1、实用英语写作教程实用英语写作教程Content Chapter I ABCs of English Writing Chapter II Genres of English Writing(I)Chapter III Genres of English Writing(II)Chapter IV Common Mistakes in English WritingChapter I ABCs of English Writing I Punctuation Marks II Manu Scripts III Diction IV Correct and Effective Sentences
2、V Ways of Develop paragraphsI Punctuation MarksnThe comma(,)nThe period(.)nThe semicolon(;)nThe colon(:)nThe question mark(?)nThe exclamation mark(!)nQuotation mark(“”)nParentheses/brackets()nSquare brackets(【】)nThe dash(-)Attention!1.Never begin with a comma(,),a period(.),a colon(:),a question mar
3、k(?),an exlamation mark(!)2.Never ends with 【“(-The comma(,)1.A comma is used to join clauses.It is put before the conjunction(and,but,or,for,so,nor,yet)2.A comma is used after an adverbial clause or phrase.3.Commas are used to separate a series of words or phrases with the same function in the sent
4、ence.4.Nonrestrictive clauses and phrases are Set off by commas.5.Commas set off parenthetical elements.6.In dates,a comma is used to separate the day and the year if the order is month-day-year,no comma need be used if the order is day-month-year.7.Numbers 1,253,900 53,807,214The period(.)1.Declara
5、tive sentence,a mildly imperative sentence,and an indirect question2.Abbreviations3.Ellipsis mark Writing Task 1most american people are fond of cats and or dogs it is said that every year they spend about$5.4billion on their pets including$1.5 billion on pet food four times the amount of money they
6、 spend on baby food now there are about 100 million dogs and cats in the country the number is still going up rapidly since 12 500 puppies are born every hourAnswers to task 11.Most American people are fond of cats and/or dogs.It is said that every year they spend about$5.4billion on their pets,incl
7、uding$1.5 billion on pet food-four times the amount of money they spend on baby food.Now there are about 100 million dogs and cats in the country;the number is still going up rapidly since 12 500 puppies are born every hour.Task 2 its 745 on tuesday morning and 26 year old steve clerkson is going to
8、 work he puts on his jacket and picks up his cell phone paper and laptop as he leaves the house he turns on his mp3 player and put on his headphones he is ready to goAnswers to Task 2Its 7:45 on Tuesday morning and 26-year-old Steve Clerkson is going to work.He puts on his jacket and picks up his ce
9、ll phone,paper,and laptop.As he leaves the house,he turns on his MP3 player and put on his headphones.He is ready to go.II Manu Scripts Arrangement CapitalizationArrangement 1.two centimeters at the top 2.two centimeters at the bottom 3.one and a half centimeters on the left 4.one and a half centime
10、ters on the rightCapitalization 1.proper names2.key words in titles3.the first words of sentencesTask 11.where i lived,and what i lived for2.are transgenic crops safe?3.well-known dramatists of the ming dynasty4.a day to remember5.approaches to teaching english as a foreign language6.criticisms on t
11、he ending of mark twains adventures of huckleberry finnAnswers to task 11.Where I Lived,and What I Lived For 2.Are Transgenic Crops Safe?3.Well-Known Dramatists of the Ming Dynasty4.A Day to Remember5.Approaches to Teaching English as a Foreign Language6.Criticisms on the Ending of Mark Twains Adven
12、tures of Huckleberry FinnIII Diction-Using Proper Words I.Using words correctly II.Using words accuratelyI.Using words correctly1.overcome ChinglishvEg:vIm not afraid of the hot weather.I dont mind the hot weather.I found the room rather cold.I felt the room rather cold.On Sundays I always sleep lat
13、e.On Sundays I always get up late.The blanket felt soft to her.She felt the blanket soft.His level of English has been proved.His English has improved.He came out the fourth in the exam.He received the fourth place in the exam.2.Beware of archaisms,obsolete words,and newly-coined wordsWords or meani
14、ng of words which are no longer in common used but occur in special text(e.g.Religious works)and poetry are called archaic.Eg:mayhaps(v.hope;adv.maybe),quoth(vt.say),thy(pron.your),ere(prep.before)Words or meaning which have gone out of use altogether are called obsolete.Eg:admirable废语令人惊奇的 fine n.废
15、语惩罚，处罚；为接受惩罚支付的钱 Newly-coined words Eg:junior-high-schooler,tube-steak,water-sensitive-crops,snow-poor-winter,3.Avoid slang On hearing that his father had kicked the bucket,we wrote him a letter to express our deep sympathies.The big banquet held in honor of the distinguished state guests was really
16、 neat.俚语呱呱叫的；了不起的，极好的 Unexceptionable/admirable/excellentII.Using words accurately The shade of meaningThe shade of meaning Eg1:eagle and hawk Eagle is a bird that soars high and thus see far.to have an eagle eye(to have excellent vision)Hawk is a bird of pray,symbolizes harshness,thus people call t
17、he hard line politician“the hawk”.Eg2:dumb and mute He is a dumb/mute man.1.Specific and concrete words Specific and generalA good man:kind/honest/just/generous/sympathetic/warm-hearted/selfless/honorableGood food:tasty/nourishing/rich/wholesome/high-priced/fresh/substantial General:In spring,the we
18、ather in Beijing can be very bad.Specific:In spring,it is often windy and dusty here.More specific with the help of details:In spring,the wind blows all day long.The air is then filled with fine dust which sometimes shuts out the sun.There is no escape from the fine dust.It gets into your eyes,your
19、ears,your nostrils,and your hair.2.Denotation and Connotation Denotation is the basic,direct,literal meaning of a word.As defined by the dictionary.Connotation is the association around and the overtone about the word.its the feeling or idea suggested by the word.vE.g.国家vCountry emphasizes the terri
20、tory.vNation emphasizes the people.vState emphasizes political organization.vLand is often used to connote certain feeling.vAn island country;neighboring countryvpeace-loving nation;the awaking nation of AfricavState-owned enterprisesvOur state system is the peoples democratic dictatorship.vA far-aw
21、ay/foreign land;a land of liberty/opportunityDifferent connotation reflects the different attitude of the speaker.Complimentary derogatory neutralPublic servant bureaucrat government employeeFinancier speculator investorLaw officer cop policemanCaptain of industry tycoon successful businessman Inves
22、tigator spy detectiveCaptive jailbird prisoner3.Synonyms Synonyms:Two or more forms with very closely related meaning,which are often but not always,intersubstitutable in a sentence.According to formality:Early English:small/little ask time rise French:petite question age mount Latin:diminutive inte
23、rrogate epoch ascend Generally,Latin words are more bookish than early English and French.Examples The concert concluded with a performance of Beethovens 5th symphony.They ended the concert with Beethovens 5th symphony.My father purchased a large automobile.My dad bought a big car.IV Correct and Eff
24、ective SentencesI.Elements of a sentenceII.Requirements of a correct sentenceIII.Requirements of an effective sentenceI.Elements of a sentence 1.Completeness in structure;2.Begin with a capital letter;3.End with a full stop,or a question mark,or an exclamation mark;4.Express a single complete idea.I
25、I.II.Requirements of a correct sentenceRequirements of a correct sentence pleteness in structure 2.the right subject 3.agreement between the subject and the predicate verb 4.agreement between pronoun and antecedent 5.clear pronoun reference 6.ending sentences with full stops 7.joining clauses with c
26、onjunctions 8.a main clause in a complex sentence 9.proper use of comparisons 10.correct use of the tenseTask 1Correct the following sentences:vBecause he hadnt finish his assignment,so he continued working in the pleteness in structurevNot knowing his name,it was difficult to introduce him.the righ
27、t subjectvA number of spelling mistakes was found in his composition.agreement between the subject and the predicate verbvEverybody should return the books he borrowed within a week.agreement between pronoun and antecedent She told my sister that her idea was practicable.clear pronoun reference No o
28、ne come to the party,it was a complete failure.ending sentences with full stops/joining clauses with conjunctions Because he had not heard about that important decision.a main clause in a complex sentence The Sahara is larger than any desert in the world.proper use of comparisons We have revised our
29、 work plan last night.correct use of the tenseFragment and EllipsevA fragment is a part of sentence(such as a phrase or dependant/subordinate clause)which begins with a capital letter and ends as a sentence does.vE.g.vFragment The result being that he lost the presidential election.vSentence The res
30、ult is that he lost the presidential election.More Fragment-like sentencesMAs exclamations Oh!Nonsense!Well done!What a day!How kind of you!Susan a singer!?MIn spoken English A:how about this?B:very good!A:Your name and your address,please?B:All right,here.MAs transitions And a final instance,To ret
31、urn from our digression,Now,a few more words about the meeting today.For emphasis and vividness There is a price to pay for success.The demanding price of self denial,the price of blood and sweat and tears.III.Requirements of an effective sentenceI Unity I Unity Unity:Unity:A sentence should express
32、 a single complete idea,no more,no less.If it contains too much,then the sentence becomes confusing.If it contains too little,then the idea in it is incomplete.In other words,a sentence violates the principle of unity if it contains ideas that are not closely related;whats more,a sentence is not uni
33、fied if it does not express a complete thought.vEg:vIdeas not closely related:vBorn in a small town in South China in 1937,he grew up to be a great musician.vHe was born in a small town in South China in 1937,and grew up to be a great musician.vIdea incomplete:vDream of the Red Mansion is the best-k
34、nown novel.v Dream of the Red Mansion is one of the best-known classical Chinese novel.1.Avoid chopped-up sentenceIn the following sentence,the idea of one unified sentence is chopped into several short sentences.E.g:My best friend in high school was our literature teacher.Her name was Wang Li.She t
35、aught us literature for three years.Revised:My best friend in high school was our literature teacher,Wang Li,who taught us for three years.2.Avoid Fused sentence:several ideas are fused into one sentence.Fused:She suddenly paused and it seemed wonderful that she could speak so easily but she was usu
36、ally bashful.Improved:She suddenly paused.It seemed wonderful that she could speak so easily,but she was usually bashful.Fused:They did not win the game so far as I could see they did not even try.Improved:They did not win the game.So far as I could see,they did not even try.II Coherence Coherence r
37、equires that the parts of a sentence are so arranged that they stick together,and that the ideas progress in a logical sequence.1.Parallelism E.g:I forgot that my research paper was due on Tuesday and my teacher had said he would not accept late papers.In parallel construction it is necessary to bal
38、ance word for word,phrase with phrase,clause with clause,sentence with sentence.It is sometimes necessary to repeat the introductory word or phrase or clause.vThe child was pretty and had brains.The child was pretty and intelligent.vHe sat down and was beginning to work.He sat down and began to work
39、.vI will wait until you call or she comes.I will wait until you call or until she comes.vI went to the dance with a girl from Memphis and who has a southern accent.I went to the dance with a girl who is from Memphis and who has a southern accent.2.Consistency(1)keep the same grammatical subject unle
40、ss there is good reason for changing.Eg:The cast first discusses the play and then nightly rehearsals begin.The cast first discusses the play and then begin nightly rehearsals.(2)Keep the person of pronoun consistent.Eg:Having eaten our lunch,they departed by boat.Having eaten their lunch,they depar
41、ted by boat.(3)Keep the number of nouns and pronouns consistent Eg:Being a student,we all wish to learn to write well.One can never write effectively,unless they write as much and as often as they can.(4)Keep the mood and the voice that you have decided upon.Eg:First build a fire and then you should
42、 make the coffee.He drove the car into the garage and the motor was quickly stopped.3.Subordination Correct subordination clarifies the relationships between ideas,thus strengthens the coherence of a sentence.Subordination also leads to greater economy in writing,permitting one to express oneself in
43、 the fewest possible words.It can be achieved by turning the other clause into:(1)an adverbial clause(2)an adjective clause(3)a present participial phrase(4)a past participial phrase(5)an appositiveEg:A.I was in college.I had a roommate.He was studying to be a lawyer.B.I ran out of ink,thus being un
44、able to finish my theme.C.The dean issued a bulletin,and it said the library would remain open on weekends.III Conciseness1.No wordinessnWordiness also violates the principle of unity,the idea gets blurred by unnecessary words which obscure it like clouds and smoke.nSorry,Im not in a position to off
45、er assistance to him.Sorry,I am unable to help him.nThe maid put the letter that came from Prague on my desk.The maid put the letter from Prague on my desk.nThere are several advantages to buying a motorbike.Buying a motorbike offers several advantages.nId like to take the opportunity to say thank y
46、ou.Thank you.2.Clarity2.ClarityClarity requires that a sentence should be written with its meaning unmistakably clear.Misunderstanding is often caused by the position of modifiers：The meaning of a sentence can be changed drastically by changes in the position of modifiers.Eg：I really dont mind waiti
47、ng.I dont really mind waiting.In one word,the modifier must be placed as near to the modified as possible.IV EmphasisEmphasis is the means by which you give desired force to your writing.1.positioning for emphasisThe sentence end-the place of strongest emphasisThe sentence beginning-the place of sec
48、ondary emphasisThe middle-the place of least emphasisE.g.He will not have the endurance needed for the long training required to be a dentist,I think.Attention:move the point to be emphasized,out of order,to the front,this process is often called fronting or inversion.E.g:This I will never do.2.use
49、of the appropriate voice for verbsvIn general the active voice is preferable because it is more direct and precise,but sometimes the passive is more appropriate than the active.vE.g.vThe advice which was given to me by you will be followed by me.vTelevision was watched by the whole family in the eve
50、nings.vPassive voice is preferable:vwhen the receiver of an action is more important than the doer.vwhen the doer is vague or unknown.vwhen the doer is to be especially emphasized.3.Climactic ordervClimacte order is the order that goes from the least important to the most important or that goes from
