“while”之我见

genimix

对于while这个连词，已经讨论了很多。

虽然while在词典中似乎是一个万金油似的连词(可表“转折”，可表“并列”，还可表示“当...时候”，还有“在...情况下”之类)，但我认为在GMAT中应当澄清为如下理解：

在GMAT中，while并不是标准意义上的上的转折连词或并列连词，我宁愿把它定义为“对照”连词。实际上while分句或短语，所表达的含义是与其所修饰的分句，呈“对照”关系。比喻地说，有点好比我们中国人春节对联的上下联这种关系（当然并不要求像中国对联那样对仗工整）。请大家仔细体会一下。“对照”与转折或并列是不等同的

我希望大家理解到，美国标准商务英语中，while就只有这一种“对照”的感觉，似乎是一种介于并列和转折之间的一种意味，因此有时可以用在表示“并且，而且”之类的并列场合，也可以用在表示“虽然”之类的若转折场合。

提醒一下，在GMAT中不要再翻出while是“当...时候”，“在...情况下”之类的用法。

dogshead

正好对whiel有些疑问，不过LZ说的太难把握了，对照和转折很难把握哦，刚发了关于while的问题。LZ看看第一个句子while，我感觉说是对照也可以的，说转折也可以的

http://forum.chasedream.com/GMAT_SC/thread-426777-1-1.html

genimix

After several years of rapid growth, the health care company became one of the largest health care providers in the metropolitan area, while it then proved unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in its payment to doctors and hospitals.

A. while it then proved unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in its payment to

B. while it then proved unable to handle the increase in business and fell months behind in its payment to

C. but then it proved unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in its paying

D. but then proving unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in paying

E. but then proved unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in paying

关于A,B的错误有人说是因为while在这里不表示转折，不如but（其他小错误先不管）

但是我感觉while是可以做转折连词用的，比如下面这句，请nn确认一下

表示对比，相当于whereas，译作“而”、“可是”。例如：  

1. An outdoors man will soon become pale if he changes to an indoor job, while a desk clerk will take on a tan after a short vacation in the sun.  
从事室外工作的人如果调到室内工作，不久肤色就会变白；而一个伏案工作的文员出去度个短假，就会被太阳变黑。  

A和B中主要的错误是payment，fail in payment的不合逻辑的表达方式，fail in doing才符合逻辑。此题用while表“对照”和用but表“强转折”均没有逻辑含义的合理性问题，但while存在逻辑含义的层次问题。请注意A和B中是用it另起一个分句，且该分句是由while引导的居于从属地位的分句，因此全句重心在“After several years of rapid growth, the health care company became one of the largest health care providers in the metropolitan area,”。但显然本句中“proved unable to handle the increase in business”这个逻辑含义即使不能说比“became one of the largest health care providers”更重要，也至少应与“became one of the largest health care providers”同样重要，因此E答案用的是并列结构，更合理

genimix

请大家一定注意，2008年后，GMAT SC的考试重心更偏重于逻辑含义的精确性，特别是含义表达的逻辑层次（即谁主谁次）。大家一定要领会到“逻辑是王道”的核心思想。从这个角度去看问题才是最准确有效的。当然，语法错误也能帮助我们去解决问题，排除选项，但当你的语法知识不能帮助你排除选项时，要换个角度，从逻辑含义层面分析，特别是从含义的主次层面分析，往往能够得到正确答案

genimix

补：while引导的分句一般居于从属地位

dogshead

有道理，谢谢

aeoluseros

赞，讲到了精髓之处，GMAT的SC就应该从这样的思考角度着手。

aeoluseros

补：while引导的分句一般居于从属地位

-- by 会员 genimix (2009/12/17 11:44:38)

umm...关于这一条需要再讨论下...
Industrialization and modern methods of insect control have improved the standard of living around the globe while at the same time they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having gone virtually unregulated since they were developed more than 50 years ago.  

(A) while at the same time they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having  

(B) while at the same time introducing some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants that have  

(C) while they have introduced some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants at the same time, and have  

(D) but introducing some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants at the same time that have  

(E) but at the same time introduce some 100,000 dangerous chemical pollutants, having  

Key: B

逻辑含义上，这里while的前后的含义貌似并没有分主从。不过“一般”二字appropriately maintain the intergrity of expression.问题也不大。却是while引导的一般是从属地位。只是有些题目还是不能简单根据这句来判断，while的从属地位并没有although这种引导词引导的从句明显。

joegmat

2008年后，GMAT SC的考试重心更偏重于逻辑含义的精确性，特别是含义表达的逻辑层次（即谁主谁次）。
这句不枉费我凌晨看帖！！！

t8chang

After several years of rapid growth, the health care company became one of the largest health care providers in the metropolitan area, while it then proved unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in its payment to doctors and hospitals.

A. while it then proved unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in its payment to

B. while it then proved unable to handle the increase in business and fell months behind in its payment to

C. but then it proved unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in its paying

D. but then proving unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in paying

E. but then proved unable to handle the increase in business, falling months behind in paying

弱弱的问一句，为什么E选项but从句没有主语它也对？能帮忙讲下主语为什么省略么？