第15天（1） |马拉松阅读 第一辑： 英语原著On Writing Well精读精析

It won't do to say that the reader is too dumb or too lazy to keep pace with the train of thought. If the reader is lost, it's usually because the writer hasn't been careful enough. That carelessness can take any number of forms. Perhaps a sentence is so excessively cluttered that the reader, hacking through the verbiage, simply doesn't know what it means. Perhaps a sentence has been so shoddily constructed that the reader could read it in several ways. Perhaps the writer has switched pronouns in mid-sentence, or has switched tenses, so the reader loses track of who is talking or when the action took place. Perhaps Sentence B is not a logical sequel to Sentence A; the writer, in whose head the connection is clear, hasn't bothered to provide the missing link. Perhaps the writer has used a word incorrectly by not taking the trouble to look it up. He or she may think "sanguine" and "sanguinary" mean the same thing, but the difference is a bloody big one. The reader can only infer (speaking of big differences) what the writer is hying to imply. 

It won'tdoto say thatthe reader istoodumb愚笨or toolazytokeep pace with跟上thetrain脚步of thought. If the reader is lost, it's usually because the writer hasn't been careful enough. That carelessness cantake any number of forms. Perhaps a sentence issoexcessively极其cluttered杂乱thatthe reader,hacking through砍掉the verbiage修饰措辞, simply doesn't know what it means. Perhaps a sentence has been soshoddily粗制滥造地constructed that the reader couldread it in several ways. Perhaps the writer hasswitched转换pronouns in mid-sentence, or has switched tenses, so the readerloses track of不清楚who is talking or when the action took place. Perhaps Sentence B is not alogical sequel逻辑顺延to Sentence A; the writer, in whose head the connection is clear, hasn'tbotheredto provide the missing link. Perhaps the writer has used a word incorrectlyby not taking the troubletolook it up查字典. He or she may think "sanguine自信的" and "sanguinary血腥的" mean the same thing, but the difference is abloody bigone. The reader can onlyinfer推断(speaking of big differences) what the writer is trying toimply暗示. 

It won't do to say that the reader is toodumb or too lazy tokeep pace with the train of thought.

• do  提前表示强调后半句武断的认为读者因为太愚笨或者太懒而跟不上作者写作思路这个事。
• too...to... 表示太…以至于不能 
• keep pace with  意为跟上
• train 同义词: string，意为 a sequentially ordered set of things or events or ideas in which each successive member is related to the preceding.  "a train of thought" 为固定搭配。
• keep pace with the train of thought 意为跟上思维的步伐。

That carelessness can take any number of forms. Perhaps a sentence is soexcessively cluttered that the reader, hacking through the verbiage, simply doesn't know what it means. 

• take any number of forms   可以理解为有多种表现形式
• so...that...     如此...以至于

Perhaps a sentence has been so shoddily constructed that the reader could read it in several ways.

• read it in several ways, 可以理解为：understand it in several ways.

the writer, in whose head the connection is clear, hasn't bothered to provide the missing link.

• bother 英英释义：If you do not bother to do something or if you do not bother with it, you do not do it, consider it, or use it because you think it is unnecessary or because you are too lazy.
• bother to do sth  费心去做某事
  
  例句：Your phone's been ringing all morning and you haven't bothered to pick it up.

Perhaps the writer has used a word incorrectly by not taking the trouble to look it up.

• 句式梳理：Sb has done sth wrongly/incorrectly by not taking the trouble to do sth
• 这个句式中by not taking the trouble to...是在说明前面的为何done sth wrongly/incorrectly. 

He or she may think "sanguine" and "sanguinary" mean the same thing, but the difference is a bloody big one. 

• bloody big不可以改为 big bloody ，意思相差巨大
• bloody big 理解为超级大（长）的
• big bloody 则意为沾满血迹的、血腥的
• 这既是形容词修饰名词或代词时的排序问题。顺序不同，意思不同。