（2）英語的定語可前可後（通過形態變化或連接詞），漢語一般在名詞的前麵。
例1.一個很重要的問題。
A very important question/a question of great importance
例2.一個可以辯論的題目。
A debatable subject/a subject which can be debatd
例3.以空前的速度
at an unprecedented speed/at a speed unprecedented英語的修飾詞和被修飾詞有時可互相轉換，改變其修飾關係；漢語往往不能有類似的轉化。
例4.他說的話並沒有前後矛盾之處。
There is no inconsistency in what he said.
There is nothing inconsistent in what he said.
例5.她閃亮的眼睛說明她非常激動。
Her sparkling eyes betrayed her great excitement.
The sparkle of her eyes betrayed her great excitement.英漢的定語一般都緊挨著名詞。但英語的定語有時可遠離名詞，借助語法關係前後一致的原則，中間可插其他內容。後置定語可很長。
例1.Many sketches are in existence of peasants seated by the roadside and men and woman at work in the fields.譯文：至今仍保存著許多速寫，畫的是坐在路旁的農民和田裏勞動的男男女女。
例2.The second aspect is the application in all members of society,from the government officials to the ordinary citizens,of the special methods of thought and action that scientists use in their work.譯文：第二方麵是使用科學家們在工作中所運用的特殊的思想方法和行動方法。社會所有成員，從政府官員到普通老百姓，都要使用這些方法。翻譯英語定語時，必須根據原文的意思和漢語的習慣靈活處理。即使是翻譯英語的單詞定語，有時也要改變其位置，或轉換成漢語的謂語或其他成分，如：例1.She had such a kindly,smiling,tender,gentle,generous heart of her own.譯文：她心地厚道，為人樂觀，性情溫柔，待人和藹，器量又大。
例2.She was an intelligent,attractive and somewhat temperamental daughter of a well-to-do doctor in London.譯文：她是倫敦一位富裕醫生的女兒，有才華，又迷人，但有點脾氣。類似以上多個描寫性詞語連用時，在英語裏多作定語，少作謂語（heavy attribute,small predicate），在漢語中則多作謂語，少作定語（heavy predicate,small attribute）。翻譯時若能靈活利用這一不同特點，譯文往往比較符合表達習慣。
（3）英語常常是先判斷或結論後講事實或描寫，即先表態後敘事；先短後長即頭輕腳重型（end-weight）；多用長句複合句。漢語則相反；漢語按時間先後順序、因果順序、假設―推論順序、事實―結論順序（先敘事後表態）來安排語序；常用短句，分句，流水句。
例1.Nowadays it is understood that a diet which contains nothing harmful may result in serious disease if certain important elements are missing.譯文：如今人們知道，如果食物中缺少了某些重要的成分，即使其中不含有任何有害的物質，也會引起嚴重的疾病。
例2.I had not known him for20years without learning that he always kept in the upper-left pocket of his waistcoat the little book in which he put down his engagement.譯文：我認識他20年，我知道：在他馬甲的左上方口袋裏總是放著一本小冊子，裏麵寫著他的約會安排。
例3.The assertion that it was difficult,if not impossible,for a people to enjoy its basic rights unless it was able to determine freely its political status and to ensure freely its economic,social and cultural development was now scarcely contested.譯文：如果一個民族不能自由地決定其政治地位，不能自由地保證其經濟、社會和文化的發展，要享受其基本權利，即使不是不可能，也是不容易的。這一論斷，幾乎是無可置疑的了。
例4.He had flown in just the day before from Georgia where he had spent his vacation basking in the Caucasian sun after he had completed the construction job he had been engaged in in the South.譯文：他本來在南方從事的一項建築工作，任務完成後，他前往格魯吉亞度假，享受高加索的陽光，昨天才坐飛機回來。
例5.But even more important,it was the farthest（cosmic clouds）that scientists had been able to look into the past,for what they were seeing were the patterns and structures that exists15billion years ago.（考研英語1998年第71題）譯文：但更為重要的是，這是科學家們所能觀測的最遙遠的過去的宇宙雲，因為他們看到的是150億年前宇宙雲的形狀和結構。英漢思維方式，語序和表達方法不同，如何翻譯英語長難句？分析語法關係―改變語序―重組結構―按漢語邏輯順序表達。一起起來翻譯下列英語長難句？
例1.Category2contains only four items,and I shall say no more about them except that,since they are under consideration,we should not let the grass under feet,but attempt,as early as possible,to arrive at a common understanding in the interest of humanity.這是一個並列複合句，包孕多個修飾語和從句，表達五層的意思。漢語要表達同樣的意思，必須按照邏輯順序重新安排、拆成七個部分，組成三個句子，順序也發生了變化。其譯文為：第二類隻包括四項，而且都已在審議之中。為了人類的利益，我們應該不失時機，力圖盡快求得共同的認識。除此之外，別的我就不多說了。2）I believe that I speak for every sincere and serious representative in the United Nations-so I am encouraged to believe by the speeches to which we have already listened this morning-when I say that the anniversary must be an occasion for an honest assessment of our failures in the past,matched by an equally determined will to do better in the future,so that we can escape from frustration and turn the anniversary into an inspiration and an achievement.這是一個多重複合句，通過連接詞和形態變化把八層意思連接起來，先表態，後敘事，其語序幾乎與漢語的表達習慣相反。請比較漢語譯文：這次周年紀念會應該是一個老老實實地評估我們過去的失誤的時候，同時也應該是一個表達我們有同樣決心要做好今後工作的時機。這樣，我們就可免遭挫折，並可把這次周年紀念變成一種鼓舞和成就。當我講這番話時，我相信――今天上午我們聽到的發言也使我相信――我是代表聯合國每一位真誠和嚴肅的代表講話的。
（三）英漢都有大量虛詞，但各有特點
（1）英語經常使用冠詞，但一詞之差，相去甚遠；漢語沒有冠詞。
I had lived here for more than a year.我住在這裏已一年多了。（一年又幾個月）
I had lived here for more than one year.我住在這裏已不止一年了。（可能兩年或三年）
She served me with a kind of coffee.她請我喝一種特別的咖啡。