英语作文 英语作文的基本要求:
首先,一个段落必须有一个中心即主题思想,该中心由主题句特别是其中的题旨来表达。整个段落必须紧扣这个主题(stick or hold to the topic),这就是段落的统一性(unity)。其次,一个段落必须有若干推展句,使主题思想得到充分展开,从而给读者一个完整的感觉,这就是完整性(completeness or adequateness)。再者,一个段落不是杂乱无章的,而是有机的组合,句子的排列顺序必须合乎逻辑,从一个句子到另一个句子的过渡必须流畅(smooth),这就是连贯性(coherence)。下面我们就对这三个标准分别加以说明。
1、统一性
一个段落内的各个句子必须从属于一个中心,任何游离于中心思想之外的句子都是不可取的。请看下例:
Joe and I decided to take the long trip we'd always wanted across the country. We were like young kids buying our camper and stocking it with all the necessities of life. Bella bakes the best rhubarb pie. We started out in early spring from Minneapolis and headed west across the northern part of the country. We both enjoyed those people we met at the trailer park. Joe received a watch at his retirement dinner. To our surprise, we found that we liked the warm southern regions very much, and so we decided to stay here in New Mexico.
本段的主题句是段首句,controlling idea(中心思想)是take the long trip across the country。文中出现两个irrelevant sentences,一个是Bella bakes the best rhubarb pie,这一段是讲的是Joe and I ,中间出现一个Bella是不合适的。还有,Joe received a watch at his retirement dinner这一句更是与主题句不相关。再看一个例子:
My name is Roseanna, and I like to keep physically fit. I used to weigh two hundred pounds, but I joined the YMCA for an exercise class and diet program. In one year I lost eighty pounds. I feel much better and never want to have that much weight on my five-feet frame again. I bought two new suitcases last week. Everyday I practice jogging three miles, swimming fifteen laps, lifting twenty-pound weights and playing tennis for one hour. My mother was a premature baby.
本段的controlling idea 是like to deep physically fit,但段中有两个irrelevant sentences,一个是I bought two new suitcases last week,另一个是My mother was a premature baby。
从上面两个例子可以看出,native speakers同样会造出来irrelevant sentences。卷面上如果这种句子多了,造成偏题或离题,那问题就更严重了。
2、完整性
正象我们前面说得那样,一个段落的主题思想靠推展句来实现,如果只有主题句而没有推展句来进一步交待和充实,就不能构成一个完整的段落。同样,虽然有推展句,但主题思想没有得到相对圆满的交待,给读者一种意犹未尽的感觉。这样的段落也不能完成其交际功能。例如:
Physical work can be a useful form of therapy for a mind in turmoil. Work concentrates your thoughts on a concrete task. Besides, it is more useful to work —— you produce something rather than more anxiety or depression.
本段的主题句是段首句。本段的两个推展句均不能回答主题句中提出的问题。什么是“a mind in turmoil”(心境不平静)Physical work又如何能改变这种情况?为什么它能起therapy的作用?读者得不到明确的答案。因此,要达到完整就必须尽可能地简明。例如:
It is not always true that a good picture is worth a thousand words. Often writing is much clearer than a picture. It is sometimes difficult to figure out what a picture means, but a careful writer can almost always explain it.
段首句所表达的主题思想是一种看法,必须有具体事例加以验证。上述两个推展句只是在文字上对主题作些解释,整个段落内容空洞,简而不明。如果用一两个具体的例子的话,就可以把主题解释清楚了。比如下段:
It is not always true that a picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes, pictures are pretty useless things. If you can't swim and fall in the river and start gulping water, will you be better off to hold up a picture of yourself drowning, or start screaming "Help"?
3、连贯性(coherence)
连贯性包括意连和形连两个方面,前者指的是内在的逻辑性,后者指的是使用转换词语。当然这两者常常是不可分割的。只有形连而没有意连,句子之间就没有内在的有机的联系;反之,只有意连而没有形连,有时行文就不够流畅。
1)、意连
段落中句子的排列应遵循一定的次序,不能想到什么就写什么。如果在下笔之前没有构思,边写边想,写写停停,那就写不出一气呵成的好文章来。下面介绍几种常见的排列方式。
A.按时间先后排列(chronological arrangement)
We had a number of close calls that day. When we rose, it was obviously late and we had to hurry so as not to miss breakfast; we knew the dining room staff was strict about closing at nine o'clock. Then, when we had been driving in the desert for nearly two hours —— it must have been close to noon —— the heat nearly hid us in; the radiator boiled over and we had to use most of our drinking water to cool it down. By the time we reached the mountain, it was our o'clock and we were exhausted. Here, judgement ran out of us and we started the tough climb to the summit, not realizing that darkness came suddenly in the desert. Sure enough, by six we were struggling and Andrew very nearly went down a steep cliff, dragging Mohammed and me along with him. By nine, when the wind howled across the flat ledge of the summit, we knew as we shivered together for warmth that it had not been our lucky day.
本段从“rose”(起床)写起,然后是吃早餐(“not to miss breakfast”, “closing at nine o'clock”),然后是“close to noon”,一直写到这一天结束(“By nine——”)。
B. 按位置远近排列(spatial arrangement)。例如:
From a distance, it looked like a skinny tube, but as we got closer, we could see it flesh out before our eyes. It was tubular, all right, but fatter than we could see from far away. Furthermore, we were also astonished to notice that the building was really in two parts: a pagoda sitting on top of a tubular one-story structure. Standing ten feet away, we could marvel at how much of the pagoda was made up of glass windows. Almost everything under the wonderful Chinese roof was made of glass, unlike the tube that it was sitting on, which only had four. Inside, the tube was gloomy, because of the lack of light. Then a steep, narrow staircase took us up inside the pagoda and the light changed dramatically. All those windows let in a flood of sunshine and we could see out for miles across the flat land.
本段的写法是由远及近,从远处(“from a distance”)写起,然后“get closer”,再到(“ten feet away”),最后是“inside the pagoda”……当然,按位置远近来写不等于都是由远及近。根据需要,也可以由近及远,由表及里等等。
C. 按逻辑关系排列(logical arrangement)
a. 按重要性顺序排列(arrangement in order of importance)
If you work as a soda jerker, you will, of course, not need much skill in expressing yourself to be effective. If you work on a machine, your ability to express yourself will be of little importance. But as soon as you move one step up from the bottom, your effectiveness depends on your ability to reach others through the spoken or the written word. And the further away your job is from manual work, the larger the organization of which you are an employee, the more important it will be that you know how to convey your thoughts in writing or speaking. In the very large business organization, whether it is the government, the large corporation, or the Army, this ability to express oneself is perhaps the most important of all the skills a man can possess.
这一段谈的是表达能力,它的重要性与职业,身份有关,从“not need much skill”或“of little importance”到“more important”,最后是“most important”。
b.由一般到特殊排列(general-to-specific arrangement)
If a reader is lost, it is generally because the writer has not been careful enough to keep him on the path. This carelessness can take any number of forms. Perhaps a sentence is so excessively cluttered that the reader, hacking his way through the verbiage, simply doesn't know what it means. Perhaps a sentence has been so shoddily constructed that the reader could read it in any of several ways. Perhaps the writer has switched tenses, or has switched pronouns in mid-sentence, so the reader loses track of when the action took place or who is talking. Perhaps sentence B is not logical sequel to sentence A —— the writer, in whose head the connection is clear, has not bothered to provide the missing link. Perhaps the writer has used an important word incorrectly by not taking the trouble to look it up. He may think that "sanguine" and "sanguinary" mean the same thing, but the difference is a bloody big one. The reader can only infer what the writer is trying to imply.
这一段谈的是a writer's carelessness,先给出一个general statement作为主题句,然后通过5个 ”perhaps”加以例证。
c. 由特殊到一般排列(specific-to-general arrangement)
I do not understand why people confuse my Siamese cat, Prissy, with the one I had several years ago, Henry. The two cats are only alike in breed. Prissy, a quiet, feminine feline, loves me dearly but not possessively. She likes to keep her distance from people, exert her independence and is never so rude as to beg, lick, or sniff unceremoniously. Her usual posture is sitting upright, eyes closed, perfectly still. Prissy is a very proper cat. Henry, on the other hand, loved me dearly but possessively. He was my shadow from morning till night. He expected me to constantly entertain him. Henry never cared who saw him do anything, whether it was decorous or not, and he usually offended my friends in some way. The cat made himself quite comfortable, on the top of the television, across stranger's feet or laps, in beds, drawers, sacks, closets, or nooks. The difference between them is imperceptible to strangers.
本段的主题句是段首句,它仅提出一个问题:为什么两只猫会被搞混。然后对两者进行比较,末句才下结论。
2)、形连
行文的逻辑性常常要靠适当的转换词语及其他手段来实现。请读下面这一段文字并找出文中用以承上启下的词语:
Walter's goal in life was to become a successful surgeon. First, though, he had to get through high school, so he concentrated all his efforts on his studies —— in particular, biology, chemistry, and math. Because he worked constantly on these subjects, Walter became proficient in them; however, Walter forgot that he needed to master other subjects besides those he had chosen. As a result, during his junior year of high school, Walter failed both English and Latin. Consequently, he had to repeat these subjects and he was almost unable to graduate on schedule. Finally, on June 6, Walter achieved the first step toward realizing his goal.
本文中起承上启下的词语有两种,一种是转换词语(transitional words or phrases),另一种是起转换作用的其他连接手段(linking devices)。前者依次有:first, though, so, in particular, and, because, however, besides, as a result, both…and, consequently, and, finally.后者依次是:he, he, his, his, he, these, them, he, those, his, he, these, his. 本段中共有词汇105个,所使用的转换词语及其他连接用语共26个词,约占该段总词汇量的四分之一。由此可见,掌握好transitions不仅对行文的流(smoothness)有益,而且对于学生在半个小时内写120个词也是不无好处的。
一个段落里如果没有transitions也就很难有coherence了.我们看下面一个例子:
Speaking and writing are different in many ways. Speech depends on sounds. Writing uses written symbols. Speech developed about 500 000 years ago. Written language is a recent development. It was invented only about six thousand years ago. Speech is usually informal. The word choice of writing is often relatively formal. Pronunciation and accent often tell where the speaker is from. Pronunciation and accent are ignored in writing. A standard diction and spelling system prevails in the written language of most countries. Speech relies on gesture, loudness, and rise and fall of the voice. Writing lacks gesture, loudness and the rise and fall of the voice. Careful speakers and writers are aware of the differences.
本段中除了第6句开头出现一个起过渡作用的”it”之外,没有使用其他的过渡词语.这样,文中出现许多重复的词语,全段读起来也显得生硬而不自然。如果加上必要的过渡词语来修饰的话,这一段就成了下面一个流畅连贯的段落:
Speaking and writing are different in many ways. Speech depends on sounds; writing, on the other hand, uses written symbols. Speech was developed about 500 000 years ago, but written language is a recent development, invented only about six thousand years ago. Speech is usually informal, while the word choice of writing, by contrast, is often relatively formal. Although pronunciation and accent often tell where the speaker is from, they are ignored in wiring because a standard diction and spelling system prevails in most countries. Speech relies on gesture, loudness, and the rise and fall of the voice, but writing lacks these features. Careful speakers and writers are aware of the differences.
4、有损连贯性的几种情况:
考生在写作中经常出现下面几种错误:
1、不必要的改变时态,比如:
In the movie, Robert Redford was a spy. He goes to his office where he found everybody dead. Other spies wanted to kill him, so he takes refuge with Julie Christie. At her house, he had waited for the heat to die down, but they come after him anyway.
2、不必要的改变单复数,比如:
Everybody looks for satisfaction in his life. They want to be happy. But if he seeks only pleasure in the short run, the person will soon run out of pleasure and life will catch up to him. They need to pursue the deeper pleasure of satisfaction in work and in relationships.
3、不必要的改变人称,比如:
Now more than ever, parents need to be in touch with their children's activities because modern life has the tendency to cause cleavages in the family. You need to arrange family like it so that family members will do things together and know one another. You need to give up isolated pleasures of your own and realize that parents have a set of obligations to sponsor togetherness and therefore sponsor knowledge.
因此写作中,一定要注意时态,人称以及数的变化是否正确,要注意保持一致。
英语作文的书写格式
英文书写应符合书写规范,英文字母要写清楚、写整齐、写美观,字母的大小和字母之间的距离要匀称。书写应做到字形秀丽漂亮,通篇匀称和谐。
写英文字母要掌握正确笔顺。如字母i,应该先写下面的部分,然后再打点。有的学生却按写汉字的习惯从上到下写,写快了,就会把点和下面的十笔连在量起,显得十分别扭。字形t应为两笔。不少人却将两笔合成一笔,看上去不像t,倒像l或是e,难以辨认。另外,把r写成v,把q写成把g,把k写成h等等,都是中学生书写中常见的毛病。
不少人在四线三格的练习纸上书写尚有规矩,能按字母的占格、高低和大小要求书写,但在白纸或横线纸上书写,却显得十分幼稚拙劣。字母或跳上跳下,或一律写成同一高度,占上中两格的字母与占中下两格的字母完全没有高低之别。这些现象都要防止。
另外,书写时还要注意词与词之间要保持一定的距离,不能紧靠在一起。字母之间的连写也应该按照习惯,不能随意乱来。
在一篇字数有限的作文里,我们还要注意尽量不把一个单词拆开移行。万一要移行,则必须以音节为单位进行,如revolution这个词,依照音节移行的原则可以按re-,revo-, revolu-这几种方法移行。在移行时,我们还应特别注意以下几点:
1. 单音节词不能移行,即使是字母较多的单音节词,如through等也不能例外。
2.缩略词如Mr.,Dr.等不能和后面的名字拆开移行。
缩略的专用名词如U.K.,U.S.A等也不能拆开移行。
3.时间、量度及货币单位应视为一个整体;不能分开移行。如;
11:00P.M.应写在一行内,不能将11:00和P.M.分开移行;写38℃时,不能将38和℃分开移行。
4.由“年、月、日”表示的日期,如果必须分开移行只能将“月、日”与“年”分开。如January 6,1980不能将January和6分开移行,但可以把January 6,和1980分成两行。
5.含双写辅音字母的单词,在移行时要将辅音字母拆开。如better可拆成better,necessary可拆成necessary。
但如果双写辅音字母属于词根,后面又加了后缀,就不能将两个辅音字母拆开。如drill加上-ing后构成了drilling,就不可以将它拆成成dril-ling,而只能拆为drilling。
例文:
1.宠物:
A Talkative Parrot
A lady worked in a company. There were a lot of shops on her way to work. One morning, when she was walking to work, she passed by a new pet shop. She was so excited when she saw a parrot sitting beside the door. She really loved birds.
When she stopped to look at the handsome bird, it said to her, "Hey, lady, you are really ugly.”
This made the lady very angry. She quickly left the shop and went to work. On her way home, she passed the same pet shop again. This time the parrot saw her again, it said immediately:
"Hey lady, you are really ugly!"
The lady tried to control herself. She walked to the shopkeeper and told him that if the parrot said it again, she would have the police come and take it away. "I'm so sorry, madam. I promise it won't happen again," the shopkeeper said.
The next morning, when the lady walked past the pet shop, she pretended that she didn’t see it. But the parrot saw her at once and said to her quickly, "Hey lady."
She stopped and looked at the bird coldly. "Yes?" she answered in an angry voice.
The bird, sitting up straight and smiling at her, said, "You know."
2.人物:
Elizabeth Bennet (伊丽莎白)
The second daughter in the Bennet family, and the most intelligent and quick-witted, Elizabeth is the protagonist of Pride and Prejudice and one of the most well-known female characters in English literature. Her admirable qualities are numerous—she is lovely, clever, and, in a novel defined by dialogue, she converses as brilliantly as anyone. Her honesty, virtue, and lively wit enable her to rise above the nonsense and bad behavior that pervade her class-bound and often spiteful society. Nevertheless, her sharp tongue and tendency to make hasty judgments often lead her astray; Pride and Prejudice is essentially the story of how she (and her true love, Darcy) overcome all obstacles—including their own personal failings—to find romantic happiness. Elizabeth must not only cope with a hopeless mother, a distant father, two badly behaved younger siblings, and several snobbish, antagonizing females, she must also overcome her own mistaken impressions of Darcy, which initially lead her to reject his proposals of marriage. Her charms are sufficient to keep him interested, fortunately, while she navigates familial and social turmoil. As she gradually comes to recognize the nobility of Darcy’s character, she realizes the error of her initial prejudice against him.
Bennet家庭的第二个女儿和最聪明和机智,伊丽莎白是自豪感和偏见的主演和其中一个在英国文学的最知名的女性角色。 她令人敬佩的质量是numerous—she是可爱的,聪明,并且,在对话定义的小说,她一样精采地交谈象任何人。 她的诚实、美德和活泼的机智使她在胡话之上起来,并且弥漫她的坏行为类跳起和经常恶意的社会。 然而,她的伶俐的口舌和倾向经常做仓促评断带领她迷路; 自豪感和偏见本质上是故事她(和她真实的爱, Darcy)怎样克服他们自己的个人failings—to发现浪漫幸福的所有obstacles—including。 伊丽莎白必须不仅应付一个绝望的母亲,一个遥远的父亲,二非常表现的更加年轻的兄弟姐妹,并且几位势利,对抗的女性,她必须也克服Darcy她自己的错误印象,最初带领她拒绝他的求婚。 而她驾驶家族和社会动乱,她魅力是充足保持他感兴趣,幸运地。 当她逐渐来认可Darcy’s字符的贵族,她体会她对他的最初的偏见错误。
对比观点题型
(1) 要求论述两个对立的观点并给出自己的看法。
1. 有一些人认为。。。
2. 另一些人认为。。。
3. 我的看法。。。
The topic of ①-----------------(主题)is becoming more and more popular recently. There are two sides of opinions of it. Some people say A is their favorite. They hold their view for the reason of ②-----------------(支持A的理由一)What is more, ③-------------理由二). Moreover, ④---------------(理由三).
While others think that B is a better choice in the following three reasons. Firstly,-----------------(支持B的理由一). Secondly (besides),⑥------------------(理由二). Thirdly (finally),⑦------------------(理由三).
From my point of view, I think ⑧----------------(我的观点). The reason is that ⑨--------------------(原因). As a matter of fact, there are some other reasons to explain my choice. For me, the former is surely a wise choice .
(2) 给出一个观点,要求考生反对这一观点
Some people believe that ①----------------(观点一). For example, they think ②-----------------(举例说明).And it will bring them ③-----------------(为他们带来的好处).
In my opinion, I never think this reason can be the point. For one thing,④-------------(我不同意该看法的理由一). For another thing, ⑤-----------------(反对的理由之二).
Form all what I have said, I agree to the thought that ⑥------------------(我对文章所讨论主题的看法).
阐述主题题型
要求从一句话或一个主题出发,按照提纲的要求进行论述.
1. 阐述名言或主题所蕴涵的意义.
2. 分析并举例使其更充实.
The good old proverb ----------------(名言或谚语)reminds us that ----------------(释义). Indeed, we can learn many things form it.
First of all,-----------------(理由一). For example, -------------------(举例说明). Secondly,----------------(理由二). Another case is that ---------------(举例说明). Furthermore , ------------------(理由三).
In my opinion, ----------------(我的观点). In short, whatever you do, please remember the say------A. If you understand it and apply it to your study or work, you”ll necessarily benefit a lot from it
解决方法题型
要求考生列举出解决问题的多种途径
1. 问题现状
2. 怎样解决(解决方案的优缺点)
In recent days, we have to face I problem-----A, which is becoming more and more serious. First, ------------(说明A的现状).Second, ---------------(举例进一步说明现状)
Confronted with A, we should take a series of effective measures to cope with the situation. For one thing, ---------------(解决方法一). For another -------------(解决方法二). Finally, --------------(解决方法三).
Personally, I believe that -------------(我的解决方法). Consequently, I’m confident that a bright future is awaiting us because --------------(带来的好处).
说明利弊题型
这种题型往往要求先说明一下现状,再对比事物本身的利弊,有时也会单从一个角度(利或弊)出发,最后往往要求考生表明自己的态度(或对事物前景提出预测)
1. 说明事物现状
2. 事物本身的优缺点(或一方面)
3. 你对现状(或前景)的看法
Nowadays many people prefer A because it has a significant role in our daily life. Generally, its advantages can be seen as follows. First ----------------(A的优点之一). Besides -------------------(A的优点之二).
But every coin has two sides. The negative aspects are also apparent. One of the important disadvantages is that ----------------(A的第一个缺点).To make matters worse,------------------(A的第二个缺点).
Through the above analysis, I believe that the positive aspects overweigh the negative ones. Therefore, I would like to ---------------(我的看法).
(From the comparison between these positive and negative effects of A, we should take it reasonably and do it according to the circumstances we are in. Only by this way, ---------------(对前景的预测).)
议论文的框架
(1) 不同观点列举型( 选择型 )
There is a widespread concern over the issue that __作文题目_____. But it is well known that the opinion concerning this hot topic varies from person to person. A majority of people think that _ 观点一________. In their views there are 2 factors contributing to this attitude as follows: in the first place, ___原因一_______.Furthermore, in the second place, ___原因二_____. So it goes without saying that ___观点一_____.
People, however, differ in their opinions on this matter. Some people hold the idea that ___观点二_______. In their point of view, on the one hand, ___原因一_______. On the other hand, ____原因二_____. Therefore, there is no doubt that ___观点二______.
As far as I am concerned, I firmly support the view that __观点一或二______. It is not only because ________, but also because _________. The more _______, the more ________.
(2)利弊型的议论文
Nowadays, there is a widespread concern over (the issue that)___作文题目______. In fact, there are both advantages and disadvantages in __题目议题_____. Generally speaking, it is widely believed there are several positive aspects as follows. Firstly, ___优点一______. And secondly ___优点二_____.
Just As a popular saying goes, "every coin has two sides", __讨论议题______ is no exception, and in another word, it still has negative aspects. To begin with, ___缺点一______. In addition, ____缺点二______.
To sum up, we should try to bring the advantages of __讨论议题____ into full play, and reduce the disadvantages to the minimum at the same time. In that case, we will definitely make a better use of the ____讨论议题___.
( 3 ) 答题性议论文
Currently, there is a widespread concern over (the issue that)__作文题目_______ .It is really an important concern to every one of us. As a result, we must spare no efforts to take some measures to solve this problem.
As we know that there are many steps which can be taken to undo this problem. First of all, __途径一______. In addition, another way contributing to success of the solving problem is ___途径二_____.
Above all, to solve the problem of ___作文题目______, we should find a number of various ways. But as far as I am concerned, I would prefer to solve the problem in this way, that is to say, ____方法_____.
( 4 ) 谚语警句性议论文
It is well know to us that the proverb: " ___谚语_______" has a profound significance and value not only in our job but also in our study. It means ____谚语的含义_______. The saying can be illustrated through a series of examples as follows. ( also theoretically )
A case in point is ___例子一______. Therefore, it is goes without saying that it is of great of importance to practice the proverb ____谚语_____.
With the rapid development of science and technology in China, an increasing number of people come to realize that it is also of practical use to stick to the saying: ____谚语_____. The more we are aware of the significance of this famous saying, the more benefits we will get in our daily study and job..
图表作文的框架
as is shown/indicated/illustrated by the figure/percentage in the table(graph/picture/pie/chart), ___作文题目的议题_____ has been on rise/ decrease (goesup/increases/drops/decreases),significantly/dramatically/steadily rising/decreasing from______ in _______ to ______ in _____. From the sharp/marked decline/ rise in the chart, it goes without saying that ________.
There are at least two good reasons accounting for ______. On the one hand, ________. On the other hand, _______ is due to the fact that ________. In addition, ________ is responsible for _______. Maybe there are some other reasons to show ________. But it is generally believed that the above mentioned reasons are commonly convincing.
As far as I am concerned, I hold the point of view that _______. I am sure my opinion is both sound and well-grounded.
实用性写作(申请信)
Your address
Month, Date, year
Receiver's address
Dear ...,
I am extremely pleased to hear from you./ to see your advertisement for the position in .... And I would like to write a letter to tell you that.../ I am confident that I am suitable for the kind of the job you are advertising.
.../ I feel I am competent to meet the requirements you have listed. On the one hand, .... On the other hand, .... I am enclosing my resume for your kind consideration and reference.
I shall be much obliged if you will offer me a precious opportunity to an interview. I will greatly appreciate a response from you at your earliest convenience/ I am looking forward to your replies at your earliest convenience.
Best regards for your health and success.
Sincerely yours,
X X X
作文的开头
一篇文章通常可分为三个部分,即开头、正文和结尾。这三个部分安排是否得体,直接影响到文章的质量。
文章的开头一般来说应尽量做到开门见山,用简单明白的叙述引出文章的话题,使读者了解文章要谈论什么,一下于引起读者的兴趣。
作文常见的开头形式大致有以下几种:
1.开门见山,揭示主题
文章一开头,,就交待清楚文章的主题是什么。如“How I Spent My Vacation”(我怎样度假)的开头是:
I Spent my last vacation happily.
下面是题为"Honesty"(谈诚实)一文中的开头:
Honesty is one of the best virtues.An honest man is always trusted and respected.On the contrary, one who tells lies is regarded as a "liar",and is looked upon by honest people.
2.交代人物、事情、时间或环境开头
在文章的开头,先把人物、事件和环境交待清楚。例如"A Trip to Jinshan" (去金山旅游)的开头:
The day before yesterday my class went on a bus trip to Jinshan. The bus ride there took three hours. The long trip made us very tired, but the sight of the beautiful sea refreshed us.
3. 回忆性的开头
用回忆的方法来开头。例如"A Trip to the Taishan Mountain"(泰山游)的开头是:
I remember my first trip to the Taishan Mountain as if it were yesterday.
4.概括性的开头
即对要在文章中叙述的人或事先作一个概括性的介绍。如“The Happiness of Reading Books”(读书的快乐)的开头:
People often say that gold and silver are the most valuable things in the world. But I say that to read books is more valuable than anything else, because books give us knowledge and knowledge gives us power.
5.介绍环境式的开头
即开头利用自然景物或自然环境引出要介绍的事物。如“An Accident”(一场事故)的开头是:
It was a rainy and windy morning. The sky was gloomy, the temperature was low, and the street was nearly empty. I was on my way back to school. Suddenly, a speeding car came round the corner.
6.交待写作目的的开头。
在文章的一开头就交待写作目的,如通过文章要表扬谁,批评谁,或说明一个什么问题等。如 "Pollution Control" (控制污染)的开头:
In this article I shall draw your attention to the subject of pollution control
英语作文 英语作文的基本要求:
首先,一个段落必须有一个中心即主题思想,该中心由主题句特别是其中的题旨来表达。整个段落必须紧扣这个主题(stick or hold to the topic),这就是段落的统一性(unity)。其次,一个段落必须有若干推展句,使主题思想得到充分展开,从而给读者一个完整的感觉,这就是完整性(completeness or adequateness)。再者,一个段落不是杂乱无章的,而是有机的组合,句子的排列顺序必须合乎逻辑,从一个句子到另一个句子的过渡必须流畅(smooth),这就是连贯性(coherence)。下面我们就对这三个标准分别加以说明。
1、统一性
一个段落内的各个句子必须从属于一个中心,任何游离于中心思想之外的句子都是不可取的。请看下例:
Joe and I decided to take the long trip we'd always wanted across the country. We were like young kids buying our camper and stocking it with all the necessities of life. Bella bakes the best rhubarb pie. We started out in early spring from Minneapolis and headed west across the northern part of the country. We both enjoyed those people we met at the trailer park. Joe received a watch at his retirement dinner. To our surprise, we found that we liked the warm southern regions very much, and so we decided to stay here in New Mexico.
本段的主题句是段首句,controlling idea(中心思想)是take the long trip across the country。文中出现两个irrelevant sentences,一个是Bella bakes the best rhubarb pie,这一段是讲的是Joe and I ,中间出现一个Bella是不合适的。还有,Joe received a watch at his retirement dinner这一句更是与主题句不相关。再看一个例子:
My name is Roseanna, and I like to keep physically fit. I used to weigh two hundred pounds, but I joined the YMCA for an exercise class and diet program. In one year I lost eighty pounds. I feel much better and never want to have that much weight on my five-feet frame again. I bought two new suitcases last week. Everyday I practice jogging three miles, swimming fifteen laps, lifting twenty-pound weights and playing tennis for one hour. My mother was a premature baby.
本段的controlling idea 是like to deep physically fit,但段中有两个irrelevant sentences,一个是I bought two new suitcases last week,另一个是My mother was a premature baby。
从上面两个例子可以看出,native speakers同样会造出来irrelevant sentences。卷面上如果这种句子多了,造成偏题或离题,那问题就更严重了。
2、完整性
正象我们前面说得那样,一个段落的主题思想靠推展句来实现,如果只有主题句而没有推展句来进一步交待和充实,就不能构成一个完整的段落。同样,虽然有推展句,但主题思想没有得到相对圆满的交待,给读者一种意犹未尽的感觉。这样的段落也不能完成其交际功能。例如:
Physical work can be a useful form of therapy for a mind in turmoil. Work concentrates your thoughts on a concrete task. Besides, it is more useful to work —— you produce something rather than more anxiety or depression.
本段的主题句是段首句。本段的两个推展句均不能回答主题句中提出的问题。什么是“a mind in turmoil”(心境不平静)Physical work又如何能改变这种情况?为什么它能起therapy的作用?读者得不到明确的答案。因此,要达到完整就必须尽可能地简明。例如:
It is not always true that a good picture is worth a thousand words. Often writing is much clearer than a picture. It is sometimes difficult to figure out what a picture means, but a careful writer can almost always explain it.
段首句所表达的主题思想是一种看法,必须有具体事例加以验证。上述两个推展句只是在文字上对主题作些解释,整个段落内容空洞,简而不明。如果用一两个具体的例子的话,就可以把主题解释清楚了。比如下段:
It is not always true that a picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes, pictures are pretty useless things. If you can't swim and fall in the river and start gulping water, will you be better off to hold up a picture of yourself drowning, or start screaming "Help"?
3、连贯性(coherence)
连贯性包括意连和形连两个方面,前者指的是内在的逻辑性,后者指的是使用转换词语。当然这两者常常是不可分割的。只有形连而没有意连,句子之间就没有内在的有机的联系;反之,只有意连而没有形连,有时行文就不够流畅。
1)、意连
段落中句子的排列应遵循一定的次序,不能想到什么就写什么。如果在下笔之前没有构思,边写边想,写写停停,那就写不出一气呵成的好文章来。下面介绍几种常见的排列方式。
A.按时间先后排列(chronological arrangement)
We had a number of close calls that day. When we rose, it was obviously late and we had to hurry so as not to miss breakfast; we knew the dining room staff was strict about closing at nine o'clock. Then, when we had been driving in the desert for nearly two hours —— it must have been close to noon —— the heat nearly hid us in; the radiator boiled over and we had to use most of our drinking water to cool it down. By the time we reached the mountain, it was our o'clock and we were exhausted. Here, judgement ran out of us and we started the tough climb to the summit, not realizing that darkness came suddenly in the desert. Sure enough, by six we were struggling and Andrew very nearly went down a steep cliff, dragging Mohammed and me along with him. By nine, when the wind howled across the flat ledge of the summit, we knew as we shivered together for warmth that it had not been our lucky day.
本段从“rose”(起床)写起,然后是吃早餐(“not to miss breakfast”, “closing at nine o'clock”),然后是“close to noon”,一直写到这一天结束(“By nine——”)。
B. 按位置远近排列(spatial arrangement)。例如:
From a distance, it looked like a skinny tube, but as we got closer, we could see it flesh out before our eyes. It was tubular, all right, but fatter than we could see from far away. Furthermore, we were also astonished to notice that the building was really in two parts: a pagoda sitting on top of a tubular one-story structure. Standing ten feet away, we could marvel at how much of the pagoda was made up of glass windows. Almost everything under the wonderful Chinese roof was made of glass, unlike the tube that it was sitting on, which only had four. Inside, the tube was gloomy, because of the lack of light. Then a steep, narrow staircase took us up inside the pagoda and the light changed dramatically. All those windows let in a flood of sunshine and we could see out for miles across the flat land.
本段的写法是由远及近,从远处(“from a distance”)写起,然后“get closer”,再到(“ten feet away”),最后是“inside the pagoda”……当然,按位置远近来写不等于都是由远及近。根据需要,也可以由近及远,由表及里等等。
C. 按逻辑关系排列(logical arrangement)
a. 按重要性顺序排列(arrangement in order of importance)
If you work as a soda jerker, you will, of course, not need much skill in expressing yourself to be effective. If you work on a machine, your ability to express yourself will be of little importance. But as soon as you move one step up from the bottom, your effectiveness depends on your ability to reach others through the spoken or the written word. And the further away your job is from manual work, the larger the organization of which you are an employee, the more important it will be that you know how to convey your thoughts in writing or speaking. In the very large business organization, whether it is the government, the large corporation, or the Army, this ability to express oneself is perhaps the most important of all the skills a man can possess.
这一段谈的是表达能力,它的重要性与职业,身份有关,从“not need much skill”或“of little importance”到“more important”,最后是“most important”。
b.由一般到特殊排列(general-to-specific arrangement)
If a reader is lost, it is generally because the writer has not been careful enough to keep him on the path. This carelessness can take any number of forms. Perhaps a sentence is so excessively cluttered that the reader, hacking his way through the verbiage, simply doesn't know what it means. Perhaps a sentence has been so shoddily constructed that the reader could read it in any of several ways. Perhaps the writer has switched tenses, or has switched pronouns in mid-sentence, so the reader loses track of when the action took place or who is talking. Perhaps sentence B is not logical sequel to sentence A —— the writer, in whose head the connection is clear, has not bothered to provide the missing link. Perhaps the writer has used an important word incorrectly by not taking the trouble to look it up. He may think that "sanguine" and "sanguinary" mean the same thing, but the difference is a bloody big one. The reader can only infer what the writer is trying to imply.
这一段谈的是a writer's carelessness,先给出一个general statement作为主题句,然后通过5个 ”perhaps”加以例证。
c. 由特殊到一般排列(specific-to-general arrangement)
I do not understand why people confuse my Siamese cat, Prissy, with the one I had several years ago, Henry. The two cats are only alike in breed. Prissy, a quiet, feminine feline, loves me dearly but not possessively. She likes to keep her distance from people, exert her independence and is never so rude as to beg, lick, or sniff unceremoniously. Her usual posture is sitting upright, eyes closed, perfectly still. Prissy is a very proper cat. Henry, on the other hand, loved me dearly but possessively. He was my shadow from morning till night. He expected me to constantly entertain him. Henry never cared who saw him do anything, whether it was decorous or not, and he usually offended my friends in some way. The cat made himself quite comfortable, on the top of the television, across stranger's feet or laps, in beds, drawers, sacks, closets, or nooks. The difference between them is imperceptible to strangers.
本段的主题句是段首句,它仅提出一个问题:为什么两只猫会被搞混。然后对两者进行比较,末句才下结论。
2)、形连
行文的逻辑性常常要靠适当的转换词语及其他手段来实现。请读下面这一段文字并找出文中用以承上启下的词语:
Walter's goal in life was to become a successful surgeon. First, though, he had to get through high school, so he concentrated all his efforts on his studies —— in particular, biology, chemistry, and math. Because he worked constantly on these subjects, Walter became proficient in them; however, Walter forgot that he needed to master other subjects besides those he had chosen. As a result, during his junior year of high school, Walter failed both English and Latin. Consequently, he had to repeat these subjects and he was almost unable to graduate on schedule. Finally, on June 6, Walter achieved the first step toward realizing his goal.
本文中起承上启下的词语有两种,一种是转换词语(transitional words or phrases),另一种是起转换作用的其他连接手段(linking devices)。前者依次有:first, though, so, in particular, and, because, however, besides, as a result, both…and, consequently, and, finally.后者依次是:he, he, his, his, he, these, them, he, those, his, he, these, his. 本段中共有词汇105个,所使用的转换词语及其他连接用语共26个词,约占该段总词汇量的四分之一。由此可见,掌握好transitions不仅对行文的流(smoothness)有益,而且对于学生在半个小时内写120个词也是不无好处的。
一个段落里如果没有transitions也就很难有coherence了.我们看下面一个例子:
Speaking and writing are different in many ways. Speech depends on sounds. Writing uses written symbols. Speech developed about 500 000 years ago. Written language is a recent development. It was invented only about six thousand years ago. Speech is usually informal. The word choice of writing is often relatively formal. Pronunciation and accent often tell where the speaker is from. Pronunciation and accent are ignored in writing. A standard diction and spelling system prevails in the written language of most countries. Speech relies on gesture, loudness, and rise and fall of the voice. Writing lacks gesture, loudness and the rise and fall of the voice. Careful speakers and writers are aware of the differences.
本段中除了第6句开头出现一个起过渡作用的”it”之外,没有使用其他的过渡词语.这样,文中出现许多重复的词语,全段读起来也显得生硬而不自然。如果加上必要的过渡词语来修饰的话,这一段就成了下面一个流畅连贯的段落:
Speaking and writing are different in many ways. Speech depends on sounds; writing, on the other hand, uses written symbols. Speech was developed about 500 000 years ago, but written language is a recent development, invented only about six thousand years ago. Speech is usually informal, while the word choice of writing, by contrast, is often relatively formal. Although pronunciation and accent often tell where the speaker is from, they are ignored in wiring because a standard diction and spelling system prevails in most countries. Speech relies on gesture, loudness, and the rise and fall of the voice, but writing lacks these features. Careful speakers and writers are aware of the differences.
4、有损连贯性的几种情况:
考生在写作中经常出现下面几种错误:
1、不必要的改变时态,比如:
In the movie, Robert Redford was a spy. He goes to his office where he found everybody dead. Other spies wanted to kill him, so he takes refuge with Julie Christie. At her house, he had waited for the heat to die down, but they come after him anyway.
2、不必要的改变单复数,比如:
Everybody looks for satisfaction in his life. They want to be happy. But if he seeks only pleasure in the short run, the person will soon run out of pleasure and life will catch up to him. They need to pursue the deeper pleasure of satisfaction in work and in relationships.
3、不必要的改变人称,比如:
Now more than ever, parents need to be in touch with their children's activities because modern life has the tendency to cause cleavages in the family. You need to arrange family like it so that family members will do things together and know one another. You need to give up isolated pleasures of your own and realize that parents have a set of obligations to sponsor togetherness and therefore sponsor knowledge.
因此写作中,一定要注意时态,人称以及数的变化是否正确,要注意保持一致。
英语作文的书写格式
英文书写应符合书写规范,英文字母要写清楚、写整齐、写美观,字母的大小和字母之间的距离要匀称。书写应做到字形秀丽漂亮,通篇匀称和谐。
写英文字母要掌握正确笔顺。如字母i,应该先写下面的部分,然后再打点。有的学生却按写汉字的习惯从上到下写,写快了,就会把点和下面的十笔连在量起,显得十分别扭。字形t应为两笔。不少人却将两笔合成一笔,看上去不像t,倒像l或是e,难以辨认。另外,把r写成v,把q写成把g,把k写成h等等,都是中学生书写中常见的毛病。
不少人在四线三格的练习纸上书写尚有规矩,能按字母的占格、高低和大小要求书写,但在白纸或横线纸上书写,却显得十分幼稚拙劣。字母或跳上跳下,或一律写成同一高度,占上中两格的字母与占中下两格的字母完全没有高低之别。这些现象都要防止。
另外,书写时还要注意词与词之间要保持一定的距离,不能紧靠在一起。字母之间的连写也应该按照习惯,不能随意乱来。
在一篇字数有限的作文里,我们还要注意尽量不把一个单词拆开移行。万一要移行,则必须以音节为单位进行,如revolution这个词,依照音节移行的原则可以按re-,revo-, revolu-这几种方法移行。在移行时,我们还应特别注意以下几点:
1. 单音节词不能移行,即使是字母较多的单音节词,如through等也不能例外。
2.缩略词如Mr.,Dr.等不能和后面的名字拆开移行。
缩略的专用名词如U.K.,U.S.A等也不能拆开移行。
3.时间、量度及货币单位应视为一个整体;不能分开移行。如;
11:00P.M.应写在一行内,不能将11:00和P.M.分开移行;写38℃时,不能将38和℃分开移行。
4.由“年、月、日”表示的日期,如果必须分开移行只能将“月、日”与“年”分开。如January 6,1980不能将January和6分开移行,但可以把January 6,和1980分成两行。
5.含双写辅音字母的单词,在移行时要将辅音字母拆开。如better可拆成better,necessary可拆成necessary。
但如果双写辅音字母属于词根,后面又加了后缀,就不能将两个辅音字母拆开。如drill加上-ing后构成了drilling,就不可以将它拆成成dril-ling,而只能拆为drilling。
例文:
1.宠物:
A Talkative Parrot
A lady worked in a company. There were a lot of shops on her way to work. One morning, when she was walking to work, she passed by a new pet shop. She was so excited when she saw a parrot sitting beside the door. She really loved birds.
When she stopped to look at the handsome bird, it said to her, "Hey, lady, you are really ugly.”
This made the lady very angry. She quickly left the shop and went to work. On her way home, she passed the same pet shop again. This time the parrot saw her again, it said immediately:
"Hey lady, you are really ugly!"
The lady tried to control herself. She walked to the shopkeeper and told him that if the parrot said it again, she would have the police come and take it away. "I'm so sorry, madam. I promise it won't happen again," the shopkeeper said.
The next morning, when the lady walked past the pet shop, she pretended that she didn’t see it. But the parrot saw her at once and said to her quickly, "Hey lady."
She stopped and looked at the bird coldly. "Yes?" she answered in an angry voice.
The bird, sitting up straight and smiling at her, said, "You know."
2.人物:
Elizabeth Bennet (伊丽莎白)
The second daughter in the Bennet family, and the most intelligent and quick-witted, Elizabeth is the protagonist of Pride and Prejudice and one of the most well-known female characters in English literature. Her admirable qualities are numerous—she is lovely, clever, and, in a novel defined by dialogue, she converses as brilliantly as anyone. Her honesty, virtue, and lively wit enable her to rise above the nonsense and bad behavior that pervade her class-bound and often spiteful society. Nevertheless, her sharp tongue and tendency to make hasty judgments often lead her astray; Pride and Prejudice is essentially the story of how she (and her true love, Darcy) overcome all obstacles—including their own personal failings—to find romantic happiness. Elizabeth must not only cope with a hopeless mother, a distant father, two badly behaved younger siblings, and several snobbish, antagonizing females, she must also overcome her own mistaken impressions of Darcy, which initially lead her to reject his proposals of marriage. Her charms are sufficient to keep him interested, fortunately, while she navigates familial and social turmoil. As she gradually comes to recognize the nobility of Darcy’s character, she realizes the error of her initial prejudice against him.
Bennet家庭的第二个女儿和最聪明和机智,伊丽莎白是自豪感和偏见的主演和其中一个在英国文学的最知名的女性角色。 她令人敬佩的质量是numerous—she是可爱的,聪明,并且,在对话定义的小说,她一样精采地交谈象任何人。 她的诚实、美德和活泼的机智使她在胡话之上起来,并且弥漫她的坏行为类跳起和经常恶意的社会。 然而,她的伶俐的口舌和倾向经常做仓促评断带领她迷路; 自豪感和偏见本质上是故事她(和她真实的爱, Darcy)怎样克服他们自己的个人failings—to发现浪漫幸福的所有obstacles—including。 伊丽莎白必须不仅应付一个绝望的母亲,一个遥远的父亲,二非常表现的更加年轻的兄弟姐妹,并且几位势利,对抗的女性,她必须也克服Darcy她自己的错误印象,最初带领她拒绝他的求婚。 而她驾驶家族和社会动乱,她魅力是充足保持他感兴趣,幸运地。 当她逐渐来认可Darcy’s字符的贵族,她体会她对他的最初的偏见错误。
对比观点题型
(1) 要求论述两个对立的观点并给出自己的看法。
1. 有一些人认为。。。
2. 另一些人认为。。。
3. 我的看法。。。
The topic of ①-----------------(主题)is becoming more and more popular recently. There are two sides of opinions of it. Some people say A is their favorite. They hold their view for the reason of ②-----------------(支持A的理由一)What is more, ③-------------理由二). Moreover, ④---------------(理由三).
While others think that B is a better choice in the following three reasons. Firstly,-----------------(支持B的理由一). Secondly (besides),⑥------------------(理由二). Thirdly (finally),⑦------------------(理由三).
From my point of view, I think ⑧----------------(我的观点). The reason is that ⑨--------------------(原因). As a matter of fact, there are some other reasons to explain my choice. For me, the former is surely a wise choice .
你好,我是一名英语老师,关于英语的学习方法,要抓住两个个重点。
1、词汇方面:词汇是英语学习的基础。
很多学生反映,在阅读过程中觉得有些单词非常面熟,可却不知道是什么意思,所以整篇文章理解起来记忆不知所云,造成阅读障碍。如果考试大纲要求记忆的词汇没有掌握的话,在通篇理解文章时就会困难重重。高效阅读的方法需要训练,是一种眼脑相互协调的高效率学习方法,一般情况下,培养阅读者直接把视觉器官感知的文字符号转换成意义,消除头脑中潜在的发声现象,形成眼脑直映,结合记忆训练,用以提高学习效率。
由于大家平时对快速阅读接触不多,可以通过直接训练,训练大脑和眼睛的协调能力,去年,有学者推荐《精英特速读记忆训练》作为假期学生学习计划中,以为软件练习30个小时就能使阅读速度提高5-10倍左右,学习每天练习1-2个小时,两个星期就能取得很好的效果,普通人300字每分钟左右的阅读速度会达到3000字每分钟的阅读速度,记忆力也相应的快速提升。这个建议得到了中央教科所心理研究室原主任、多年从事脑心理研究的专家朱法良的高度认可,目前我们学习很多班级开展的假期速读速记训练课程,用的就是《精英特快速阅读记忆训练系统》。
2、为了节省时间在做阅读的时候应该切忌:
(1)阅读时不要逐字逐句的翻译,这样会导致阅读速度的降低,要快速阅读整篇文章,把握文章大意。
(2)不要一句话反复阅读,即阅读时碰到一时不理解的句子就一遍一遍地沉浸在阅读那个句子当中,反复琢磨。其实完全没有必要,因为要选对答案并不意味着对原文的每个句子都要读懂,抓住一些重点句子就够了,正确的做法是,以理解整个段落和整篇文章为主,在涵盖出题点的句子上用心捉摸。上文中提到的《精英特速读记忆》,超级速读训练同时就顺带训练了记忆,而超级记忆部分的思维导图对全面阅读文章后,抓出文章脉络和重点有良好的作用。所以建议大家可以尝试着学习一下。
如果是正在考试或者正在忙着备考的学生,我建议学习一下精英特,能够提高记忆力和学习效率,精.英特速读也是我们协会认可的。希望你早日进步!
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