知否知否？应是绿肥红瘦

知否知否？应是绿肥红瘦
英语的诘问法(rhetorical question)


有时候，提出一个问题不是为了得到答案，而是为了达到一种强烈的修辞效果。这种问题叫rhetorical question。提问者要么对该问题的答案已经成竹在胸，要么该问题属于悖论式的问题自相矛盾，无论何种答案都无法自圆其说。用提问方式来诘问对方，造成一种咄咄逼人的气势，让对方哑口无言，遂达到预期的目的。

What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
如果你有两次被吓个半死，结局会是如何？

If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done?
如果你一心求败并成功了。那你究竟是成是败？

We must believe in luck; for how else can we explain the success of those we don’t like?
我们一定要相信有运气这回事。否则我们不喜欢的人成功了，该怎么解释？

I don’t understand you. You don’t understand me. What else do we have in common?
我不了解你，你不了解我。除此以外我们还有什么共同点？




（原载于温哥华《环球华报》周三教育版）

[温哥华失眠夜]

回复林贝卡的评论:
Expert? An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less.

[林贝卡]

You are an expert in both ancient Chinese and modern English. Thank you so much for sharing 《英语的诘问法rhetorical question》.