构。

Not charity, but simple justice. Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more. Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.

除not之外的否定词通常很有力。

Her loveliness I never knew / Until she smiled on me.

用不必要的助动词或条件词加以限定的陈述,听起来优柔寡断。

  • 误:If you would let us know the time of your arrival, we would be happy to arrange your transportation from the airport.
  • 正:If you will let us know the time of your arrival, we shall be happy to arrange your transportation from the airport.
  • 误:Applicants can make a good impression by being neat and punctual.
  • 正:Applicants will make a good impression if they are neat and punctual.
  • 误:Plath may be ranked among those modern poets who died young.
  • 正:Plath was one of those modern poets who died young.

如果你每一个句子都带有疑问,你的写作就会缺乏权威。把助动词would、should、could、may、might和can留到真正存在不确定性的场合使用。

规则16 使用明确、具体、有形的语言[rule-16]

宁用具体而非笼统,宁用明确而非含糊,宁用有形而非抽象。

  • 误:A period of unfavorable weather set in.
  • 正:It rained every day for a week.
  • 误:He showed satisfaction as he took possession of his well-earned reward.
  • 正:He grinned as he pocketed the coin.

如果研究写作艺术的人在任何一个问题上有一致意见,那就是这一点:唤起并抓住读者注意力的最可靠方式,是写得具体、明确、有形。最伟大的作家——荷马、但丁、莎士比亚——之所以有力,很大程度上是因为他们处理具体的个别事物,报道要紧的细节。他们的文字能唤起画面。

让·斯塔福德,举一位更为现代的作家为例,在她的短篇小说《在动物园里》中展示了散文如何通过使用能唤起意象和感觉的词而变得生动:

… Daisy and I in time found asylum in a small menagerie down by the railroad tracks. It belonged to a gentle alcoholic ne'er-do-well, who did nothing all day long but drink bathtub gin in rickeys and play solitaire and smile to himself and talk to his animals. He had a little, stunted red vixen and a deodorized skunk, a parrot from Tahiti that spoke Parisian French, a woebegone coyote, and two capuchin monkeys, so serious and humanized, so small and sad and sweet, and so religious-looking with their tonsured heads that it was impossible not to think their gibberish was really an ordered language with a grammar that someday some philologist would understand. Gran knew about our visits to Mr. Murphy and she did not object, for it gave her keen pleasure to excoriate him when we came home. His vice was not a matter of guesswork; it was an established fact that he was half-seas over from dawn till midnight. "With the black Irish," said Gran, "the taste for drink is taken in with the mother's milk and is never mastered. Oh, I know all about those promises to join the temperance movement and not to touch another drop. The way to Hell is paved with good intentions."

摘自让·斯塔福德《坏角色》中的《在动物园里》。版权©1964归让·斯塔福德所有。版权©1992由索拉·科斯格罗夫续展。经Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Inc.许可转载。另,版权©1969归让·斯塔福德所有;经Curtis Brown, Ltd.许可转载。

如果沃尔特·米蒂、莫莉·布卢姆、兔子·安格斯特罗姆的经历曾在一瞬间对无数读者显得真实,如果读福克纳时我们几乎有身处南方衰落时期约克纳帕塔法县的感觉,那是因为所用的细节是明确的,措辞是具体的。并不是说每个细节都给出——那既不可能,也毫无意义——而是说所有重要的细节都给出了,而且准确有力,使读者能够在想象中把自己投射到场景之中。

在说明文和论说文中,写作者同样绝不能脱离具体;即使在处理一般原理时,写作者也必须提供这些原理应用的具体实例。

赫伯特·斯宾塞在《文体哲学》中给出两个句子,说明含糊笼统的内容如何能转变为生动具体的内容:

  • 误:In proportion as the manners, customs, and amusements of a nation are cruel and barbarous, the regulations of its penal code will be severe.
  • 正:In proportion as men delight in battles, bullfights, and combats of gladiators, will they punish by hanging, burning, and the rack.

为了展示当有力的文字被剥夺了活力会发生什么,乔治·奥威尔曾从《圣经》中取出一段文字,抽干了它的血。下面左边是奥威尔的译文;右边是《传道书》的经文(钦定本)。

  • 奥威尔译文:Objective consideration of contemporary phenomena compels the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must inevitably be taken into account.
  • 《传道书》:I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

规则17 删去多余的词[rule-17]

有力的写作是简洁的。一个句子不应包含多余的词,一个段落不应包含多余的句子,正如一幅画不应有多余的线条,一台机器不应有多余的零件。这并不要求写作者把所有句子都写短,或者回避一切细节、只提纲挈领地处理主题,而是要求每一个词都发挥作用。

许多常用表达违反了这条原理。

  • the question as to whether — whether (the question whether)
  • there is no doubt but that — no doubt (doubtless)
  • used for fuel purposes — used for fuel
  • he is a man who — he
  • in a hasty manner — hastily
  • this is a subject that — this subject
  • Her story is a strange one. — Her story is strange.
  • the reason why is that — because

the fact that是一个尤其使人衰弱的表达。凡出现它的句子,都应当把它改掉。

  • owing to the fact that — since (because)
  • in spite of the fact that — though (although)
  • call your attention to the fact that — remind you (notify you)
  • I was unaware of the fact that — I was unaware that (did not know)
  • the fact that he had not succeeded — his failure
  • the fact that I had arrived — my arrival

另见第四章中case、character、nature等词。

Who is、which was之类常常是多余的。

  • 误:His cousin, who is a member of the same firm
  • 正:His cousin, a member of the same firm
  • 误:Trafalgar, which was Nelson's last battle
  • 正:Trafalgar, Nelson's last battle

由于主动语态比被动语态更简洁,肯定陈述比否定陈述更简洁,规则14和规则15下的许多例子也说明了本条规则。

陷入啰嗦的一个常见方式,是把一个复杂的想法一步一步地用一连串句子表达出来,而这些句子本可以合并成一句而效果更好。

  • 误:Macbeth was very ambitious. This led him to wish to become king of Scotland. The witches told him that this wish of his would come true. The king of Scotland at this time was Duncan. Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth murdered Duncan. He was thus enabled to succeed Duncan as king. (51 words)
  • 正:Encouraged by his wife, Macbeth achieved his ambition and realized the prediction of the witches by murdering Duncan and becoming king of Scotland in his place. (26 words)

规则18 避免一连串的松散句[rule-18]

这条规则尤其指某一特定类型的松散句:由两个子句组成、第二个子句由连词或关系词引出的句子。写作者也可能犯错,把句子写得过于紧凑、过于圆周。偶尔用一个松散句,可以防止文体变得过于正式,也让读者得到某种舒缓。因此,松散句在轻松、不经雕琢的写作中很常见。危险在于这类句子可能太多。

不熟练的写作者有时会用这类句子构成整整一个段落,用and、but作连接词,较少用who、which、when、where和while,后几个用于非限制性意义。(见规则3。)

The third concert of the subscription series was given last evening, and a large audience was in attendance. Mr. Edward Appleton was the soloist, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra furnished the instrumental music. The former showed himself to be an artist of the first rank, while the latter proved itself fully deserving of its high reputation. The interest aroused by the series has been very gratifying to the Committee, and it is planned to give a similar series annually hereafter. The fourth concert will be given on Tuesday, May 10, when an equally attractive program will be presented.

除了陈腐和空洞之外,上面这个段落之所以糟糕,还在于其句子的结构:机械的对称,单调的吟唱。比较下面这些句子,出自E. M. 福斯特《为民主欢呼两声》中的“我相信什么”一章:

I believe in aristocracy, though—if that is the right word, and if a democrat may use it. Not an aristocracy of power, based upon rank and influence, but an aristocracy of the sensitive, the considerate and the plucky. Its members are to be found in all nations and classes, and all through the ages, and there is a secret understanding between them when they meet. They represent the true human tradition, the one permanent victory of our queer race over cruelty and chaos. Thousands of them perish in obscurity, a few are great names. They are sensitive for others as well as for themselves, they are considerate without being fussy, their pluck is not swankiness but the power to endure, and they can take a joke.

摘自《为民主欢呼两声》中的“我相信什么”,版权1939年归E. M. 福斯特所有,1967年续展,经Harcourt, Inc.许可转载。另经剑桥大学国王学院教务长与学者,以及作为E. M. 福斯特文学遗产代理人的作家协会许可。

写了—连串松散句的写作者,应当改写足够多的句子以消除单调,代之以简单句、用分号连接的两个子句的句子、两个子句的圆周句,或三个子句的句子(松散句或圆周句)——以最能体现思想真实关系的那种为准。

规则19 用相似的形式表达并列的思想[rule-19]

这一原理,即平行结构原理,要求内容与功能相似的表达在外形上也相似。形式的相似使读者更容易识别内容与功能的相似。人们熟悉的《八福》就例证了平行结构的长处。

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

不熟练的写作者常常违反这一原理,错误地相信不断改变表达形式有价值。当重复一个陈述以强调它时,写作者可能需要改变其形式。除此之外,写作者应遵循平行结构原理。

  • 误:Formerly, science was taught by the textbook method, while now the laboratory method is employed.
  • 正:Formerly, science was taught by the textbook method; now it is taught by the laboratory method.

左边那种写法给人印象是写作者犹豫不决或胆怯,似乎没有能力或不敢选定一种表达形式并坚持下去。右边那种写法表明写作者至少做出了选择并坚持了它。

按照这一原理,适用于一个系列中所有成员的冠词或介词,要么只在第一个词项前使用,要么在每个词项前重复。

  • 误:the French, the Italians, Spanish, and Portuguese
  • 正:the French, the Italians, the Spanish, and the Portuguese
  • 误:in spring, summer, or in winter
  • 正:in spring, summer, or winter (in spring, in summer, or in winter)

有些词在某些习惯用法中需要搭配特定的介词。当这类词被组合进一个复合结构时,必须把所有适当的介词都包括进去,除非它们相同。

  • 误:His speech was marked by disagreement and scorn for his opponent's position.
  • 正:His speech was marked by disagreement with and scorn for his opponent's position.

关联表达(both, and;not, but;not only, but also;either, or;first, second, third;等等)后面应跟相同的语法结构。违反这条规则的许多情况都可以通过重新安排句子来纠正。

  • 误:It was both a long ceremony and very tedious.
  • 正:The ceremony was both long and tedious.
  • 误:A time not for words but action.
  • 正:A time not for words but for action.
  • 误:Either you must grant his request or incur his ill will.
  • 正:You must either grant his request or incur his ill will.
  • 误:My objections are, first, the injustice of the measure; second, that it is unconstitutional.
  • 正:My objections are, first, that the measure is unjust; second, that it is unconstitutional.

也许会有人问:如果你需要表达相当多——比如二十个——相似的想法,该怎么办?难道你必须写出二十个同型的连续句子吗?仔细考察之后,你很可能会发现这个困难是想象出来的——这二十个想法可以归类分组,你只需在每组之内运用这一原理。否则,最好用表格的形式来陈述,以避开这一困难。

规则20 把相关的词放在一起[rule-20]

句子中词的位置是表明它们关系的主要手段。词的位置不当时,就会产生混乱和歧义。因此,写作者必须把在思想上相关的词和词组放在一起,把关系不那么紧密的隔开。

  • 误:He noticed a large stain in the rug that was right in the center.
  • 正:He noticed a large stain right in the center of the rug.
  • 误:You can call your mother in London and tell her all about George's taking you out to dinner for just two dollars.
  • 正:For just two dollars you can call your mother in London and tell her all about George's taking you out to dinner.
  • 误:New York's first commercial human-sperm bank opened Friday with semen samples from eighteen men frozen in a stainless steel tank.
  • 正:New York's first commercial human-sperm bank opened Friday when semen samples were taken from eighteen men. The samples were then frozen and stored in a stainless steel tank.

在第一个例子的左边那种写法中,读者无法知道污渍是在地毯中央,还是地毯在房间中央。在第二个例子的左边那种写法中,读者很可能纳闷,到底是哪一样花了两美元——电话还是晚餐。在第三个例子的左边那种写法中,读者会同情那十八个可怜的家伙,他们被冻在了钢罐里。

一般说来,句子的主语和主要动词不应被一个可以移到句首的短语或子句隔开。

  • 误:Toni Morrison, in Beloved, writes about characters who have escaped from slavery but are haunted by its heritage.
  • 正:In Beloved, Toni Morrison writes about characters who have escaped from slavery but are haunted by its heritage.
  • 误:A dog, if you fail to discipline him, becomes a household pest.
  • 正:Unless disciplined, a dog becomes a household pest.

像上面左边那些例子那样插入一个短语或子句,会打断主句的流动。然而,当这种打断只是由一个关系从句或一个同位语表达造成时,通常并不令人困扰。有时,在圆周句中,这种打断是制造悬念的刻意手法。(见规则22下的例子。)

在大多数情况下,关系代词应紧跟在它的先行词之后。

  • 误:There was a stir in the audience that suggested disapproval.
  • 正:A stir that suggested disapproval swept the audience.
  • 误:He wrote three articles about his adventures in Spain, which were published in Harper's Magazine.
  • 正:He published three articles in Harper's Magazine about his adventures in Spain.
  • 误:This is a portrait of Benjamin Harrison, who became President in 1889. He was the grandson of William Henry Harrison.
  • 正:This is a portrait of Benjamin Harrison, grandson of William Henry Harrison, who became President in 1889.

如果先行词由一组词构成,关系词就放在这一组的末尾,除非这样会造成歧义。

The Superintendent of the Chicago Division, who

上面这句不会产生歧义。但是

A proposal to amend the Sherman Act, which has been variously judged

让读者弄不清受到各种评判的到底是这项提案还是这部法案。关系从句必须前移,读作“A proposal, which has been variously judged, to amend the Sherman Act…”。同样地,

  • 误:The grandson of William Henry Harrison, who
  • 正:William Henry Harrison's grandson, Benjamin Harrison, who

同位语名词可以出现在先行词和关系词之间,因为在这种组合中不会产生真正的歧义。

The Duke of York, his brother, who was regarded with hostility by the Whigs

修饰语应尽可能靠近它们所修饰的词。如果若干个表达修饰同一个词,它们的排列应使人不会联想到错误的关系。

  • 误:All the members were not present.
  • 正:Not all the members were present.
  • 误:She only found two mistakes.
  • 正:She found only two mistakes.
  • 误:The director said he hoped all members would give generously to the Fund at a meeting of the committee yesterday.
  • 正:At a meeting of the committee yesterday, the director said he hoped all members would give generously to the Fund.
  • 误:Major R. E. Joyce will give a lecture on Tuesday evening in Bailey Hall, to which the public is invited on "My Experiences in Mesopotamia" at 8:00 p.m.
  • 正:On Tuesday evening at eight, Major R. E. Joyce will give a lecture in Bailey Hall on "My Experiences in Mesopotamia." The public is invited.

注意,在最后一个左边例子中,词与词错误并列时,意义消散得有多快。

规则21 在摘要中保持同一时态[rule-21]

概述一部戏剧的情节时,用现在时。概述一首诗、一个故事或一部小说时,也用现在时,不过如果过去时显得更自然,也可以使用过去时。如果摘要用现在时,先前的动作应用现在完成时表达;如果用过去时,则用过去完成时。

Chance prevents Friar John from delivering Friar Lawrence's letter to Romeo. Meanwhile, owing to her father's arbitrary change of the day set for her wedding, Juliet has been compelled to drink the potion on Tuesday night, with the result that Balthasar informs Romeo of her supposed death before Friar Lawrence learns of the nondelivery of the letter.

但无论摘要使用哪种时态,间接引语或间接问句中的时态都保持不变。

The Friar confesses that it was he who married

除了指出的例外,写作者应通篇使用同一时态。从一个时态切换到另一个时态,会显得不确定、优柔寡断。

在呈现他人的陈述或思想时,比如概述一篇文章或报告时,不要过度使用“he said”“she stated”“the speaker added”“the speaker then went on to say”“the author also thinks”这类表达。在开头清楚地、一劳永逸地表明接下来的内容是摘要,然后不要再浪费词句重复这一告知。

在笔记中、报纸中、文学手册中,各种各样的摘要可能是必不可少的;对小学儿童来说,用自己的话复述一个故事是有用的练习。但在文学的批评或阐释中,要小心避免陷入摘要。可能有必要用一两句话指明所讨论作品的主题或开场情境,或者引用大量细节来说明它的特点。但你应当力求写出有证据支持、条理清楚的讨论,而不是偶尔加上点评的摘要。同样,如果讨论的范围包括若干作品,一般说来,最好不要按时间顺序逐个处理,而要从一开始就以得出一般性结论为目标。

规则22 把句子中需要强调的词放在句末[rule-22]

写作者想要最突出的词或词组,在句子中恰当的位置通常是句末。

  • 误:Humanity has hardly advanced in fortitude since that time, though it has advanced in many other ways.
  • 正:Since that time, humanity has advanced in many ways, but it has hardly advanced in fortitude.
  • 误:This steel is principally used for making razors, because of its hardness.
  • 正:Because of its hardness, this steel is used principally for making razors.

有资格占据这一突出位置的词或词组,通常是逻辑谓语——也就是句子中的新信息,正如第二个例子那样。圆周句的效果来自它给予主句陈述的突出地位。

Four centuries ago, Christopher Columbus, one of the Italian mariners whom the decline of their own republics had put at the service of the world and of adventure, seeking for Spain a westward passage to the Indies to offset the achievement of Portuguese discoverers, lighted on America.
With these hopes and in this belief I would urge you, laying aside all hindrance, thrusting away all private aims, to devote yourself unswervingly and unflinchingly to the vigorous and successful prosecution of this war.

句子中另一个突出的位置是句首。句子中除主语之外的任何成分,被放在句首时都会受到强调。

Deceit or treachery she could never forgive.
Vast and rude, fretted by the action of nearly three thousand years, the fragments of this architecture may often seem, at first sight, like works of nature.
Home is the sailor.

出现在句首的主语可能受到强调,但很难仅凭位置做到。在下面这个句子里,

Great kings worshiped at his shrine

对kings的强调很大程度上来自它的意义和上下文。要获得特别的强调,句子的主语必须占据谓语的位置。

Through the middle of the valley flowed a winding stream.

最应突出的内容应放在末尾这条原理,同样适用于句子中的词、段落中的句子,以及文章中的段落。