在英文中,當我們想表達「雖然」、「儘管」的轉折語氣時,腦中可能會浮現athough、though、despite等字詞。這些詞彙雖然中文意思相近,但在文法結構和使用情境上卻有著顯著的差異。許多英文學習者常犯的錯誤,例如在 although 後面加上 but,或是分不清楚何時該用despite,都源於對這些詞性用法的不熟悉。
Hello,各位學生!本篇文將為您深入解析這些「雖然」的用法,並透過表格和豐富例句,幫助您一次掌握所有關鍵細節,讓您的英文表達更精準、更道地。學英文的過程就像一場豐富生命的旅程。
核心差異:連接詞 vs. 介係詞
要徹底搞懂這些字的用法,首先必須理解它們最根本的區別:連接詞 (Conjunctions) 與 介係詞 (Prepositions)。這對於學英文文法至關重要。
- 連接詞:主要用來連接兩個完整的句子(子句),後面必須跟著有「主詞+動詞」的結構。本文介紹的although、though、even though和while都屬於這一類。
- 介係詞:主要用來表達字詞之間的關係,後面只能接「名詞 (Noun)」、「代名詞 (Pronoun)」或是「動名詞 (V-ing)」。本文介紹的despite和in spite of屬於這一類。
連接詞用法詳解
Although / Though / Even though
這三者是表達「雖然」最常見的連接詞,用法基本相同,後面都需要連接一個完整的子句(S2 + V2)。
Although: 語氣較為正式,常用於書面語或正式場合。
- Although it was raining, we still enjoyed the concert.
(雖然在下雨,我們依然很享受那場演唱會。) - She still went to work although she was sick.
(雖然她生病了,但她還是去上班了。)
Though: 語氣比although更口語、更常用。除了可以放在句首或句中,though還有一個很特別的用法,就是可以作為副詞放在句尾,這是although做不到的。
- Though I fulfilled all the requirements, I still failed the interview.
(雖然我符合所有要求,但我面試還是失敗了。) - The service in that restaurant is terrible. The food is quite good, though.
(那家餐廳的服務很糟,不過食物倒是滿好吃的。)
Even though: 語氣最強烈,用來「特別強調」轉折的對比或出乎意料的程度。
- Even though he left school at 16, he still managed to become prime minister.
(儘管他16歲就輟學了,但他最終還是當上了首相。) - I still didn’t get the job even though I met all their requirements.
(雖然我達到了他們所有的條件,我還是沒有得到那份工作。)
文法大忌:
中文常說「雖然…但是…」,但英文中Although / Though本身就帶有轉折的「但是」之意,所以絕對不可以和but連用。這個詞的用法要特別注意。
- 錯誤:Although she was sick, but she still went to work. (X)
- 正確:Although she was sick, she still went to work. (O)
- 正確:She was sick, but she still went to work. (O)
While / As
While:
當while不作為「當…的時候」解釋時,也可以用來表達「雖然、然而」的對比語氣,用法與although相似,通常置於句首。
- While I accept that he’s not perfect in many respects, I do actually like the man.
(雖然我承認他在很多方面不完美,但我確實很喜歡這個人。)
As:
as有一個較為特殊且正式的「倒裝」用法來表達「雖然」。結構為:形容詞/副詞/名詞 + as + 主詞 + 動詞。
- Angry as he was, he couldn’t help smiling.
(儘管他很生氣,他還是忍不住笑了。) - Expensive as the tickets were, the show was worth the money.
(雖然票價很貴,但這場秀值回票價。)
介係詞用法詳解
Despite / In spite of
這兩者是介係詞,意思和用法完全相同,可以互換。它們後面只能接名詞、代名詞或動名詞 (V-ing),不能接完整的句子。另外,英文中沒有despite of這種用法,這是非常常見的錯誤。
接名詞:
- Despite the rain, we went out for a walk.
(儘管下著雨,我們還是出去散步了。) - He works hard in spite of his age.
(雖然年紀大了,他還是努力工作。)
接動名詞 (V-ing):
- Despite twisting his ankle, he still completed the race.
(儘管扭傷了腳踝,他還是完成了比賽。)
如何用 Despite / In spite of 連接句子?
如果想在後面接一個完整的子句,需要加上the fact that這個片語。
- Despite the fact that it was raining, we still enjoyed the concert.
- She decided to marry him in spite of the fact that her parents objected.
(儘管父母反對,她還是決定嫁給他。)
用法比較總結表
特性 | Although / Though / Even though | Despite / In spite of |
---|---|---|
詞性 | 連接詞 (Conjunction) | 介係詞 (Preposition) |
後面接續 | 完整的句子(主詞 + 動詞) | 名詞、代名詞、動名詞 (V-ing) |
連接子句方式 | 直接連接 | 需加上the fact that |
範例 | Although he was tired, he finished the work. | Despite being tired, he finished the work. |
範例 | Though the test was difficult, she passed. | In spite of the difficult test, she passed. |
常見問題 (FAQ)
Q1: “although” 和 “but” 可以一起用嗎?
A1: 絕對不行。在英文文法中,although和but都是連接詞,一個句子中連接兩個子句只需要一個連接詞。兩者擇一使用即可。
Q2: “although” 和 “despite” 最主要的差別是什麼?
A2: 最主要的差別在於詞性。although是連接詞,後面必須接一個完整的句子(主詞+動詞)。despite是介係詞,後面只能接名詞或動名詞。
Q3: 什麼時候該用 “even though”?
A3: 當您想特別強調「儘管情況如此…卻還是…」這種強烈的對比和驚訝感時,使用even though可以加強語氣,比although或though更具強調意味。
Q4: 把 “though” 放在句尾是正確的用法嗎?
A4: 是的,這是正確且非常口語化的用法。在非正式的對話中,將though放在句尾可以表達一種補充說明或轉折的語氣,對朋友說話時很自然。
總結
掌握「雖然」的英文用法,關鍵在於辨別詞性。當您想連接兩個完整的想法或句子時,請選用although、though或even though這類連接詞;當您想在名詞或動作前表達轉折時,則應使用despite或in spite of這類介係詞。只要記住「連接詞接子句,介係詞接名詞」這個大原則,並多加練習,就能避免常見的文法錯誤,讓您的英文寫作與口說能力更上一層樓。
資料來源
- 雖然| 繁體中文-英語翻譯——劍橋詞典 – Cambridge Dictionary
- 【多益高分達人】although 和despite 都是『雖然』,用法卻差很 …
- although / though / even though 3分鐘搞懂用法差在哪裡!