Soccer is a difficult sport．（1）A player must be able to run steadily without rest．（2）Sometimes a player must hit the ball with his or her head．（3）Players must be willing to bang into and be banged into by others．（4） They must put up with aching feet and sore muscles．
上面的这则短文中，主题句（main idea sentence）也就是文章的中心是第一句， （1）（2）（3）（4）句是用来说明主题句的。
再比如写下面一则便条，因你母亲突然生病，周末你不能和汤姆去跳舞了，你找了舞跳得很好的时黛来代替你，并表示抱歉。此英语便条为：
July 6，2002
Dear Tom，
I am sorry to inform you that I won’t be able to go to dance with you this weekend． My mother is suddenly taken ill．In order not to disappoint you，I have asked Shi Dai to take my place．She is a better dancer，I think．My regrets．
Joe
从便条中可以看出，英语表达先“果”—I won’t be able to go to dance with you this weekend.后“因”—my mother is suddenly taken ill，即所谓的“先果后因”。
英语句子中如果少了连接词如or，but，if，so，because，when，although ， in order that，so that，所要表达的意思就支离破碎了，而汉语如没连接词，只从句子本身的意思就可以把概念或关系表达清楚。如： Conquer the desires，or they will conquer you．你如不能战胜欲念，欲念将要战胜你。
It was on a Sunday evening，when he was lying in the orchard listening to a blackbird and composing a love poem，that he heard thegate swing to， and saw the girl coming running among the trees，with the redcheeked， stolid Joe in swift pursuit．一个星期日的傍晚，他正躺在果园里，一面在听画眉鸟的啁啾，一面在写一首爱情诗，忽然听得大门砰地关上，接着看见那姑娘从树丛里奔出来，后面飞跟着那呆头呆脑的红脸的乔。
相对而言，汉语习惯于人称化的表达，主语常常是能施行动作或有生命的物体，所以汉语中主动句多。请看例句： It has been known for a long time that there is a first relationship between the heart and the liver．长期以来，大家知道心脏与肝脏的关系是最主要的。
英语就是通过这些固定的语法手段将动作的进行过程与状况描绘得更准确更精细，有时甚至能表达说话人的感情色彩。如：You’re always asking me such questions！你老是问我这样的问题！（用现在进行时表示厌烦）
六、从词汇方面讲，英汉两种语言也有很大差异。就词组而言，英语中的词组或短语可谓林林总总，丰富多彩，有名词短语、动词短语、形容词短语、介词短语、分词短语、不定式短语与独立结构等，它们的语法功能不一而足，可作主语、谓语、宾语、定语、状语与表语等。如： Marriage may be compared to a cage：the birds outside despair to get in and those within despair to get out．婚姻好比鸟笼，外面的鸟儿想进进不去，里面的鸟儿想出出不来。（不定式短语to get in，to get out作状语）
