在中文里,詞序非常重要;兩個字的秩序不同，意思也不同。例如“東西”和“西東”，前者是“things”，后者是“everywhere” ——“各奔西東”。再如“女兒”和“兒女”，前者是“ daughter(s)”，后者是“children”。

英語的詞序雖不像中文那樣富有語義上的變化，但也很重要，絕對不容忽視。有時，一字一詞方位的改變，全句的意思可能“牽一發動全身”，跟著受影響。

下面便是些好例子：

① Even the government officers admitted that some tax measures were unfair.

② The government officers admitted that even some tax measures were unfair.

第一句的意思是：每個人，包括政府官員，都承認有些稅務措施不公平。第二句的意思是：政府官員承認，許多事情，連稅務措施在內，都不公平。前者焦點在“人”;后者則在“事”。

③ The couple don’t have much money to spend on their foreign trip.

④ The couple don’t have to spend much money on their foreign trip.

第三句說“錢不夠用”;第四句卻說“不必多用錢”。“沒有錢可花”和“有錢不必多花”，呈強烈對照，詞序的影響，由此可見一斑!

⑤ The committee as a whole pointed out that the world economic situation had improved.

⑥ The committee pointed out that the world economic situation as a whole had improved.

第五句指的是“全部的委員”;第六句卻影射“整體的經濟局勢”。同樣一個片語，所指有所不同。

⑦ In vain did David try to prevent the job from being done.

⑧ David tried to prevent the job from being done in vain.

⑦里的“in vain”(無結果)指的是大衛的行動;⑧里的不是指人的行動，而是指“在進行中的工作”。

⑨ Approaching the shop, Helen noticed two strangers.

⑩ Helen noticed two strangers approaching the shop.

⑨里講的是“海倫走向銀行時，注意到兩個陌生人”;⑩里指的是“兩個陌生人走向銀行時，引起海倫的注意”。

(11) I may visit a sometime lecturer of English language.

(12) I may visit a lecturer of English language sometime.

(11)里的“sometime”是形容詞，意思是“以前的”;(12)里的“ sometime”是時間副詞，意思是“某時候”。前者可以改成“former ”或“previous”;后者就要變為“at a certain time”了。

最后，請問下列二詞，哪個是“防暴警察”?哪個是“警察暴動”?

A: RIOT POLICE

B: POLICE RIOT