记得在学生时代,小编经常使用"according to",感觉这个词组超级百搭,百试不爽。
然而,你真的知道"according to"的正确用法嘛?
英文辞典上对"according to"的解释是:
“According to…” is usually used when you restate something someone told you or something you have heard or read somewhere. It is mostly used for reporting.
即它往往用于重述别人的话,或者在其他地方听到或看到的内容,常用于报告的写作中。
举个例子:
According to the clerk we spoke to when we telephoned the supervisory authority this morning, the application was filed last week.
根据今晨我们对员工进行的监督权调查的电话访谈所说,上周表格就已经归档了。
它也可以用于引用不确实的消息:
如,According to the state news agency, the number of demonstrators did not exceed 1,000. However, the organisers of the protest say there were at least 100,000 people on the march.
根据官方通讯社的消息,参与游行的人数不超过1000人,而游行组织者称,参与游行人数超过了10万人。
另外,“according to”也可以用来引用道听途说的消息:
e.g. According to Annabel, Tom wants to dump Sarah because he really fancies Emma.
听安娜贝尔说,汤姆要甩了萨拉,因为他被艾玛给迷上了。
由此看来,"according to"的确不简单,难怪歪果仁有时都不能够正确使用。
其实,在商务英语中,还有很多类似"according to"的词句,它们看似简单,但用法则颇为讲究。
更多信息请查看英语写作技巧