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骑士作风——到处在别人的城堡里把漂亮的姑娘们解救出来，然后把她们带回自己的城堡里
来。
*通过Irony的运用，作者将所谓的“骑士作风”的虚伪性揭露无遗。
A bronco often becomes so attached to his master that he will lay down his life if necessary—— his master?s life, I mean.
美洲野马常常如此爱其主人，是以在必要时，还会牺牲他的性命——我的意思是牺牲它主人的性命。
*句首令读者深信不疑：野马深爱其主人；句末才让读者恍然大悟，如此爱法，原来是说反语。
His designs were strictly honourable; that is to rob a lady of her fortune by way of marriage. 他的企图是完全高贵的；那就是，以结婚位手段来夺取贵妇人的财产。 The public is wonderfully tolerant——it forgives everything except genius. 世人是宽大得惊人的——除天才之外，他们宽恕一切。
What a noble illustration of the tender laws of his favoured country!——they let the paupers go to sleep!
他们竟允许穷人睡觉！——这是多么高尚的例证，说明他们那行善的国家的法律是多么仁慈！ *句中noble, tender和favoured均为反语，讽刺当时英国的法律，说明除失业和睡觉外，穷人别无任何权利。
He is one of those wise philanthropists who, in a time of famine, would vote for nothing but a supply of toothpicks.
他是当饥荒之际只回建议供应牙签的那一类聪明的慈善家之一。
It saves a lot of trouble if, instead of having to earn money and save it, you can just go and borrow it.
假如你可以干脆去借钱，以此代替赚钱与省钱，那会省掉许多麻烦了。
We send missionaries to China so the Chinese can get to heaven, but we don?t let them into our country.
我们派传教士到中国去，好让中国人能够上天堂，但我们却不让他们进入我国。
*当时美国政府禁止中国人移居彼国，作者借Irony讽刺此事：口口声声要让中国人“上天堂”，却又连位于人间的美国都不让进，“上天堂”岂会有真？
Her capacity for family affection is extraordinary; when her third husband died, her hair turned quite gold from grief.
她对家庭的情谊异常深厚——当她的第三任丈夫死去的时候，她的头发因悲伤而变成金色。 *暗示该女士或许发的是“丈夫”财，因此连头发都变成了金色。
The English are mentioned in the Bible: Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 《圣经》中有提及英国人的话：“柔顺的人们是有福的，因为人民将会继承大地。”
*该句中的引语出自《马太福音》第五章，耶稣在山上垂训的一节，不过谈及的并非是有关英国的事情。马克*吐温作此言时，英国仍号称“日不落帝国”，在全世界占有大片土地。 十三、Climax（层递） 21) Climax: (渐进)
It is derived from the Greek word for \or almost uniform rate of significance or intensity, like the steps of a ladder ascending evenly. Arrangement of phrases or sentences in ascending order of importance For example,
a)I came, I saw, I conquered.
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b)做人难，做女人更难， 做名女人难上加难。
c)Some books are to be tasted, others to swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.
climax 指的是平行并列一系列的词语或句子，其中表达的意义根据事物发展的逻辑关系，由轻及重，由浅入深，由弱及强，如此等等，依次阶升，层层递进，直至达到高潮。
英语climax的运用，可使思想逐步深化，感情逐步强化，从而增强语言的说服力与感染力。从结构上看，英语climax所并列的语言单位为三项或三项以上，其中以三项式层递最为常见，最为典型。
英语climax的排列格式大致可分为以下三种： （1）按语意的轻重顺序排列
To acquire wealth is difficult, to preserve it more difficult, but to spend it wisely most difficult.
积财难，守财更难，而明智地花钱最难。
It is an outrage to bind a Roman citizen; to scourage him is a crime; to put him to death is almost patricide.
捆绑罗马公民是暴行；鞭笞他是犯罪；处死他更是忤逆不赦的大罪。
And her face looking up, her lost face with beseeching eyes, and dark, wet hair ——possessed, haunted, tortured him.
她仰视着，她那失神的脸色带着央求的目光和温辘辘的头发——这又萦绕他、侵扰他、折磨他！
He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend loses more; but he who loses courage loses all.
失去财产的人损失很大，失去朋友的人损失更大，失去勇气的人损失一切。
Threaten him, imprison him, torture him, kill him: you will not induce him to betray his country.
威胁他，监禁他，拷打他，处死他：这些都不能使他背叛自己的国家。 I am sorry. I am so very sorry, I am so extremely, sorry. 我抱歉，我很抱歉，我非常抱歉。 （2）按时间的先后顺序排列 I came, I saw, I conquered.
我来了，我扫视一切，我征服一切。
The prisoner was first questioned, then tortured, and finally shot. 囚犯先受审讯，然后遭拷打，最后被枪杀。
You can fool all the people some of the time; and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
你可以一时欺骗所有的人，也可以永远欺骗一部分人，但决不可能永远欺骗所有的人。 I was born an American: I live an American; I shall die an American. 我生来是个美国人，我活着是个美国人，我死时也还是个美国人。 （3）按范围的大小顺序排列
he gazed upon the pretty houses, green hills and the broad Pacific; his heart was filled with awe.
他凝视着美丽的房子、绿色的山冈和辽阔的太平洋；敬畏之情油然而生。
It was the ruin of the family, the uprooting of moral, the destruction of Germany. 那出戏实在是家庭的毁灭，道德的沦丧，德意志的崩溃。
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Some read to think, these are rare; some to write, these are common; and some read
to talk, and these form the great majority.
有些人为思考而读书，罕见；有些人为写作而读书，常见；有些人为搜集谈资而读书，这些人占读书人的大多数。
He wanted to educate his children, serve his country, and satisfy his God. 他要教育子女，要服务于国家，还要敬奉上帝。
英语里还有一种特殊的层递结构，实则是climax与（首尾重复）的结合运用，其特点是递进明显，表达有力，饶有趣味。如：
for glances beget ogles, ogles sighs,
sighs wishes, wishes words, and words a letter… 因为注视会招来媚眼，而媚眼 惹出叹息，叹息则又引起渴望， 接着是言语搭讪，以后是书简…
…but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulations worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope; and hope maketh not ashamed…
……就是在患难中，也是欢欢喜喜的。因为知道患难生忍耐。忍耐生老练。老练生盼望。盼望不至于羞耻……
十四、Anticlimax（突降） Anti-climax or bathos: (突降)
It is the opposite of Climax. It involves stating one's thoughts in a descending order of significance or intensity, from strong to weak, from weighty to light or frivolous.
The sudden appearance of an absurd or trivial idea following one or more significant or elevated ideas. Anticlimax is usually comic in effect For instance,
1．But thousands die, without this or that, die, and endow(赋予) a college, or a cat. 2．秋波就是秋天的菠菜 3．Seldom has a city gained world renown, and I am proud and happy to welcome you to Hiroshima, a town known throught the world for its----oysters. Anticlimax又称Bathos,其汉语译名除“突降”外，还有“渐降”、“倒层递”。这是正与climax相反的一种修辞手法，指在说话或写作时内容急转直下，突然从庄严崇高降至平庸可笑，籍以取得嘲弄讥讽或幽默滑稽的修辞效果。
从结构上看，Anticlimax与climax的不同之处在于：climax所排列的层递结构一般都在三项或三项以上，而Anticlimax所排列的突降结构两项即可成立，但也不乏三项或三项以上者。 Anticlimax在语义上的急转直下往往出人意料之外，令人猝不及防。这主要是由于其最后一项结构与前一项（或数项）结构在内容上形成鲜明对照，其次还在于Anticlimax常采用掉尾句（periodic sentence）或破折号等语法手段，从而在读者或听众一方造成一种悬念。 看下列英语突降修辞法的实际用例：
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a fortune must be in want of a wife. (Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice)
凡是有钱的单身汉，总想娶位太太，这已经成了一条举世公认的真理。
*该句采用掉尾结构，语气极为正式，令人预感作者将要高谈阔论一番。岂知笔锋一转，所谓“举世公认的真理”不过是众所周知的平庸之见，滑稽可笑，让人捧腹。
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We had plenty of company in the way of wagon-loads and muleloads of tourists ——and
the dust. (Mark Twain: A Tramp Abroad)
我们的旅伴很多，有载客的马车，有当作坐骑的骡子——还有滚滚尘土。
*作者将旅途上扬起的尘埃视为旅伴之一，与乘马车或骑骡子的游客相提并论，表现了他的幽默感。
One describes the glory of the British Queen. And one describes a charming Indian screen. 有人赞颂英国女王的光荣， 也有人描绘美丽的印度屏风。
A woman who could face the very devil himself——or a mouse——loses her grip and goes all to pieces in front of a flash of lightning. (Mark Twain) 一个碰到魔鬼——或是老鼠——都不害怕的女人，在闪电面前她就沉不住气，吓得魂不附体了。
For God, for America, and for Yale. 为了上帝，为了美国，也为了耶鲁。
*美国耶鲁大学的校训采用突降法修饰，说明了要成就大事业必须从小处做起的深刻道理。 How haughtily he cocks his nose,
To tell what every schoolboy knows. (J. Swift) 他昂首挺胸，趾高气扬，傲慢无比， 讲起了每个小学生都知道的东西。
The explosion completely destroyed a church, two houses, and a flowerpot. 这起爆炸事故彻底毁坏了一个教堂、两所房屋和一个花盆。
*区区一只花盆竟与一个教堂和两所房屋相提并论，让人感到滑稽可笑。 In our country we have three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either. (Mark Twain) 在我国，我们拥有三种不可以言喻的宝物：言论的自由、信仰的自由以及使两者均不获履行的精明。
*话说得含蓄，幽默之中含讽刺。 He has been a doctor a year now and has had two patients——no three, I think ——yes, it was three; I attended their funerals.
他行医迄今已有一年了，曾看过两个病人——不，三个，我想——对了，那是三个，我参加过他们的葬礼嘛。
The only solid and lasting peace between a man and his wife is doubtless a separation.
夫妻之间唯一的巩固而又持久的和平，无疑是分手。
“Seldom has a city gained such world renown, and I am proud and happy to welcome you to Hiroshima, a town known throughout the world for its ——oysters.” (J. Danvoir, Hiroshima——the “Liveliest” City in Japan)
“很少有哪一个城市在世界上享有这样的盛名。我非常自豪而且非常愉快地欢迎大家来到广岛。广岛之所以能如此出名，是由于它的——牡蛎。”
*该句本应一“原子弹灾难”而告终，结果出人意料之外，突然降到“牡蛎”一词，收到了一种幽默、嘲讽的效果。
Figures of sound
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