后置 (postponement) 是一种语法手段，即为了表示强调而把一个非旬尾成分移至句尾。在讲解这
一问题以前，我们首先交代一下支配英语词序的两条重要原则：句尾焦点 (end
1) 句尾焦点和句尾重心
句子，作为一个传递信息的单位
新浪博客
后置 (postponement) 是一种语法手段，即为了表示强调而把一个非旬尾成分移至句尾。在讲解这
一问题以前，我们首先交代一下支配英语词序的两条重要原则：句尾焦点 (end
1) 句尾焦点和句尾重心
句子，作为一个传递信息的单位
是说话入认为或者假定对方巳经了解的信息，这是信息传递的出发点，在句子中通常由主语表示
新信息 (new
He smokes.
He rested.
The man shouted.
She works little.
在以上每组句子中，第一句比较短促，第二句比较匀称 SVO 结构中也有类似的情况。例如：
They pushed the car.
I kicked the door.
I visited her.
He reads many books.
上面每组第二句读起来比第一句更加自然。所有这些都说明句尾重心在英语词序 (word
2） 关键词语的后置
也由于句尾焦点和句尾重心的关系，人们在组词成句时往往要将说话人认为最重要的内容置于句尾，使之处于突出的地位，这种语法手段叫做“后置' (postponement)
He gave me a book.
前者侧重在 book, 适合于回答 What did he give you
The cross-examination (盘问） was expertly handled.
It lasted only half an hour.
如果是回答 How long did the cross-examination last? 那就有下列几种安排法：
The cross-examination, which was expertly handled, lasted only half an hour.
Expertly handled, the cross-examination lasted only half an hour.
The expertly handled cross-examination lasted only half an hour.
The cross-examination, in expert hands, lasted only half an hour.
The cross-examination, an expertly handled affair, lasted only half an hour.
反之，如果是回答 How was the cross-examination handled? 那就有如下几种安排法
The cross-examination, which lasted only half an hour, was expertly handled.
The cross-examination, lasting only half an hour, was expertly handled.
The half-hour
The cross-examination, a half-hour affair, was expertly handled.
英语句子成分的后置可以通过不同的手段来实现，其中，主语的后置更是如此。比如主语可以通过 it-句型实现后置。
It puzzles me why he got so irritable.
It's no use crying over spilt milk.
也可以通过全部倒装实现后置：
On top of the hill stands an old castle.
Higher and higher flew the white balloon.
也可以通过被动结构实现后置：
The car is being cleaned by Albert.
This sonnet was written by Shakespeare.
也可以通过分隔修饰实现主语语义重心的后移：
The time has now come for us to face the facts squarely.
About 85 papers were published
An order came from Berlin that no language but German be taught in school.
In those days, a false belief was commonly held by people that the globe was flat.
All the essays are good except John's.
3)
与句尾焦点和句尾重心的原则相一致的句式还有尾重句 (periodic
According to newspaper reports, after winning the Olympic gold medal for
Finally, with both of us combing
That night, in the rain and the wind, when we could see no lights in the town, we slipped away.
Against the advice of my friends, the cautions of my coach (教练）， and, in some ways, my own
In his capacity to deceive himself, to seek his own advancement ruthlessly while talking about
在复杂句中，凡是从句先行而将主句置千其后的结构，也属于尾重句。例如：
When last year her mother was dying of cancer and her father seemed on the verge of breakdown
If Beethoven had been restricted to a less enlightened court circle, had not known the Breunings,
尾重句的特点是，主要信息迟迟不出现，必须一气呵成地读下去，这就使句子的气势待续不衰，而当主要信息最后出现时，读者便可获得深刻印象，从而使主要信息或其实质部分得到充分的强调。与尾重句结构相反的是松散句 (loose
Though he wanted the job more than anything in the world, he knew he had
He knew he had little chance of getting the job, although he wanted it more than anything in the
world. (松散句）
Considering the free health care, the cheap tuition fees, the low crime rate, the comprehensive
I am willing to pay slightly higher taxes for the privilege of
health care, the cheap tuition fees, the low crime rate, the comprehensive social programs, and
the wonderful winters. (松散句）
由上述两例可以看出，不论是尾重句或松散句都是在修辞上运用句尾重心和句尾焦点原则的产物拿以上第一例来说，那是一个带让步状语从句的复杂句，其中主句表示主要信息，从句表示次要信息主句和从句的顺序上，如果用“尾重句“，即从句在前，主句在后，那么，在语义上无疑是主要信息得到充分的强调 反之，如果用“松散句＂，即主句在前 从句在后，这时，主要信息便受到一定程度的削弱，而由从句表示的次要信息的重要性却受到相应的提高，从而在语义上起到一种平衡作用。尾重句或松散句的选用，完全取决于说话人的语义意图以及特定的语境，两者通常是相互穿插，交替使用。如果通篇都用尾重句或松散句，那就会使文笔单调，不能很好地达到交际目的。
He smokes.
He rested.
The man shouted.
She works little.
在以上每组句子中，第一句比较短促，第二句比较匀称 SVO 结构中也有类似的情况。例如：
They pushed the car.
I kicked the door.
I visited her.
He reads many books.
上面每组第二句读起来比第一句更加自然。所有这些都说明句尾重心在英语词序 (word
2） 关键词语的后置
也由于句尾焦点和句尾重心的关系，人们在组词成句时往往要将说话人认为最重要的内容置于句尾，使之处于突出的地位，这种语法手段叫做“后置' (postponement)
He gave me a book.
前者侧重在 book, 适合于回答 What did he give you
The cross-examination (盘问） was expertly handled.
It lasted only half an hour.
如果是回答 How long did the cross-examination last? 那就有下列几种安排法：
The cross-examination, which was expertly handled, lasted only half an hour.
Expertly handled, the cross-examination lasted only half an hour.
The expertly handled cross-examination lasted only half an hour.
The cross-examination, in expert hands, lasted only half an hour.
The cross-examination, an expertly handled affair, lasted only half an hour.
反之，如果是回答 How was the cross-examination handled? 那就有如下几种安排法
The cross-examination, which lasted only half an hour, was expertly handled.
The cross-examination, lasting only half an hour, was expertly handled.
The half-hour
The cross-examination, a half-hour affair, was expertly handled.
英语句子成分的后置可以通过不同的手段来实现，其中，主语的后置更是如此。比如主语可以通过 it-句型实现后置。
It puzzles me why he got so irritable.
It's no use crying over spilt milk.
也可以通过全部倒装实现后置：
On top of the hill stands an old castle.
Higher and higher flew the white balloon.
也可以通过被动结构实现后置：
The car is being cleaned by Albert.
This sonnet was written by Shakespeare.
也可以通过分隔修饰实现主语语义重心的后移：
The time has now come for us to face the facts squarely.
About 85 papers were published
An order came from Berlin that no language but German be taught in school.
In those days, a false belief was commonly held by people that the globe was flat.
All the essays are good except John's.
3)
与句尾焦点和句尾重心的原则相一致的句式还有尾重句 (periodic
According to newspaper reports, after winning the Olympic gold medal for
Finally, with both of us combing
That night, in the rain and the wind, when we could see no lights in the town, we slipped away.
Against the advice of my friends, the cautions of my coach (教练）， and, in some ways, my own
In his capacity to deceive himself, to seek his own advancement ruthlessly while talking about
在复杂句中，凡是从句先行而将主句置千其后的结构，也属于尾重句。例如：
When last year her mother was dying of cancer and her father seemed on the verge of breakdown
If Beethoven had been restricted to a less enlightened court circle, had not known the Breunings,
尾重句的特点是，主要信息迟迟不出现，必须一气呵成地读下去，这就使句子的气势待续不衰，而当主要信息最后出现时，读者便可获得深刻印象，从而使主要信息或其实质部分得到充分的强调。与尾重句结构相反的是松散句 (loose
Though he wanted the job more than anything in the world, he knew he had
He knew he had little chance of getting the job, although he wanted it more than anything in the
world. (松散句）
Considering the free health care, the cheap tuition fees, the low crime rate, the comprehensive
I am willing to pay slightly higher taxes for the privilege of
health care, the cheap tuition fees, the low crime rate, the comprehensive social programs, and
the wonderful winters. (松散句）
由上述两例可以看出，不论是尾重句或松散句都是在修辞上运用句尾重心和句尾焦点原则的产物拿以上第一例来说，那是一个带让步状语从句的复杂句，其中主句表示主要信息，从句表示次要信息主句和从句的顺序上，如果用“尾重句“，即从句在前，主句在后，那么，在语义上无疑是主要信息得到充分的强调 反之，如果用“松散句＂，即主句在前 从句在后，这时，主要信息便受到一定程度的削弱，而由从句表示的次要信息的重要性却受到相应的提高，从而在语义上起到一种平衡作用。尾重句或松散句的选用，完全取决于说话人的语义意图以及特定的语境，两者通常是相互穿插，交替使用。如果通篇都用尾重句或松散句，那就会使文笔单调，不能很好地达到交际目的。