1、Chapter IVocabulary and WritingBe Careful about WordsEvery parent hopes that his child will turn out a dragon.Be Careful about Expressions重男轻女。重男轻女。Man used to be heavier thanwoman in traditional culture in ancient China.Man used to be superior towoman in social position in traditional culture in an
2、cient China.Content?Part I.Levels of words?Part I.The meaning of wordsSection A SynonymySection B Hyponymy?Part III.General and Specific Words?Part VI.Tips to avoid monotonous repetition?Part V.Accurate Diction and The cultural difference in English and ChinesePart I Levels of WordsWords are general
3、ly classified into four groups according to different levels of usage or formality:FormalStandard or commonColloquial or informalSlangThe degree of formalityask question interrogatetime age epochrise mount ascendFormal Words?Formal English is the language of professional journals,formal speeches,and
4、 most serious college writing.“gentlemen”vs.“men”or“guys”.Read the following passage:?If the human minds were strictly logical device like a calculating machine,it would deal with words simply as names of categories,and with categories as essential tools for imposing order or system on a universe wh
5、ich otherwise presents itself as an unsorted chaos of sense of stimuli.But human reaction to words,like much other human behavior,is also motivated by irrational impulses such as those we label love,hate,joy,sorrow,fear,awe,and so forth;and whenever the users of a langue evince a fairly uniform emot
6、ional response to a given word,that response become part of the connotation,therefore part of the standard meaning of the word in that language.Formal-Common?impoverished;poverty-stricken-poor?Wealthy-rich;?intelligent-clever(smart);?automobile-car;?Diligent-hard-working;?penultimate-next-to-last;se
7、cond last?“on the penultimate day of the week-long meeting”在历时一周的会议结束前一天Standard or Common Words?Standard or common words are those used by the widest group of educated speakers and writers.?Common words are popular in college writing,and are often employed in newspaper,textbooks,non-fiction,best se
8、llers,etc.?Common English is easy to understand,and complies well with the written language.?After working for a time with his father,he began teaching speech at a boys school.His free time was spent in studying sound.As he studied the human voice and vibrationsthat went to make up sound,he found th
9、at the voice was not a simple thing.So he continued his studies and his teaching until the age of twenty-three when he moved with his family to Canada.ExampleColloquial or Informal Words?Colloquial or informal words are usually short words of one or two syllables and most of them are of Saxon origin
10、.?Colloquial or informal words are often used in spoken language and in writing aimed for a conversational effect.Example:?You have your tension.Sometimes you come close to having an accident,that upsets you.You just escape maybe by a hair or so.Sometimes maybe you get a disgruntled passenger on the
11、re,and starts a big argument.Traffic.You have someone who cuts you off or stops in front of the bus.Theres a lot of tension behind that.You got to watch all the time.Youre watchin the drivers,youre watchin other cars.Most of the time you have to drive for the other drivers,to avoid hitting them.So y
12、ou take the tension home with you.Note:?by a hair or so:by a little chance?on there:there?cuts you off:make you suddenly stop?Theres:There is?got to:must?Youre:You are?watchin:watchingCompare the following italic words:?I saw a ghost,and I was frightened to death.(colloquial)?I saw an apparition,and
13、 it reduced me to a condition of moral terror.(formal)?On hearing that his father had kicked the bucket,we wrote him a letter to express our sympathies.(slang)Slang Words?Slang refers to novel and colorful expressions that reflect a certain groups special experiences and set the group off from other
14、s?Slang is used by almost all groups of people,from musicians and computer scientists to vegetarians and golfers,or uneducated speaker.?Slang displays endless inventiveness.It may be vivid and interesting,but is imprecise for effective writing,and is generally inappropriate for college or business w
15、riting.Example:?Ill attend to that myself in th mornin.Ill take keer oim.He aint from this country no how.Ill go down there in th mornin and seeim.Lettin you leave your books and gallivant all over th hills.What kind of a school is it nohow!Didnt do that,my son,when Is a little shaver in school.Note
16、:?th mornin:the morning?take keer oim:take care of him?seeim:see him?Lettin:Let?nohow:anyhow?Is:I was?a little shaver:a little boyput off postponecover up concealcome across encountertake part in participatecut down reducebreak up disintegrateVerbal phrasesverbsRule 1 Verbal phrases tend to be collo
17、quial，verbs tend to be formal：make a contribution contribute give consideration to considerthe application of applyadjective phrasesverbsbe forgetful of forgetbe envious of(嫉妒)envybe contemptuous of contempt(轻蔑)noun phrasesverbsRule 2 Noun phrases and adjective phrasesare more formal than their corr
18、esponding verbs：Exerise 1：Do you know the following formal words？And what are their Anglo-Saxon originals？profounddeepapproximately aboutaccommodationroominquireaskcautioncarecorporal*bodysufficient enoughcommence beginidentical similarExercise 2：What are the formal equivalents of these Anglo-Saxon
19、originals？helpaid putplacewet humidchangetransform innerinteriorcarryconveybuypurchasehavepossess useemploy/utilizeExerise 3：Here is a beginning of an application letter,what do you think of its wording？Im sending you this letter because I want you to meet with me and give me some info about the job
20、 you do.The improper usage of the words like want,infowhich are colloquial made the letter sound informal and casual in impolite tone.Improved revision：Im writing to inquire about the possibility of an interview.More exercise?Task 1,2?Students book,Page 4Part II The meaning of WordsThe Meaning of Wo
21、rds has 2 aspects:denotative（原义）and connotative（涵义）.Awords denotation is what it literally means,asdefinedby the dictionary;its connotationisthe feeling or idea suggestedby it.?Denotation:?typewriter打字员？打字机？cooker炊事员？炊具？some words only have denotation,esp.technological terms,like cardiovascular（心血管的
22、）。?connotation 指词所隐含的，带有某种感情和思想色彩的意义。Foe example:the denotation of“home”is“the house where one lives/a dwelling place”,汉语译为“家”。Then,what does the sentence Its a homeaway from home mean?The connotation of home is a place of warmth,comfort and affection.(温暖/舒适/爱）the first home means its connotation，wh
23、ile the second one refers to its donotation.?denotative and connotativerefer two aspects of a word instead of two independently separate concepts.The Use of Connotation?Based on what the word suggests in our mind，connotation can de divided into three types:Negative:There are over 2,000 vagrants in t
24、his city.Neutral:There are over 2,000 people with no fixed addressin this city.Positive:There are over 2,000 homeless in this city.Another example?NegroBlackAfrican-American?Negrois negative，implying the racial discrimination;?Black is objective，referring the group of a race of people with the dark
25、skin?African-American is positive.Guess the meaning?green eye?Im feeling rather blue today.?Im browned off,sitting here all day with nothing to dodenotation and connotation?Mr.Smith is a very white man,but a very yellow one.He was very red with anger when he found himself cheated by his close friend
26、,but he said nothing.Last Friday,a black letterday,he had a car accident.He was looking rather green and feeling blue lately.When I saw him,he was in a brown study.I hope hell soon be in the pink again.?【译文】史密斯先生是位忠实可靠的人，但很胆怯。当他发现好朋友欺骗了他时，气得满脸通红，可就是一句话也不说。上个星期五，真是个倒霉的日子，他又出了车祸。最近，他脸上颇有病容，闷闷不乐。我见到他的时
27、候，他心事重重。我希望他早点振作起来。Part II the Meaning of Words Section A Synonyms?Since the connotations of words may vary along a number of dimensions,it is difficult to find two words that are exactly the same in meaning and use(structure).They may be identical,but they will never be equivalent.Section A Synonym
28、s?1.British English and American EnglishBritish EnglishautumnliftlorrypetrolflatAmerican Englishfallelevatortruckgasolineapartment2.Example:informal-formal?ask:informal?question:ask many questions?interrogate:suggesting that the person is being held by force and asked questions which they are unwill
29、ing to answer.?He asked about his new job.?Two men are being questioned by the police in connection with the robbery.?The Japanese officers were interrogated as prisoners of war.3.Example:weak-strongGroup 1:economical,frugal,thrifty,mean,miserly,stingy?He has been a very thrifty person all his life.
30、?Dont you expect a loan from such a miserlyman?Group 2:like,love,admire,adore,worship?He is a nice man and all the pupils like him.?The pop singer is especially worshipped by teenagers.3.Example:weak-strong?big :big?large :unusually big?huge :extremely largeemphatic(formal)?Put the books in the big
31、box.?Wuhan is a big/large city in Central China.?The team has got a huge man over two meters tall.3.Example:emotionless-emotional?small:(emotionless)?little:(implying a feeling of fondness)?They lived in a smalltown.(describing the area)?I can never forget the little town where I spent my happy chil
32、dhood.(I like it.)3.Example:favorable-unfavorable?modest:not proud(a virtue,laudatory/favorable)?humble:having a low opinion of oneself(derogatory/unfavorable)?Modest and hardworking,he made very quick progress at school.?The servile man was especially humble when he was talking with his superiors.4
33、.Example:different collocationaccuse of,charge with,rebuke forrotten tomatoes,addled eggs,rancid bacon orbutter,sour milkA large amount/number/quantity of money/people/beergreat courage/confidence/ability/wisdom,5.Example:slight difference in meaning?They lost no time in escaping the burning hotel T
34、hey lost no time in fleeing the burning hotel 5.Example:slight difference in meaning?Finish,complete?When you marry the right woman you are complete and when you marry the wrong woman,then you are finished.When you right wife catches you with another woman,you are completely finished.And when your w
35、ife likes shopping so much then you are finished completely.Section B Hyponymy?Hyponymy refers to the sense relation between a more general,more inclusive word and a more specific word.A word more general in meaning is called the super ordinate,and the more specific words are called its hyponyms.Sec
36、tion B Hyponymy?superordinate:flower?hyponyms:rose,tulip,carnation,lily,morning glory?superordinate:animal?hyponyms:dog,cat,tiger,lion,wolf,koala,fox Section B Hyponymy?Red-light runninghas always been regarded as a minor wrong,and so it may be in individual instances.When the violation becomes habi
37、tual,widespread and incessant,however,a great deal more than a traffic management problem is involved.(Frank Trippett:A Red Light for Scofflaws)Exercise?Task 1,2,3,4,5?Student book,page 5Part IIIGeneral and Specific Words?General wordsname classes or groups of things.These words are needed in classi
38、fication and definition.?Specific wordsrefer to examples of a group.Specific and concrete nouns express meaning more vividly than general or abstract ones.Part III general and specific words?Although both general and specific words are useful,a student learning to write should make an effort to mast
39、er and use specific words wherever possible.?Specific words help to make writing clear,exact,vivid,and striking,for they are more informative and expressive than general words.Compare:?a good man:kind,honest,just,generous,sympathetic,warm-hearted,selfless,brave,honorable?good food:tasty,delicious,no
40、urishing,rich,wholesome,fresh,appetizing,abundant?house:mansion,villa,chateau,cottage,bungalow 带走廊的平房,cabin,hut,shack小室,shanty棚屋,shed货棚,barn?laugh:smile,grin,beam微笑示意,giggle咯咯地笑,titter嗤笑,snigger窃笑,chuckle吃吃地笑,guffaw狂笑,chortle得意的高笑Part III General and Specific wordsIt is easy to see that the specific
41、 words on the right are much more concrete and colorful than the general ones on the left;they seem to make the reader see,hear,or feel what the writer wishes to describe.E.g.GeneralIt is very cold.SpecificThe biting cold pierced through my bones.Part III general and specific words?Use specific word
42、s should go along with providing details,and then there will be effective and impressive writing.Study the following examples:Part III General and Specific WordsExample 1 GeneralShe was walking her dog.SpecificI could see her golden retriever splashing into puddles,chasingducks,and licking small chi
43、ldren as he loped across the park.Example 2?General It is often windy and dusty here in spring.?Specific In spring there is often a very strong northwest wind.It carries so much fine dust with it that sometimes the sun becomes obscure.There is no escape from the fine dust;it gets into your eyes,your
44、 ears,your nostrils,and your hair.It goes through the cracks of closed windows and covers your desks and chairs.Part III general and specific words?General and specific are relative terms,because there are degrees of generality.?e.g.Professional ScientistsChemists?BuildingHouse Log cabin?Clothes Swi
45、mming suit Bikinigeneral specific(superordinate)(hyponym)Exercise Task 1,2,3Page 7Part VI How to avoid monotonous repetitionChinese learners output products are inevitably affected by their mother tongue.In their writing,some unnecessary modifiers often appear.?For instance,in Chinese,we would say,“
46、请给我们多提宝贵意见”.It may be translated literallyas“Please gives us your valuable opinions”.Actually,weshouldalwaysappreciatetheothers advice and suggestions,“valuable”hereseems to be superfluous.The authentic oneturnsouttobe“Youropinions willbeappreciated”?Another good example is“他的病情好多了”.It is very likel
47、y written as“His sick condition is much better”.But“condition”itself implies“疾病”(sickness，illness).Therefore,“sick”here is meaningless repetition.The idiomatic way is“His condition is much better”Or much simpler:“He is much better”?Furthermore,when Chinese learners try to express following“V.O.struc
48、tures”like “吃饭”、“读书”、“唱歌”、“付钱”、“换车”etc.,they often produce some Chinglish.?Have you heard(any news)from your daughter recently?Write(letters)to me often?Dick was mad about booksHe made notes while he read(books).?Its through train,you dont have to change(trains)anywhere?He paid(money)to see the show
49、Tips ofdiversifying dictionIn English writing,repetition of the same words or expressions is undesirable.Within a passage,a paragraph,even a sentence,pronouns;synonyms;a superordinate and its hyponyms of the same meaning are often used to substitute each other in order to avoid monotonous repetition
50、.Such practice is so-called elegant variation(求雅替换）Tip1:synonyms are oftenused to repeat the same meaning.e.g.1.The solemn but simple ceremony held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing was attended by Zhou Nan,vice foreign minister and chairman of the Chinese delegation and Sir Richard Evans,B
