英语写作手册-英文版-知识点

1、Part One Manuscript FormYou should do everything - writing the title, leaving margins, indenting, capitalizing. Arrangement排版 Write the title in the middle of the first line. Capitalize the first and last words of the title and all other words (including words following hyphens in compound words) ex

2、cept articles, coordinating conjunctions (and, or, but, nor, for), prepositions, and the to in infinitives. Indent the first line of every paragraph, leaving a space of about four or five letters. Word Division移行 The general principle is to divide a word according to its syllables. Pay attention to

3、the following: One-syllable words like through, march, brain and pushed cannot be divided. Do not write one letter of a word at the end or at the beginning of a line, even if that one letter makes up a syllable, such as a. lone, trick. y. Do not put a two-letter syllable at the beginning of a line,

4、like hat. ed, cab. in. Avoid separating proper names of people or places, like Chi. na, Aus. ten. Divide hyphenated words only at the hyphen: father-in-law, empty-handed.Do not divide words in a way that may mislead the reader: pea. cock, re. ally. Do not divide the last word on a page. Instead, wri

5、te the whole word on the next page. Divide words with prefixes or suffixes between the prefix or suffix and the base part of the word: re. state. ment, un. relent. ing. Divide two-syllable words with double consonants between the two consonants: strug. gle, shat. ter. Dividing words is not always ea

6、sy. When in doubt, consult a dictionary. Capitalization大写Capitals are used mainly at three places: the first words of sentences, key words in titles, and proper names. Punctuation标点V. Handwriting书法Write carefully so that your handwriting can be read easily. Part Two Diction措词. Levels of Words词的类型The

7、 words that are often used may be divided, from a stylistic point of view, into three types: formal, common, and informal.Formal words may also be called learned words, or literary words, or big words. They mainly appear in formal writing, most of them are seldom used in daily conversation, except f

8、or special purposes.those that people use every day, and appear in all kinds of writing., they are called common words. There are words which are mainly used in informal or familiar conversation. They seldom appear in formal writing, and in literary works their main use is to record peoples thoughts

9、 and dialogues. They are usually short words of one or two syllables and most of them are of Saxon origin We may call them informal wordsSlang words are highly informal; they may be vivid and interesting, but they may, when used inappropriately, make the writer or speaker sound offensive or funny. T

10、he Meaning of Words词义The meaning of a word has two aspects: denotative and connotative. A words denotation is what it literally means, as defined by the dictionary; its connotation is the feeling or idea suggested by it. General and Specific Words泛指词和特指词Specific words help to make writing clear, exa

11、ct, vivid, and striking, for they are more informative and expressive than general words. . Idioms习语An idiom is a fixed group of words with a special meaning which is different from the meanings of the words that form it. Idioms are frequently used in speech and writing. They help to make ones langu

12、age sound natural and idiomatic. Figures of Speech修辞Words used in their original meanings are used literally, while words used in extended meanings for the purpose of making comparisons or calling up pictures in the readers or listeners mind are used figuratively. 1. Simile明喻 It is a comparison betw

13、een two distinctly different things and the comparison is indicated by the word as or like.2. Metaphor暗喻 It is the use of a word which originally denotes one thing to refer to another with a similar quality. 3. Personification拟人 It is to treat a thing or an idea as if it were human or had human qual

14、ities. In poetry personification is very common:In prose personification is also used, though not so often as in poetry.4. Metonymy转喻 It is substituting the name of one thing for that of another with which it is closely associated. 5. Synecdoche提喻 When a part is substituted for the whole or the whol

15、e is substituted for a part, synecdoche is applied6. Euphemism委婉语 It is the substitution of a mild or vague expression for a harsh or unpleasant one.7. Irony反语 It is the use of words which are clearly opposite to what is meant, in order to achieve a special effect. 8. Overstatement and understatemen

16、t夸大和缩小 In overstatement the diction exaggerates the subject, and in understatement the words play down the magnitude or value of the subject. Overstatement is also called hyperbole.Both aim at the same effect: to make the statement or description impressive or interesting.9. Transferred Epithet移位修饰

17、An epithet is an adjective or descriptive phrase that serves to characterize somebody or something. A transferred epithet is one that is shifted from the noun it logically modifies to a word associated with that noun. 10. Oxymoron矛盾修辞法 In oxymoron apparently contradictory terms are combined to produ

18、ce a special effect.11. Alliteration押头韵 It refers to the appearance of the same initial consonant sound in two or more words.Alliteration is sometimes used in prose for the same effect - to join two or more related words.Part Three The Sentence. Complete Sentences and Sentence FragmentsA grammatical

19、ly complete sentence is one that contains at least a subject and a predicate (or finite) verb; if the verb is transitive, there must be an object; if the verb is a link-verb, there must be a predicative or complement:A complete sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period. Types of S

20、entences1. Declarative, Interrogative, Imperative, and Exclamatory SentencesAccording to their use, sentences are declarative, interrogative, imperative, or exclamatory. A declarative sentence makes an assertion or a statement. An interrogative sentence asks a question. An imperative sentence expres

21、ses a command or a request. An exclamatory sentence expresses a strong feeling or emotion2. Simple, Compound, Complex, and Compound-Complex SentencesAccording to their structure sentences are simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.A simple sentence has only one subject and one predicate-verb

22、, but it may contain more than one object, attribute or adverbial. A sentence with two or more subjects or predicate-verbs A compound sentence consists of two or more independent clauses (or simple sentences) related to each other in meaning, and linked by a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, e

23、tc.) or by a semicolon without a conjunction. Coordinated ideas should be compatible and roughly equal in importance, or take shape one by one in orderly sequence.A complex sentence contains one main (or principal) clause and one or more dependent (or subordinate) clauses, with a connective word den

24、oting the relation between the two parts. The dependent clause may play the part of a subject, an object, a predicative, an attribute, or an adverbial in the main clause. As a rule, the major idea is expressed in the main clause and the idea or ideas of lesser importance in the subordinate clauses.A

25、 compound-complex sentence contains at least two main clauses and at least one dependent clause - a combination of a compound and a complex sentence.Short simple sentences are often used to make emphatic or important statements, such as the first sentence of the first passage and the last two senten

26、ces of the second passage.Long complex sentences express complex ideas clearly and accurately.3. Loose, Periodic, and Balanced SentencesFrom a rhetorical point of view, sentences are loose, periodic, or balanced. A loose sentence puts the main idea before all supplementary information; The reverse a

27、rrangement makes a periodic sentence: the main idea is expressed at or near the end of it, and it is not grammatically complete until the end is reached. The reader does not know what it is mainly about until he finishes reading it.Loose sentences are easier, simpler, more natural and direct; period

28、ic sentences are more complex, emphatic, formal, or literary.When a sentence contains two or more parts of the same form and grammatical function, it is one with parallel constructions.Such parallel sentences are emphatic and forceful. When a sentence contains two parallel clauses similar in structu

29、re but contrasted in meaning, it is a balanced sentence.Balanced sentences are impressive because of the contrast, and pleasing to hear because of the rhythm. They are mainly used in formal writing, like expository and argumentative prose, and speeches.4. Short and Long SentencesShort sentences are

30、usually emphatic, whereas long sentences are capable of expressing complex ideas with precision, because it may contain many modifiers. Short sentences are suitable for the presentation of important facts and ideas, and long sentences for the explanation of views and theories, or the description of

31、things with many details.Various sentence structures have been discussed. The basic principle is that the structure should fit the idea being expressed. In other words, the idea determines the choice of the structure, not the other way round. Effective Sentences1. UnityUnity is the first quality of

32、an effective sentence. A unified sentence expresses a single complete thought. 2. CoherenceCoherence means clear and reasonable connection between parts. 3. ConcisenessA sentence should contain no unnecessary words. If the idea is fully expressed, the fewer words are used, the better. Repetition is

33、sometimes necessary for emphasis, but unnecessary repetition, either of the same words or of different words with the same meaning, should be avoided.Conciseness can sometimes be achieved by changing the sentence structure. 4. Emphasis (1) Emphatic SentencesSentences may be emphasized in the followi

34、ng ways:Short sentences.Sentence fragments. They are also called one-member sentences.Inverted sentences. They are emphatic because their unusual word order draws the readers attention.Parallel constructions and balanced sentences. Periodic sentences. Their climactic word order makes them emphatic.I

35、mperative and exclamatory sentences. They are naturally emphatic:Rhetorical questions. They are questions in form but emphatic statements in meaning.Negative-positive statements. They first point out what is not the truth, and then what is. The contrast makes them emphaticSentences with repeated wor

36、ds or phrases. The repetition gives emphasis to such sentences. (2) Emphasis within the SentenceVarious ways can be used to achieve emphasis within the sentence.Placing. The beginning and the end, especially the end, of a sentence are the two places that attract the readers attention. Repetition. Un

37、necessary repetition adds nothing new to the meaning of a sentence; therefore it should be avoided. in a proper context repeating a word or an idea in different words may be a means of emphasis.The verb and the active voice. When describing actions, one had better use verbs instead of nouns denoting

38、 actions, for verbs are generally more vivid and emphatic than nouns.Subordination. This means putting a minor idea in a dependent element of the sentence so as to give the main idea a prominent position.Emphatic words and phrases. There are words and phrases that may be used to emphasize other word

39、s. Alliteration. It means the appearance of the same consonant sound at the beginning of two or more words, like busy as a bee.5. VarietyBut variety is not to be sought for its own sake. The structure and length of sentences are primarily determined by the ideas to be expressed. Part Four The Paragr

40、aphA paragraph is a unit of thought. A long paragraph expresses a complex idea, and a short one makes a major transition, an emphatic statement, or a summary. Effective ParagraphsA paragraph is like a mini-essay; it should be unified, coherent and well development. 1. UnityUnity of a paragraph is co

41、ncerned with its content. If all the sentences in the paragraph lead to one central theme, the paragraph is unified. The central theme is usually summarized in what is called the topic sentence. It often appears at the beginning of the paragraph; however, it may also be found in the middle or at the

42、 end of a paragraph. Sometimes, the topic sentence is not stated explicitly but is implied. 2. CoherenceCoherence of a paragraph is concerned with its form, or its organization. The sentences in a paragraph should be arranged in a clear, logical order, and the transitions should be smooth and natura

43、l. 3. TransitionThe following ways may help the writer to produce a fluent paragraph:A. Using parallel structures;B. Repeating words or word groups;C. Using pronouns to refer to nouns in preceding sentences;D. Being consistent in the person and number of nouns and pronouns, and the tense of verbs. W

44、ays of Developing Paragraphs1. Planning a ParagraphParagraphs need to be planned. First, think of the topic or theme or main idea, and express it in a complete sentence (topic sentence). Then think of the details or examples or facts that may be used to support or explain the main idea. Work out an

45、outline to arrange them in logical order, and you have a rough plan of the paragraph.2. Development by TimeIn telling a story or recounting an event, the easiest and clearest way is to describe things in order of time: earlier things are mentioned before later things, the first thing first and the l

46、ast thing last. This method is also called chronological sequencing.3. Development by ProcessWhen you have to explain how something is done, you usually follow a chronological sequence and give a step-by-step description.4. Development by SpaceBefore we begin to describe a place, we have to decide o

47、n the order in which to name the different parts or details. For this we should find out the space relationships between them and arrange our description accordingly. 5. Development by Example or GeneralizationSupporting a topic sentence with examples or illustrations makes a general statement speci

48、fic and easy to understand. There are two pattern of arrangement of details (or examples) in a paragraph: the general-to-specific or the specific-to-the generalDetails or examples are usually arranged in climactic order: the least important comes first, followed by others in order of increasing impo

49、rtance.6. Development by Comparison and ContrastStrictly speaking, a comparison points out the similarities between two things of the same thing, while a contrast, the differences between them. There are two major ways of organizing paragraphs of comparison and contrast. One way is to examine one th

50、ing thoroughly and then examine the other. In this way, the aspects examined in the two things should be identical and in the same order. This method is called block comparison or block contrast. The other way is to examine two things at the same time, discussing them point by point. This method is

51、called alternating comparison or alternating contrast.Alternating contrast is used when you want to point out several differences between two things or people without discussing them in great detail. You merely point out a special feature of one item and then state how the other item differs from it

52、 in that aspect.Block comparison is suitable when the writer wants to treat points of similarity in depth. In this way each point is drawn out and its relationship to another point is made clear. This type of comparison is often used when the points of similarity discussed are not many but complex,

53、and require much explanation. There is a special form of comparison - analogy. Analogy is tracing a striking likeness between unlike things.Analogies are especially helpful in explaining abstract ideas, for they relate ideas that cannot be experienced through the senses of sight, smell, hearing, tou

54、ch, or taste, to a sense experience, thus making the ideas easy to understand.7. Development by Cause and EffectSound reasoning or logic is naturally the most important quality of any causal analysis. There are two basic ways of organizing paragraphs developed by cause and effect. The first method i

55、s to state an effect and devote the rest of the paragraph to examining the causes. The second method is to state a cause and then mention or predict the effects.8. Development by ClassificationTo classify is to sort things into categories according to their characteristics. Essential to a good class

56、ification is parallelism.9. Development by DefinitionThere are three basic ways to define a word or term: to give a synonym, to use a sentence (often with an attributive clause), and to write a paragraph or even an essay. When we give a definition, we should observe certain principles.First, we shou

57、ld avoid circular definitions. Second, we should avoid long lists of synonyms if the term to be defined is an abstract one. Third, we should avoid loaded definitions. Loaded definitions do not explain terms but make an immediate appeal for emotional approval. 10. Development by a Combination of Meth

58、odsWriters may find it necessary to use a combination of methods in order to present their ideas in an impressive and convincing manner.Part Five The Whole CompositionLike a paragraph, a composition must have unity. All the facts and all the ideas in an essay should contribute to the presentation of its thesis or central thought. Proportion is as important to an essay. The essential part of an essay is the body or the middle part. To give this part abou