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简明英语之政府公文（4）

概述

上次介绍了几种让政府公文英语更加简明、简单、易懂的几个技巧，包括“请勿将动词变成名词”，“使用代词，直接与读者对话”，“使用简短、简单的词语”，“不使用不必要的词语”。这次介绍另外一种技巧，也就是“避免使用双重否定和例外的例外”。

详细介绍

Avoid double negatives and exceptions to exceptions

避免使用双重否定和例外的例外

When you write a sentence containing two negatives, they cancel each other out. Your sentence sounds negative, but is actually positive. As Rudolph Flesch (1979) says, these sentences require “a mental switch from no to yes.” 双重否定其实就是肯定，这种情况下直接用肯定会更加简洁。

避免这种用法

No approval of any noise compatibility program, or any portion of a program, may be implied in the absence of the agency’s express approval.

换一种说法

You must get the agency’s express approval for any noise compatibility program or any portion of a program.

详细介绍

An exception that contains an exception is just another form of a double negative. That makes it even harder for the user to puzzle out. Rewrite the sentence to emphasize the positive.例外情况中又包括一个例外情况，很容易让读者感到困惑，可以重写句子，让句子变成肯定句。

避免这种用法

Applicants may be granted a permit to prospect for geothermal resources on any federal lands except lands in the National Park System, unless the applicant holds valid existing rights to the geothermal resources on the National Park System lands listed in the application.

换一种说法

You may be granted a permit to prospect for geothermal resources on any federal lands. This includes lands in the National Park System only if you hold valid existing rights to the park lands listed in your application.

取自Federal Plain Language Guidelines，如有侵权，联系删除

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