例谈英语强调句式的教学问题与对策

河南 武学哲（特级教师）

强调句式在英语中使用十分广泛，举不胜举。同时，历年的全国各省（自治区、直辖市）高考试卷也有考查或涉及强调句式的考题。但由于教师在教学中存在一些问题、学生本身的学习方法不当，再加上强调句式本身牵涉的问题较多，学生对这一句式的掌握比较困难。所以，要让学生熟练掌握强调句式，在高考中取得好成绩，就必须明确教学中存在的问题并找到解决问题的对策。

一、近五年高考试卷中有关强调句式的考题

（一）2013年全国各省（自治区、直辖市）高考试卷中对强调句式的考查

1. It was only after he had read the papers ______ Mr.Gross realized the task before him was extremely difficult to complete. （全国大纲卷，30题改编）

2. It was not until near the end of the letter ______ she mentioned her own plan. （天津卷，11题改编）

3. It couldn’t be the vocabulary ______ caused you the problem in the exercise because you know a lot of words. （安徽卷，34题改编）

4. It was with the help of the local guide _______ the mountain climber was rescued. （重庆卷，27题改编）

【答案】1. that 2. that 3. that 4. that

（二）2014年全国各省（自治区、直辖市）高考试卷中对强调句式的考查

1. It’s not doing the things we like, but liking the things we have to do ____ makes life happy.（湖南卷，33题改编）

2. It was John ______ broke the window. Why are you talking to me as if I had done it? （重庆卷，13题改编）

3. It was the culture，rather than the language，______made it hard for him to adapt to the new environment abroad.（福建卷，29题改编）

4. Was it because Jack came late for school _____ Mr.Smith got angry?（四川卷，3题改编）

【答案】1. that 2. who/that 3. that 4. that

（三）2015年全国各省（自治区、直辖市）高考试卷中对强调句式的考查

1. It was when we were returning home______ I realized what a good feeling it was to have helped someone in trouble.（湖南卷，21题改编）

2. Bach died in 1750, but it was not until the early 19th century____ his musical gift was fully recognized.（重庆卷，9题改编）

【答案】1. that 2. that

（四）2016年全国各省（自治区、直辖市）高考试卷中对强调句式的考查

You are waiting at a wrong place. It is at the hotel______the coach picks up tourists.（天津卷，13题改编）

【答案】that

（五）2017年全国各省（自治区、直辖市）高考试卷中对强调句式的考查

It was when I got back to my apartment ______ I first came across my new neighbors.（天津卷，11题改编）

【答案】that

二、教学中存在的问题

1. 教师的讲解抓不住强调句式的关键

学生对强调句式掌握不好，首先是因为教师的讲解不能使学生抓住关键。掌握强调句式的关键在于（1）了解强调句式的基本形式是：“It is/was +被强调部分+ that/who +其他”。（2）知晓强调句式中连接词that是万能词，适用于任何情况。（3）教师要指导学生掌握一些特定句式变强调句式的方法。如：陈述句、一般疑问句、特殊疑问句、“not...until...”句型等。

2.教师不能引导学生探究规律

一般句式变强调句式是有规律可循的，如“not...until...”句型变强调句式的基本形式是：“It is/was not until...that...”，且until后面的部分就是原句中until后面的部分。但教师在讲解时，却不能引导学生一起发现这些规律，也不能帮助学生掌握句式转换的方法，从而导致学生对强调句句式转换的学习只靠死记硬背。

3.学生的学习方法不当

学生在学习强调句式时，一味地接受老师授予的知识，不求甚解，不去寻找规律，又不能及时复习和巩固，所以学过之后很快遗忘，总也掌握不好。

三、解决问题的对策

其实，学生只要了解了强调句式的变化规律，掌握了特定句型变强调句式的方法和要点，各个击破，也就抓住了问题的关键。这样一来，再辅以及时复习、练习巩固，掌握强调句式就不再是什么难事了。就强调句式的要点，笔者归纳如下：

1.强调句式的基本形式是：“It is/was +被强调部分+that/who +其他”。

2.对强调句式的综合概括：

（1）该强调句式用来突出句子的某一部分，在意义上起强调作用，通常翻译为“是……”“正是……”。（2）该句式在任何情况下都可以使用连接词that引导从句，当被强调的部分指人时，还可用who（作主语、宾语）。即使在强调时间状语、地点状语和原因状语时，也不使用其他连接词（如：when，where，why，because等），强调句中的连接词不可省略。（3）该句式中的it没有实际意义，只是用来改变句子结构，使某一成分得到强调。（4）该句式可以强调主语、宾语、状语，但不能用它来强调谓语和定语。（5）强调句中的时态只用两种：一般现在时和一般过去时。原句谓语动词是一般过去时、过去完成时和过去进行时，用It was... ；原句谓语动词是现在时或将来时则用It is...（6）从形式上讲，被强调的可以是单词、短语，也可以是从句。

例如，对句子：We met him in the street yesterday. 中的主语、宾语、状语进行强调，则分别为：

It was we that/who met him in the street yesterday.（强调了主语we）

It was him that/who we met in the street yesterday. （强调了宾语him）

It was in the street that we met him yesterday. （强调了地点状语in the street）

It was yesterday that we met him in the street. （强调了时间状语yesterday）

3.强调句式的一般疑问句形式是把is/was提至it之前，其形式为：“Is/Was it +被强调部分+that/who+...?”。例如：

Was it him that/who we met in the street yesterday?

Is it in the park that he is skating?

4.强调状语和状语从句的情况

此结构可以强调时间、地点、目的、方式、原因状语和由because引导的原因状语从句。但不能强调由since或as引导的原因状语从句，也不能强调由although和whereas引导的句子。例如：

It was because of his carelessness that the fire broke out.

It was because he was ill that we decided to return home.

It was when he was in China that I got to know him.

5.该句式根据意义需要有时含有情态动词。例如：

It must have been his father that you saw there.

It might be Lily that you are thinking of.

6.特殊疑问句的强调句式

在特殊疑问句中，只有特殊疑问词可以被强调，特殊疑问句的强调句式形式为：“特殊疑问词+is/was it that+...?”。例如：

Who cut down the tree?→Who was it that cut down the tree?

What are you doing?→What is it that you are doing?

Where was your watch stolen?→Where was it that your watch was stolen?

7.“not...until...”句式的强调句式

“not...until...”句式的强调句形式也是固定的，其形式为：“It is/was not until +原句中until后面的部分+that+...”。例如：

We didn’t get home until 11 o’clock last night. →It was not until 11 o’clock last night that we got home.

I didn’t realize that he was the famous singer Liu Huan until he took off his dark glasses.→It was not until he took off his dark glasses that I realized that he was the famous singer Liu Huan.

注意：此句型只用until，不用till。但如果不是强调句型，till和 until可通用；因为句型It is/was not...已经是否定句了，that后面的从句要用肯定句，切勿再用否定句了。

8.强调句式的验证方法

若判断一个句子是否是强调句式，可以把句中的It is/was和that去掉，如果句子的剩余部分能够组成一个结构完整的句子，则是强调句式，否则就不是。例如：

（1）It was here that I met an old friend yesterday.本句若去掉It was和that，剩余部分可构成句子：I met an old friend here yesterday.意为：昨天我在这里见到一位老朋友。这说明句子“It was here that I met an old friend yesterday.”是强调句式。

（2）It is clear that you are wrong. 本句若去掉It is和that，剩余部分无法构成结构完整的句子，所以“It is clear that you are wrong.”不是强调句式。这里的it应是形式主语，that引导的是主语从句。

9. “It is/was... that...”这一强调句式不能强调谓语，如果需要强调谓语，则需借助助动词do，does或did。例如：

Be careful.→Do be careful.

He came yesterday.→He did come yesterday.

She lives here.→She does live here.

综上所述，掌握强调句式的关键在于：

1.掌握该强调句式的基本形式。

2.掌握强调句式的一般疑问句形式。

3.掌握特殊疑问句变强调句式的方法和规律。

4.掌握“not...until...”句式变强调句式的方法和规律。

5.学会验证强调句式的方法。

只要抓住上述关键，辅以及时的复习和适当的练习，学生对强调句式的掌握便会水到渠成。