倒装语序

【难句】1. Not only does a green thing look different from a red thing, remind us of other green things and inspire us to say, “That’s green”， but it also actually looks green: it produces an experience of sheer greenness that isn’t reducible to anything else. (Time Jan. 19, 2007)

【结构分析】 该句子中，逗号前表示否定的词not only放在句首，使用了部分倒装。正常语序为：a green thing looks not only different from a red thing，reminds us of other green things and inspires us to say, “That’s green”。这是并列了三个谓语(look different…，remind us…and inspire us…)。but之后为递进部分，but it also actually looks green…，其中冒号后为具体的解释说明，并且这里包含一个定语从句that isn’t reducible to anything else，关系代词that指代先行词sheer greenness，在从句中作主语。

【参考译文】 一件绿色的东西不仅仅看起来与红色的东西不同，使我们想起其他绿色的东西并刺激我们说：“那是绿色”，而且它确实看起来是绿色的：它产生了一个完全的绿色的经验，那不能简化成任何其他事情。

【难句】2. Clever though this is, it is just a stepping stone towards the direct incorporation of fuel cells into portable devices and, in particular, laptops—the application that remains the industry’s Holy Grail. (The Economist Jun. 8, 2006)

【结构分析】 本句体现了典型的将表语部分提前构成的让步状语从句倒装，还原后应为though this is clever。主句为it is just a stepping stone towards the direct incorporation of fuel cells into portable devices and, in particular, laptops—the application that remains the industry’s Holy Grail，其中包含incorporation…into…的结构，portable devices和laptops作介词into的宾语。句末的名词短语the application that remains the industry’s Holy Grail作上文的补充说明，其中包含that引导的定语从句，修饰先行词appplication。

【参考译文】 虽然这很聪明，但它只能算是通往直接将燃料电池与便携设备整合的道路上的垫脚石，特别是对笔记本电脑而言——这一设备现在仍是工业界的圣杯。