coordinate and subordinate cumulative sentence

來到呢個系列最後.之前介紹過, 用post noun modifier,包括participial clause, adjective,prepositional phrase等等,來修飾主句的主語或受詞, 或用adverbial修飾動詞，甚至自己作個新的subject出嚟,以Absolute phrase去修飾主句. 其實目的,都係想教大家,不要只係以用conjunction, 無論係coordinating conjunctions,或subordinating conjunction去串連, 而要用modifying (adjectival/adverbial/apposition) phrase的方法. 

呢度要指出一點,就係呢啲modifying (adjectival/adverbial/appodition) phrase,一定要兩個或以上. 因為加一個太少. 但加兩個,也有分兩種,一種叫coordinate cumulative sentence, 一種叫subordinate cumulative sentence.

所謂coordinate cumulative sentence, 即係那兩個或以上的modifying phrase, 都係修飾一個main clause,或叫base clause. 例如:

The dog lunged toward him, fangs bared, eyes rolled back in anger.

The dog lunged toward him是base clause, fangs bared係absolute phrase, eyes rolled back in anger又係absolute phrase. 兩個modifying phrase都修飾個base clause.

The storm raged on, a brutal assault, indiscriminate in its destruction.

a brutal assault是apposition, indiscriminate in its destruction係appositive adjectives+介詞短語. 

She served the dessert, a French pastry affair, dripping with dark chocolate.

a French pastry affair係同位語, dripping with dark chocolate係present participial phrase.

I photographed her against the sunset, a goddess, her white gauze robe glowing blond with mellow light.

a goddess係同位語, her white gauze robe glowing blond with mellow light係absolute phrase. 

所以你睇到,modifying phrase有好多類, 製造好多句子變化.

理論上, coordinate cumulative sentence的modifying phrase可在任句子任何位置, 可以是句子頭,句子中,句子尾, 次序也無限制. 但實際上, 呢啲modifying phrase的擺位和先後次序其實要合乎邏輯. 呢方面有機會再詳談. 　

而subordinate cumulate sentence,係那些modifying phrase,只會修飾之前(preceding)那句或短語. 當然也有兩種結合的mix subordinate cumulative sentence, 即同時係有兩個或以上的modifying phrase修飾base clause, 但也有些modifying phrase係修飾之前的子句/短語的,而不是修飾base clause. 事實上大部分真實句子都係mix cumulative sentence, 因為如果係pure coordinate cumulative sentence, 會好重覆,因為啲modifying phrase無論加幾多,都係為咗base clause加多啲細節. 另一方面, pure subordinate cumulative sentence又係另一個極端, 將主句係咁延伸, 去到最後個主句講咩已經變得唔重要,例如:

“He drove carefully, one hand on the wheel, the other hand holding a sandwich, a fossilized ham and cheese, a strangely colored lump made three days before by his sister, a success, the basic happiness of feeling loved and needed.”

上面呢句就係pure subordinate cumulative sentence, 因為每個modifying phrase都係修飾緊之前的子句或短語 (the immediately preceding clause or phrase). 它的特徵係那些modifying phrase唔可以隨便調來調去, 一定係跟死它要修飾的子句/短語. 　

完結時以一句有名小說家Joseph Conrad寫的句子,作為mix cumulative sentence的例子:

The great wall of vegetation,an exuberant and entangled mass of trunks, branches, leaves, boughs, festoons, motionless in the moonlight, was like a rioting invasion of soundless life, a rolling wave of plants piled up, crested, ready to topple over the creek, [ready] to sweep every little man of us out of his little existence. (Heart of Darkness)

嘗試自己分析下,邊個modifying phrase係coordinate (修飾主句),邊個modifying phrase係subordinate(不是修飾主句)吧!

[以上句子和參考內容來自: Brooks Landon, "Building Great Sentences, How to Write the Kinds of Sentences You love to Read")