二、长难句的理解技巧

     一般说来，长难句理解主要采用“主干成分分析法”，按“先干后枝”的原则处理，即按“主句→从句→修饰语”的顺序进行。具体步骤如下：
第一步：整句结构分析。通过语法分析，迅速弄清整个句子的结构，把握住句子的基本框架，确定整个句子是简单句、并列句还是复合句。
     “I felt there was a need for a book like this.” she says. “I didn't want to lecture, but I wanted other diabetics to know that things get better when we're self¬controlled and do our part in managing the disease.”
整个句子是个简单句，即：she says“…”。只不过，前后两个引号为两个并列的宾语从句。第一处引号“I felt there was a need for a book like this.”的主语为I，felt后跟了一个宾语从句“there was a need for a book like this”。第二处引号“I didn't want to lecture, but I wanted other diabetics to know that things get better when we're self¬controlled and do our part in managing the disease.”由but连接两个分句，第二个分句有主句I wanted other diabetics to know…， 宾语从句that things get better 及时间状语从句when we're self¬controlled and do our part in managing the disease。
第二步：主干成分确定。找出句子的核心成分，确定主句的主语和谓语。
     Miss Germaine's mother looked anxious through the wedding and Mr. Cordell's parents are reported to be less than delighted.
     本句由两个分句组成，and连接两个并列单句。句意： Germaine小姐的母亲在整个婚礼过程中看上去很焦虑，Cordell先生的父母亲据报道也不开心。
第三步：从句功能分析。找出句中从句的引导词，分析从句类型(是否为定语从句、名词性从句或状语从句等)和从句之间及从句和主句之间的关系。
     Whereas a woman's closest female friend might be the first to tell her to leave a failing marriage，it wasn't unusual to hear a man say he didn't know his friend's marriage was in serious trouble until he appeared one night asking if he could sleep on the sofa.
whereas引导了一个从句，即 a woman's closest female friend might be the first to tell her to leave a failing marriage, 而it wasn't unusual to hear a man say he didn't know his friend's marriage was in serious trouble until he appeared one night asking if he could sleep on the sofa.为主句，其中it为形式主语，真正的主语为不定式 to hear a man…。
省略to的不定式say作宾语补足语，say后面接了一个宾语从句he didn't know，know后面又接了一个宾语从句his friend's marriage was in serious trouble和时间状语从句until he appeared one night，现在分词短语asking 作伴随状语，asking 后面又接了一个宾语从句if he could sleep on the sofa。句意：一个女人最亲密的女友，很可能第一个奉劝她结束不幸的婚姻。然而，我们常听到男人说，他是在朋友突然来到自己家里并要求睡在沙发上时，才明白朋友的婚姻有了麻烦。
第四步：短语功能分析。找出非谓语动词短语、介词短语、形容词短语、名词短语等短语，分析其功能以及它们与谓语动词/非谓语动词/从句/主句之间的关系等。
     If you ask people to name one person who had the greatest effect on the English language, you will get answers like “Shakespeare”， “Samuel Johnson”， and “Webster”， but none of these men had any effect at all compared to a man who didn't even speak English — William the Conqueror.
     首先找出并列复合句，即but连接的两个句子，再看but前的并列句中有一个if引导的条件状语从句，but后的并列句中有一个who引导的定语从句，修饰a man。句意：如果你要求别人说出对英语的影响最大的人，你可能会得到像“Shakespeare”， “Samuel Johnson”和 “Webster”之类的答案。但是与一个甚至不会说英语的人——“征服者”William相比，这些人就毫无影响力了。