三、英语长句的分析方法：去枝叶，留主干
1）划出句子中的定语从句和状语从句;
2）划出所有介词短语（位于be动词后的除外）
3）名词性从句看作一个整体找出句中所有的谓语结构、非谓语结构、介词短语和从句的引导词;
4）非谓语动词结构看作一个整体；
5）找出全句的主语、谓语和宾语，即句子的主干结构；
6）分析从句的结构和非谓语动词的内部结构。
四、长难句分析的步骤举例:
经典例题
In Africa I met a boy，who was crying as if his heart would break and said，when I spoke to him，that he was hungry because he had had no food for two days.
分析:
第一，划出定语从句和状语从句:/who was crying /as if his heart would break/when I spoke to him，that he was hungry /because he had had no food for two days.
第二，划出介词短语：In Africa
第三：把that引导的名词性从句看作一个整体：that he was hungry
第四，句子的结构分析:
（1）主干结构是主语+过去式+宾语:I met a boy…；
（2）who引导的定语从句中，was crying是第一个谓语，后面是状语从句“as if his heart would break”，修饰crying，第二个谓语是said, 后面是状语从句“when I spoke to him”，修饰said, “that he was hungry because he had had no food for two days.”是孕含有一个原因状语从句（because he had had no food for two days.）的宾语从句，整体上作said的宾语。难点部分的处理:“crying as if his heart would break”应译为“哭得伤心极了”。
译文：在非洲，我遇到一个小孩，他哭得伤心极了，我问他时，他说他饿了，因为已经两天没有吃饭了。
背诵长句子的方法：先背句子的框架，再添加次要成分。例如，我们先可以把In Africa I met a boy，who was crying and said that he was hungry.背下来，一般来讲，大家读两到三遍都能背过。再添加as if his heart would break /when I spoke to him，/because he had had no food for two days.到适当的位置，就可以把这个句子背下来了。