傅雷60年代在給羅新璋的信中說：“東方人與西方人思維方式有基本分歧，我人重綜合，重歸納，重暗示，重含蓄；西方人則重分析，細微曲折，挖掘惟恐不盡，描述惟恐不周……”奈達也曾論述：“就漢語和英語句式而言，也許在語言學上最重要的區別就是形合和意合的對比。”形合（hypotaxis）和意合（parataxis）是語言的兩種基本組織手段。形合即依仗形式（包括詞的變化形態，詞彙的銜接等）將語言符號由“散”（個體的詞）到“集”（詞組乃至語篇）的語言組織手段。The American Heritage Dictionary給形合定義為：The dependent or subordinate construction or relationship of clauses with connectives,for example,I shall despairifyou don’t come.英語重形合。所謂意合即依仗意義（而非形式），即內在的邏輯關係組織語言的手段。The World Book Dictionary給意合定義為：It is the arranging of clauses one after the other without connectives showing the relation between them.Example：The rain fell；the river flooded；the house washed away.漢語重意合。
（一）英語的形合法英語造句注重顯性粘合（overt cohesion），以形顯意，連接手段和形式（cohesive ties）數量大，種類多，使用頻繁。
（1）英語幾乎離不開關係詞和連接詞；漢語少用甚或不用。關係詞（關係代詞、關係副詞、連接代詞和連接副詞）包括：who、whom、whose、that、which、what、when、where、why、how等。連接詞（並列連詞，從屬連詞）如：並列連詞有and、but、or、yet、for、so、hence、however、therefore、nevertheless、as well as、both……and、not only……but also、（n）either……（n）or……；從屬連詞有when、while、as、since、until、so……that、unless、lest等。
例1.All was cleared up some time laterwhennews came from a distant placethatan earthquake was felt the very day the little copper ball fell.譯文：過了一些時候，從遠方傳來消息：在小銅球墜落的當天，確實發生了地震。這一切終於得到了澄清。
例2.WhenI try to understand what it isthatprevents so many Americans from beingashappyasone might expect,it seems to me that there are two causes,ofwhichone goes much deeper than the other.譯文：我試圖理解什麼使得如此眾多的美國人不能如想象中那樣幸福。我認為原因有二，而兩者之間又有深淺之分。
例3.It waswhatsentimentalists,whodeal in very big words,call a yearning after the ideal love,andsimply meansthatwomen are not satisfieduntilthey have husbandsandchildren onwhomthey may center affections,whichare spent elsewhere,asit were,in small change.譯文：一般情感主義者喜歡用大字眼，稱之為對於理想愛情的渴望。換言之，他們認為女人的情感平時隻能零星發泄，必須有了丈夫和孩子，情感收聚起來有了歸屬，自己才能得到滿足。
（2）英語造句幾乎離不開介詞，漢語常不用或省略介詞。
英語介詞分為：簡單介詞（with,to,in,of,about,between,through）、合成介詞（within,onto,inside,upon,throughout）、成語介詞（according to,apart from,because of,on behalf of）。英語中有各類介詞共約286個，是最活躍詞類之一，是連接詞語和句子的重要手段。R.Bander指出：“A preposition may be defined as a connecting word showing the relation of a noun or substitute for a noun to some other word in the sentence…….Prepositions appear constantly in English speech and writing…….Over ninety percent of preposition usage involves these nine prepositions：with,to,from,at,in,of,by,for and on.”
例1.Power can be transmittedovera great distancewithpractically negligible loss if it is carriedbyan electric current.譯文：電流可以把動力傳送到很遠的地方，其消耗幾乎可以忽略不計。
例2.Changeofinformation,if any,concerningthe contentsofthe section will be foundinthe appendixatthe endofthis book.譯文：本節目錄如有更改，均可見本書末附錄。
例3.She said,withperfect truth,that“it must be delightful to have a brother”，and easily got the pityoftender-hearted Amelia,forbeing alone in the world,an orphanwithoutfriends or kindred.譯文：她說道，“有個哥哥該多好啊”，這話說得入情入理。她沒爹沒娘，又沒有親友，真是孤苦伶仃。軟心腸的阿米莉聽了，立刻覺得她可憐。
（3）其他連接手段：英語常采用inflected forms，grammatical and notional concord,principle of proximity,常用代詞，“it”和“there”。英語常綜合運用關係詞、連接詞、介詞和及其他連接手段來黏合句子成分。英語重形合。
例1.He boaststhata slave is free the momenthisfeet touch British soilandhe sells the childrenofthe pooratsix yearsofagetoworkunderthe lashinthe factoriesforsixteen hours a day.譯文：他吹噓說，任何奴隸一踏上英國的土地就獲得自由，而他卻出賣窮人家六歲的孩子到工廠幹活，每天十六小時，受盡鞭打責罵。
例2.Eveninitsblasted condition,withboards and sackingsinmostofthe windows,withitsthick dustanditsbare room,withits cracked plasterandits damaged roofs,the hotel had been a new world,a breadth and dignity,fullofadventure possibilities.譯文：這家旅館，盡管被炸壞了，窗戶大多釘上了木板，並堆上了沙包，到處是厚厚的塵土，房間空空蕩蕩，牆上的石灰也裂了，屋頂也壞了，可總是一個寬敞莊嚴的新天地，值得去探索。
例3.Could any spectacles,forinstance,bemoregrimly whimsicalthanthatof gunnersusingscience to shatter men's bodieswhile,closeathand,surgeons useitto restore them？譯文：炮手用科學毀壞了人體，而就在附近，外科醫生用科學使其恢複健康，還有什麼情景比這更加荒謬絕倫？
例4.There is nothing more disappointing to a hostess who has gone to a lot of trouble or expense than to have her guest so interested in talking politics or business with her husband that he fails to notice the flavor of the coffee,the lightness of the cake,or the attractiveness of the house,which may be her chief interest and pride.這個句子中就運用了關係詞、連接詞、介詞和其他連接手段來粘合句子成分，整個句子銜接緊湊，多枝共幹，屬形合句。