学员疑问:老师,Women do not avoid fighting because they are dainty or scared, but because they have a greater stake than men in staying alive to rear their offspring.这句话意思不太清楚。
老师解答:这个句子理解难点是要判断出not否定前置,实际上是not because...but because...的逻辑关系,此外,还要识别have stake in...这个表达意思是“在某事上有利害关系,看重/在意某事”。这样就明白句意:女人避免打斗并不是因为她们娇气或害怕,而是因为她们比男人更在乎活下来抚养后代。
点评分析:句子看不懂通常是两个方便的问题,一是句子语法结构,二是单词的用法搭配。语法结构的重点是要判断出句子的主干,此外还有一些特殊情况,这个句子就是特殊的“否定前置”情况,类似情况如I don’t think (that) he is honest. 其实就是I think (that) he is not honest.