首先,英语翻译不应该是逐字的,每个单词都翻译出来,楼主进入了一个误区。
第一个句子。certainly it is more difficult than the arts which involve appreciation of flat forms, shape in only two dimensions。后面是一个which 引导的定语从句,先行词是art。它当然要比那些艺术要难,什么样的艺术呢?鉴赏那些二维的平面艺术。所以连起来,本句子翻译为:它当然要比鉴赏那些二维的平面艺术要难。
第二个句子。The child learning to see。这个句子不是现在进行时。你说的没错,要是现在进行时缺be动词。这句话learning to see做child 的定语,现在分词作后置定语,相当于定语从句,the child who is learning to see。当然就翻译为,正在学习看的孩子了。
第三个句子as if he were holding it completely enclosed in the hollow of his hand。这里enclosed相当于形容词,complely副词修饰形容词,completely enclosed 做后置定语,去掉也可以as if he were holding it in the hollow of his hand就好像掌握在自己手里一样,加上completely enclosed 翻译为,完全握在自己手心里。
第四个句子。But a closer study of the evidence, supported by a deeper sense of the period。逗号后面是一个定语从句的省略形式,补全了应该是which is supported by....
第五个句子Was the philosopher who refused to look through Galileo's telescope more culpable than those who alleged that the spiral nebulae observed with Lord Rosse's great telescope in the eighteen-forties were scratches left by the grinder?是一个由很多定语从句组成的句子,我也有很多单词不认识,但是首先要提出句子主干,句子主干是这样的:Was the philosopher more culpable than those?而后面是一个those做先行词,who引导的定语从句。定语从句当中又包含了一个由 allege 引导的宾语从句 :alleged that the spiral nebulae observed with Lord Rosse's great telescope in the eighteen-forties were scratches left by the grinder。知道句子结构后再把不认识的单词查出来就能翻译了。
至于第六个句子和第七个句子,第六个句子你应该没打全,是个片语,前面一定有中心词的,with表示伴随。而第七个句子,很多短语在实际应用中有你字典中查不到的意思,很多native English speaker说的英语都是我们中国字典查不到的,建议不要逐字翻译。
以上几个句子,我发现楼主对于定语的句子分析不够透彻,建议多研究研究定语从句的用法,以及现在分词、过去分词作定语的情况,同时在翻译的问题上不要过于较真。
牛人