一個英語句子之所以難以理解，有許多原因，其中一個主要原因是句子太長或者句子結構複雜。句子過長或者複雜無非是該句除了主幹之外還包含了一些附加部分，如插入語、同位語、分隔現象、各種從句或較長的非謂語動詞短語等等。這些附屬成分常有逗號或分隔符號與句子隔開，且插在一個句子中間，使本來完整的句子被斷開，因而增加句意理解的難度。分析長難句的基本方法是：首先，判斷該句是簡單句、並列句還是複合句；然後，找出句子的核心成分，分清主語和謂語，再分清句子附屬成分。下面我們來談談幾種長難句的處理技巧。
一、處理長難句的原則方法
如果待處理的長難句為一個複雜的單句，可這樣處理：跳讀修飾成分，迅速找出主謂結構。這樣一來，我們便可以將長句化為短句，將難句化為易句。具體步驟是：先跳讀修飾成分或附加成分，找出句子的主幹並理解其意義；然後再分段理解修飾成分或附加成分。
如果待處理的長難句為一個複雜的並列句，可這樣處理：先找出其中的並列連詞，然後再根據並列連詞的意思理清句子前後是順連關係還是反連關係，是因果關係還是轉折關係等，最後再根據不同的語境關係正確理解句意。
如果待處理的長難句為一個複雜的主從複合句，可這樣處理：先分清主句與從句，然後弄清從句的性質，即弄清它是什麼從句。
如果待處理的長難句為一個複雜的主從複合句，可這樣處理：先分清主句與從句，然後弄清名詞性從句，還是狀語從句，或是定語從句。注意，弄清從句性質對於理解複合句的意思至關重要。
另外，有一點要提醒同學們，在處理長難句時，如果既能正確理解句意，又能將其準確地譯成中文，那是最好了。但是，對於有些長難句，要在較短時間內（如在參加考試時）將其譯成中文比較困難，此時只要能正確理解其意思就行了，如果硬要勉為其難地譯成中文，不僅會浪費時間，而且在許多情況也沒有必要。
二、經典大學聯考真題例項分析
下面這篇文章共有194個單詞，卻只有9個句子，平均每個句子大約有22個單詞，是近幾年大學聯考英語閱讀理解中一篇比較典型的集中含有長難句的文章。
A 38-square-mile island, is the farthest inhabited island in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. It is 1,510 miles southwest of its nearest neighbor St. Helena, and 1,950 miles west of Africa. Discovered by the Portuguese admiral(葡萄牙海軍上將) of the same name in 1506, and settled in 1810, the island belongs to Great Britain and has a population of a few ng in a close second——and often wrongly mentioned as the most distant island——is Easter Island, which lies 1,260 miles east of its nearest neighbour, Pitcairn Island, and 2,300 miles west of South mountainous 64-square-mile island was settled around the 5th century, supposedly by people who were lost at sea. They had no connection with the outside world for more than a thousand years, giving them plenty of time to build more than 1,000 huge stone figures, called moai, for which the island is most Easter Sunday, 1722, however, settlers from Holland moved in and gave the island its name. Today, 2,000 people live on the Chilean territory(智利領土). They share one street, a small airport and a few hours of television per day.
【解題分析】
1. 跳讀插入語：請看文章第一段的第一句。第一步跳過插入語找出句子主幹：Tristan da Cunha is the farthest inhabited island in the world (Tristan da Cunha 是世界上無人居住的最偏僻的'島嶼）；第二步理解附加的插入語部分：a 38-square-mile island（該島面積為38平方英里，而且這是吉尼斯記錄之一），這樣該句話的意思就弄明白了。
2. 跳讀非謂語動詞短語：我們來看第一段第三句。首先跳過前面的非謂語動詞短語，找出主幹：the island belongs to Great Britain and has a population of a few hundred (該島是英國領土，人口大約幾千)。然後再來理解前面的非謂語動詞短語：Discovered by the Portuguese admiral of the same name in 1506, and settled in 1810（這個島嶼是在1506年被一個名叫Tristan da Cunha的葡萄牙海軍上將發現的，Tristan da Cunha1810年開始有人居住）。通過這樣分解難度，我們讀得輕鬆，理解得準確。
3. 跳讀分隔現象：請看文章第二段，這一段有35個單詞，卻只有一句話。因為該段既包括了分隔現象，又包含了定語從句，又有一個同位語，而且該句還是一個倒裝句。如果從前到後按照順序來理解，未免有點繁雜，抓不住重點。所以首先要跳過兩個分隔符號之間的內容，同時也要暫時擱置後面的非限制性定語從句，找出主幹並把主幹重新倒置過來變成正常語序：Easter Island is coming in a close second（Easter Island is coming in a close secondEaster Island是緊跟第二的最偏僻的島嶼）；然後再理解分隔符號之間的內容和後面的定語從句等附加成分：Easter Island 常常被誤認為是最偏僻的島嶼，它在最臨近的島嶼(Pitcairn Island)東面1,260英里，在南美西面2,300英里。
4. 跳讀定語從句：定語從句在閱讀理解中是很常見的，有限制性和非限制性兩種。限制性定語從句用來限定所修飾的詞，與之關係非常密切，閱讀時要特別注意兩者的密切聯絡，跳過限制性定語從句找到主句後要馬上回頭理解它的含義，確定它與先行詞的修飾關係。如文章第三段的第一個句子裡就有一個限制性定語從句：who were lost at sea. 閱讀時一定要注意它與people的密切聯絡：不是別人而是在大海里迷路的人五世紀左右在那裡定居。而非限制性定語從句與所修飾的詞關係不是很密切，主要起補充說明作用，它可能出現在主句中間，也可能出現在句尾。如果它出現在句中，閱讀時可以跳過去然後再來理解，也可以一起順便讀過去。如果非限制性定語從句出現在句尾，那閱讀時很方便，看完主句後附帶著看一下就可以了，因為它只是對先行詞的補充說明。如這一段的最後一句：for which the island is most famous. 看完主句我們得知該島與外界隔絕了一千多年，使得島上的人們有充足的時間來修建一千多具巨大的石雕。然後再附帶得知該島以這些石雕而聞名。
三、針對性訓練題
以下段落均選自近幾年的大學聯考英語閱讀理解文章，均有一定難度，請你用以上方法試一試：
1. Decision thinking is not unlike poker — it often matters not only what you think, but also what others think you think and what you think they think you think. （NMET2000. C 篇）
2. Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt—a mistake 75% of the US population make every day.（NMET1999. D篇）
3. First put forward by the French mathematician Pierre de Format in the seventeenth century, the theorem had baffled and beaten the finest mathematical minds, including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out the problem, and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecolab poly technique.（NMET2003.C篇）
4. It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of use of Internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime. That is, the growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to the increased use of the Internet.（NMET2003.E篇）
5. Whereas a woman’s closest female friend might be the first to tell her to leave a failing marriage, it wasn’t unusual to hear a man say he didn’t know his friend’s marriage was in serious trouble until he appeared one night asking if he could sleep on the sofa.（NMET2001. E篇）
