英语介词of的语义、修辞功能

The semantic and rhetoric functions of of—an English preposition

of是英语的一个重要虚词,在应用中随处可见,它又与其他实词构成许多习语性短语。其用法多而杂,给外语学习者带来了很多的困难。因而,有必要从新的角度———语义角度加以梳理。其丰富的修辞功能尚未系统开发,需要外语学习者对它进行专门研究,在写作翻译过程中更好地理解应用它。

Of,an important empty word,abounds in English,with complex semantic functions.Moreover,it forms many idiomatic phrases with other content words and results in much hardship to the language learners.Therefore,it is necessary to analyze it from a new aspect—semantic aspect.So far,its rhetoric functions have not been probed systematically,and we need to have a completely thorough study of it so that we may have a better understanding of it and consequently better apply it in the writing and translating practice.