（一）定義綜合語的特征是運用形態變化（inflection）來表達語法關係。Webster’Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary給綜合語定義為：A synthetic language is“characterized by frequent and systematic use of inflected forms to express grammatical relationships”。拉丁語Latin、德語German和古英語Old English等都屬於這類語言。分析語的特征是不用形態變化而用詞序及虛詞來表達語法關係。The Random House College Dictionary給分析語定義為：An analytic language is“characterized by a relatively frequent use of function words,auxiliary verbs,and changes in word order to express syntactic relations,rather than of inflected forms”。漢語是典型的分析語。現代英語是從古英語發展而來，仍保留著綜合語的某些特征，但也具有分析語的特點：有形態變化，但不像典型的綜合語那麼複雜；詞序比漢語靈活，但相對固定；虛詞很多，用得也相當頻繁。現代英語運用遺留下來的形態變化、相對固定的詞序及豐富的虛詞來表達語法關係，因此屬綜合―分析語（synthetic-analytic language）。形態變化、虛詞和詞序是表達語法關係的三大語法手段。這些語法手段在英漢兩種語言中具有不同的特征。
（二）英語有形態變化，漢語沒有嚴格意義上的形態變化所謂形態變化就是詞的形式變化。主要包括以下兩方麵：
（1）構詞形態的變化，即起構詞作用的詞綴變化（affixation）包括大量的前綴（prefix）和後綴（suffix）。英語相對於漢語來說，擁有大量的詞綴。英語可運用豐富的詞綴構詞造句，如“他行進的速度快得令人驚訝。”這句可翻譯成多種英文版本，而漢語表達相對來說要少得多。
He moved astonishingly fast.
He moved with astonishing rapidity.
His movements were astonishingly rapid.
His rapid movements astonished us.
His movements astonished us by their rapidity.
The rapidity with which he moved astonished us.
He astonished us by moving rapidly.
He astonished us by his rapid movements.
The rapidity of his movements was astonishing.
He astonished us by the rapidity of his movements.（O.Jespersen）以上例子表明：英語可以通過詞形變化，改變詞性，用這些詞靈活組句，可以表達一個幾乎相同的意思；漢語沒有詞形變化，就難以用這麼多的句式來表達同樣的意思。英漢互譯時，往往要改變詞性、轉換詞類，才能通順地表達原意。
（2）構形形態的變化：就是表達語法意義的詞型變化。我給他一本書。I gave him a book.他已給我兩本書。He has given me two books.他爸爸常常給他一些書。His father often gives him books.漢語的“我”、“他”沒有形式變化，同一個詞可以表示主格、賓格或所有格；“書”沒有形式變化，可以表示單數或複數；動詞“給”也沒有形態變化，可以表示現在、過去或已完成的行為。但英語對應的詞I,me,he,him,his,book,gives,gave,has given卻有形態變化。英語的動詞、助動詞和情態動詞常結合起來，運用其形態變化，表示動詞的時態、語態和語氣。例1.New factoriesare being builtall over the country.譯文：全國到處都在興建新工廠。例2.During the wartime,years like thesewould have meantcertain death for many people.Manywould have becomebeggars and otherswould have been compelledto sell their children.譯文：戰爭期間如果碰到這樣的年景，很多人肯定會死去，很多會逃荒要飯，很多人會被迫賣兒賣女。現代英語的形態變化除了詞綴變化，還指動詞、名詞、代詞、形容詞和副詞的變化。這些變化有：gender,number,case,tense,aspect,voice,mood,degree of comparison,person and parts of speech。漢語沒有形態變化，一般要借助詞語、安排詞序、隱含意義或其他辦法分別表達語法意義。例1.Thus encouraged,they made a still bolder plan for the next year.譯文：（由於）受到了這樣的鼓勵，他們為第二年製定了一個更大膽的計劃。例2.I regret not having taken her advice.譯文：我後悔沒有聽她的勸告。例3.據說此書已譯成多種語言。譯文：The book is said to have been translated into many languages.現代英語的形態變化雖不如典型的綜合語那樣複雜，但使用得十分頻繁。
H?Sweet（1920）認為：“The English inflections,few as their number is,are an integral and essential part of the language…….The excessive frequency of these forms gives them great morphological weight……We cannot but accept Sayce’s dictum,‘once inflectional,always inflectional’.Hence,while English appears as almost uninflectional when compared with such a language as Latin,it appears in the opposite light when compared with an isolating language such as Chinese.”嚴格來講，漢語沒有形態變化。漢語可以說“學生們”，但在“兩個學生”、“他們是學生”中，卻不需要加“們”，而在英語的“student”卻都要加“-s”。有如，“我們（的）學校”（our school）、“你看見（了）沒有？‘（Have you seen it？）中的“的”和“了”可用可不用，而在英語相應的詞卻有形態變化。
（三）英語詞序比較靈活，漢語詞序相對固定形態變化與詞序密切相關。形態變化越多的語言，詞序越靈活，反之亦然。拉丁語是典型的形態語言（綜合語）詞即使移動了位置，也可以從其形態標誌識別其語法意義，因而詞序很靈活。例如，拉丁語的主語和賓語有不同的形式，其位置可以改變而意義卻完全相同，Amor vincit omniaOmnia vincit amor，意思都是“愛能征服一切”（Love conquers all things）。漢語是典型的分析語，詞沒有形態標誌，位置不能隨便移動，詞語之間的關係主要是通過安排詞序及使用虛詞來表達。例如上句，若把詞序該為“一切能征服愛”，則意思完全相反。英語屬綜合―分析語，詞序不如拉丁語靈活，但也不如漢語固定。形態變化、虛詞和詞序這三大語法手段互相配合或交替運用，使英語詞語和從句的位置比漢語靈活。
（1）英漢句子主要成分（如主語、謂語動詞、賓語或表語）的詞序基本上相同，一般來說，英漢都是：主―動―賓（表）。但與漢語相比，英語詞序倒置現象較多。H.Fower將英語詞序的倒裝現象歸為九類：第一類：What in the word do you mean？（Interrogative inversion）第二類：Come you,everybody!（Imperative inversion）第三類：What a beautiful voice you have!（Exclamatory inversion）第四類：A pair of black eyes might have done some execution had they been placed in a smoother face.（Hypothetical inversion）第五類：Inexpressible was the astonishment of the little party when they returned to find that Mr.Pickwick had disappeared.（Balance inversion）第六類：Such are the rewards that always crown virtue.（Link inversion）第七類：By negation is meant the denial or absence of facts.（Signpost inversion）第八類：Not a finger did I lay on him.（Negative inversion）第九類：Good friend for Jesus’sake,forebear To dig the dust enclosed here.
Blessed be he that spares these stones.
And curst be he that moves my bones.（W.Shakespeare）（Metrical inversion）英語詞序靈活主要是因為：形態變化、連接詞、詞語間要語法關係一致。H.Sweet認為：“The free word order in such a language as Latin is mainly the result of concord.”漢語沒有這種一致的關係，隻能按照表意的需要排列詞序。如：例1.He had to quit the position and went exile,having been deprived of his power.譯文：他被剝奪了權力之後，隻好離職，流落他鄉。例2.No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism,as well as abilities,of the worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the house.譯文：剛才幾位可尊敬的先生向全體代表發言了。對於這幾位先生的愛國精神及才幹，我個人比任何人都更欽佩。