知否知否？應是綠肥紅瘦

知否知否？應是綠肥紅瘦
英語的詰問法(rhetorical question)


有時候，提出一個問題不是為了得到答案，而是為了達到一種強烈的修辭效果。這種問題叫rhetorical question。提問者要麽對該問題的答案已經成竹在胸，要麽該問題屬於悖論式的問題自相矛盾，無論何種答案都無法自圓其說。用提問方式來詰問對方，造成一種咄咄逼人的氣勢，讓對方啞口無言，遂達到預期的目的。

What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
如果你有兩次被嚇個半死，結局會是如何？

If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done?
如果你一心求敗並成功了。那你究竟是成是敗？

We must believe in luck; for how else can we explain the success of those we don’t like?
我們一定要相信有運氣這回事。否則我們不喜歡的人成功了，該怎麽解釋？

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。除此以外我們還有什麽共同點？




（原載於溫哥華《環球華報》周三教育版）

[溫哥華失眠夜]

回複林貝卡的評論:
Expert? An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less.

[林貝卡]

You are an expert in both ancient Chinese and modern English. Thank you so much for sharing 《英語的詰問法rhetorical question》.