大学英语写作句型修辞sentences

1、Sentences in WritingI. Seven Basic Sentence PatternsI. Seven Basic Sentence PatternsSeven Basic Sentence Patterns Seven Basic Sentence Patterns uS + V （主语主语 + 动词）动词）I am speaking.uS + V + O （主语主语 + 动词动词 + 宾语）宾语）I studied English. uS + V + O2 + O1 （主语主语 + 动词动词 + 间接宾语间接宾语 + 直接宾语）直接宾语）He gave me a pen.

2、uS + V + O + OC （主语主语 + 动词动词 + 宾语宾语 + 宾语补足语）宾语补足语）We call him John.uS + LV + N （主语主语 + 连系动词连系动词 + 名词）名词）I am a student.uS + LV + A （主语主语 + 连系动词连系动词 + 形容词）形容词）I am happy.uS + V + O + A （主语主语 + 动词动词 + 宾语宾语 + 形容词）形容词）We find the work difficult.Types of Sentences Declarative Sentences Interrogative Sent

3、ences Imperative Sentences Exclamatory SentencesA.B. Simple, Compound, Complex and Compound-Complex SentencesThere are four traditional sentence patterns Simple, Compound, Complex, and Compound-Complex. (1) The Simple SentenceuA simple sentence has a single subject-verb combination.The mother is dre

4、ssing her baby.He lost his watch last week.uA simple sentence may have more than one subject: His speech and performance moved the audience.uor more than one verb:The factory chimney smoked and polluted the air. (2) The Compound SentenceuA compound sentence is made up of two or more simple sentences

5、, usually connected by a comma plus a joining word (and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet, etc.)uA compound sentence is used when you want to give equal weight to closely related ideas. The technique of showing that ideas have equal importance is called coordination. e. g. The heavy rain started suddenly,

6、 so we stopped planting our trees.Frank wanted to swimming, but Mary decided to go shopping.Jane works at the Family Planning Clinic and her husband Smith does research work for the same unit. (3) The Complex SentenceuA complex sentence contains one main (or principal) clause and one or more depende

7、nt (or subordinate) clauses, with a connective word denoting the relation between the two parts.uA complex sentence is used when you want to emphasize one idea over another in a sentence. The technique of giving one idea less emphasis than another is called subordination. e. g.Because I forgot the t

8、ime, I missed the bus.While Susan was eating the fish, she began to feel sick.I checked my paper again before I handed it to my professor.(4) The Compound-complex sentenceuA compound-complex sentence contains at least two main clauses and at least one dependent clause a combination of a compound and

9、 a complex sentence. e. g.When the power line snapped, Jack was listening to the stereo, and Linda was reading in bed.After I returned to school following a long illness, the math teacher gave me make-up work, but the history teacher made me drop her course. Independent clause + dependent clause(Acc

10、ording to the structure) People in favor of the traditional information sources always provide the following evidence. Firstly, the history of human civilization is the written history. Secondly, people are free to choose any posture and place that makes them comfortable when reading. Finally, tradi

11、tional information sources are reliable. They are especially so when it comes to preserving the human information.1. Travel will not only help us to gain knowledge of geography and history, but also help us keep healthy and make us less narrow-minded.2. He who makes no mistakes, makes nothing.3. I d

12、ecided to enter college not only because it is a place where I can continue to seek scientific truths, but also because it is a place where I can be exposed to various new, original ideas.4. The significance for college students of doing a part-time job means more than money and experience: it will

13、broaden their outlook and exert a profound influence on their personality and life.5. The meaning of time differs in different parts of the world; as a result, misunderstandings arise between people from cultures that treat time differently. III . Common ErrorsIII . Common ErrorsElements of a Senten

14、ceElements of a SentenceThe typical English sentence follows this pattern:Subject + predicateHe is tall. / It is raining.Her sister is twenty years old.They have only one child.The old man takes a walk in the park every day.This is important to remember, because in a simple Chinese sentence we somet

15、imes do not find a subject or a verb. Because of the first language interference, beginners sometimes write sentences without a subject or a verb. Therefore, the first thing beginners should learn is to check their own sentences to see whether they have the essential elements.Incomplete Sentences In

16、complete Sentences 残残 缺缺 句句 一般而言，英文句子的主语和谓语缺一不可。残缺句结构一般而言，英文句子的主语和谓语缺一不可。残缺句结构不完整，实际上是将词当成句子或将从句当成句子。不完整，实际上是将词当成句子或将从句当成句子。例例：I have visited many cities. For example, Beijing and Shanghai. 应改为应改为：I have visited many cities，for example，Beijing and Shanghai.例：例：The earths temperature is rising. Becau

17、se there is green-house effect.应改为应改为：The earths temperature is rising because there is green-house effect.The use of a comma in place of a period, a semicolon, a colon, or a dash is called the comma fault. The comma fault is a mistake Chinese students often make. Because in Chinese two complete sen

18、tences can be joined merely by a comma, students sometimes forget that in English there has to be a conjunction in addition to the comma if a semicolon, a colon, or a dash is not used.FaultyIt was raining hard, they could not work in the fields.CorrectIt was raining hard; they could not work in the

19、fields.It was raining hard. They could not work in the fields.It was raining so hard that they could not work in the fields.Because it was raining hard, they could not work in the fields.It was raining hard, so they could not work in the fields.As it was raining hard, they could not work in the fiel

20、ds.The Comma Fault (1)It is important to remember that in Chinese yinwei (因因为为) and suoyi (所以所以) or suiran (虽然虽然) and danshi (但是但是) are used in pairs, but in English only one conjunction is necessary.WrongBecause I was not there, so I cannot tell you what happened.RightBecause I was not there, I can

21、not tell you what happened.I was not there, soso I cannot tell you what happened.WrongThough I was not there, but I could imagine the situation.RightThough I was not there, I could imagine the situation.I was not there, but I could imagine the situation.How to combine various types of sentences when

22、 writing Loose sentencesPeriodic sentences Balanced sentences C. Loose sentence & Periodic sentence(1) Loose Sentence & Periodic Sentence A loose sentence (松散句松散句) is one that may be brought to a grammatical close before the end is reached. A periodic sentence (圆周句圆周句) is one that is not gra

23、mmatically complete until the end is reached. A. You cannot make great progress in English without good study habits. B. Without good study habits, you cannot make great progress in English.(2) Loose sentence与与periodic sentence的分类是出于修辞的考虑。的分类是出于修辞的考虑。 loose sentence: 是一种组织松弛的句子。它的组成部分可是一种组织松弛的句子。它的组

24、成部分可以比较自由地拆散，在句中的某些地方，可以随时停顿，而且以比较自由地拆散，在句中的某些地方，可以随时停顿，而且语法上具有一定的完整性。例句：语法上具有一定的完整性。例句： He was sitting before the fire in a large armchair when we entered. 在这个句子中，如果我们在在这个句子中，如果我们在fire或或armchair后停顿，意义仍后停顿，意义仍然是清晰的。然是清晰的。 periodic sentence: 句末所讲的东西一般都是一句话中最关句末所讲的东西一般都是一句话中最关键的东西，它留给读者或听众的印象也最深刻。因此，在

25、键的东西，它留给读者或听众的印象也最深刻。因此，在periodic sentence中，主要的意思留到句末。例句：中，主要的意思留到句末。例句： Having passed the house every day for two years, and knowing that the man was a cripple, I could not believe what the next-door neighbor told me. 如果这个句子在如果这个句子在years或或cripple之后停顿，语义和语法结构之后停顿，语义和语法结构就都不完整。必须到句末，句子意思才清晰，才知道说话人要就都

26、不完整。必须到句末，句子意思才清晰，才知道说话人要讲的是什么。讲的是什么。(3) Loose sentence的修辞作用的修辞作用 loose sentence的的修辞作用可以用修辞作用可以用8个字来形容：个字来形容：自然、轻松、流畅、易懂。自然、轻松、流畅、易懂。She was offered a professional contract after winning the Olympic gold medal for figure skating, according to the newspaper reports. 重点突出，开门见山。叙事方法与我们的习惯重点突出，开门见山。叙事方法

27、与我们的习惯思维相吻合：逐点展开，因势扩大。思维相吻合：逐点展开，因势扩大。(4) Periodic sentence的修辞作用的修辞作用 这种句型最重要的修辞功能在于造成读者心理上的一种期这种句型最重要的修辞功能在于造成读者心理上的一种期待（待（anticipation），），一种悬念（一种悬念（suspense），），因为作者要因为作者要揭示的重要信息，即读者急于想知道的内容，被推迟至句末，揭示的重要信息，即读者急于想知道的内容，被推迟至句末，吊足了读者的吊足了读者的“胃口胃口”。Though Jim had brought great glory to his nation, thoug

28、h thousands of people cheered him upon his return to the United States and attended banquets and a New York parade in his honor, he was not a citizen. 两个两个though引导的状语从句将引导的状语从句将Jim 的个人成就及美国人对他的欢迎程度推向了高的个人成就及美国人对他的欢迎程度推向了高潮。在这样的语境中，作者笔锋一转，潮。在这样的语境中，作者笔锋一转，he was not a citizen为全句划上一个急切的为全句划上一个急切的句号。读者

29、心理上在一刹那间经历了句号。读者心理上在一刹那间经历了“期待期待悬念悬念意外意外”的轨迹，不得不掩卷的轨迹，不得不掩卷作叹。作叹。There was a lamp burning on the table in the empty room and a little cat lying near the lamp. (loose sentence) On the table burned a lamp in the empty room, and near it lay a little cat. (periodic sentence) 试比较：试比较：Balanced sentencesA.

30、 You mistakenly took one bag of rat poison. I thought I could never see you again, but you survive.B. I just want to nourish you, but I never thought that you can not survive with nutrition.Comment: The two cartoons shock the rat, but amuse the readers.What are the important elements in effective se

31、ntences?Elements of Effective Sentences Correct sentences alone can not necessarily make good writing. Effective Sentences and paragraphs need the following qualities: 1 Unity 2 Coherence 3 Conciseness 4 Emphasis 5 VarietyUnity is regarded as the most important, or the primary quality of an effectiv

32、e sentence. It means that a sentence should express one, and only one complete idea. What it actually does is to make sure that we will follow the following rules:Coherence Sentence coherence means there is a clear and reasonable connection between different parts of a sentence. A. Misused ParallelA

33、 man is usually judged not only by what he says, but also by his deeds. It is clear that the writer wanted to apply a parallel structure with his not only.but also., but he used different structures, i.e., a clause and a noun phrase. If keeps these two parts in the same structure, the sentence would

34、 immediately stand out: A man is usually judged not only by what he says, but also by what he does. or A man is usually judged not only by his words, but also by his deeds. So if you try to use parallel structures, try your best to keep them in the same form. B. Vague pronoun(Pronoun with ambiguous

35、reference) He told his father that hed better leave as soon as possible. I bought a new computer, but it was not very helpful. You can see that in the first sentence, the second he is not clear, because it may refer to the father or the son. Unless in certain context, this sentence would be regarded

36、 as a bad one. In order to make this reference clear, we may use direct speech: He told his father: Id better leave as soon as possible. or He told his father that Youd better leave as soon as possible. Similarly, in the second example, the “it” is not clear. It may refer to the new computer, or ref

37、er to the action of buying a computer. We can also adjust it to make this sentence clear: I bought a new computer, but the machine was not very helpful.or I bought a new computer, but that was not very helpful.C. Dangling modifiersa word or phrase that modifies another word or phrase that has not be

38、en stated clearly within the sentenceoften occur at the beginnings and ends of sentencesoften indicated by an -ing verb or a to + verb phraseDangling modifiersHaving finished dinner, the football game was turned on.Having finished dinner, Jimturned on the football game. Dangling modifiers can be rep

39、aired by:placing the subject of the modification phrase as the subject of the independent clause:Having finished dinner, Jim turned on the football game.placing the subject of the action within the dangling phrase:After Jim finished dinner, he turned on the football game.How might you correct the fo

40、llowing sentence?Playing solitaire on the computer for three hours, Michaels paper was not completed.Better: Playing solitaire on the computer for three hours, Mike did not complete his paper.Better: Because Mike played solitaire on the computer for three hours, he did not complete his paper.How mig

41、ht you correct the following sentence?Locked away in the old chest, Richard was surprised by the antique hats.Better: Locked away in the old chest, the antique hats surprised Richard. Better: The antique hats locked away in the old chest surprised Richard.How might you correct the following sentence

42、?To work as a loan officer, an education in financial planning is required.Better: To work as a loan officer, one is required to have an education in financial planning.D.Misplaced Modifier We cannot avoid using modifiers, because they help to make our writing more vivid or more exact. However, some

43、times, modifiers, especially long modifiers present much difficulty. We generally put them after the noun, but sometimes we may put them too far away to mean what we want to mean. Look at this example: The story he told at first sounded very terrifying. What does this sentence mean? Im sure we may r

44、ead two meanings from it, this is because the at first is misplaced. It may be regarded as a modifier for told, or a modifier for sounded. Maybe the following sentences are better: The first story he told sounded very terrifying. or The story he told sounded very terrifying at first.Misplaced Modifi

45、ers a word or phrase that causes confusion because it is located within a sentence so far away from the word(s) to which it refersMisplaced Modifiers Consider the different meanings in the following sentences:The dog under the tree bit Carrie. vs. The dog bit Carrie under the tree.How might you corr

46、ect the following sentence?Jennifer called her adorable kitten opening the can of tuna and filled the food bowl.Better: Opening the can of tuna, Jennifer called her adorable kitten and filled the food bowl.How might you correct the following sentence?Tom rushed to the store loaded with cash to buy t

47、he birthday gift.Better: Tom, loaded with cash, rushed to the store to buy the birthday gift.Misplaced ModifiersSome one-word modifiers often cause confusion:almost justnearlysimply even hardlymerelyonly Explain the meaning of each sentence: Almost everyone in the class passed the calculus exam. Eve

48、ryone in the class almost passed the calculus exam. Which sentence indicates that everyone in the class failed the exam?Explain the meaning of each sentence: John nearly earned $100. John earned nearly $100. Which sentence indicates that John earned some money?E. Confusing change in person, number,

49、mood and voiceFriends who can help you when youre in trouble are real friends. Usually when were involved in troubles, nobody want to help us. When theyre supported by friend, they will find that .ConcisenessConciseness means that effective sentence should not contain unnecessary words, that is, the

50、re should not be any word in the sentence that does not add something to the information. These redundant words can only cover up the real meaning and confuse your readers. The following are some examples of lack of conciseness.The flower is red in color.The war ended in the year of 1945.Professor S

51、mith is a very learned and kind professor.In my opinion, I think the second plan is better.Methods to achieve conciseness 1. Eliminate unnecessary determiners and modifiersWordyAny particular type of dessert is fine with me.Balancing the budget by Friday is an impossibility without some kind of extr

52、a help.More ConciseAny dessert is fine with me.Balancing the budget by Friday is impossible without extra help.2. Change phrases into single wordsWordy The employee with ambition.The department showing the best performance.More ConciseThe ambitious employee.The best-performing department.3. Change u

53、nnecessary that, who, and which clauses into phrasesWordy The report, which was released recently.All applicants who are interested in the job must.The system that is most efficient and accurate.More ConciseThe recently released report.All job applicants must.The most efficient and accurate system.4

54、. Avoid overusing expletives at the beginning of sentencesExpletives are phrases of the form it + be-verb or there + be-verb. Such expressions can be rhetorically effective for emphasis in some situations, but overuse or unnecessary use of expletive constructions creates wordy prose. Wordy It is the

55、 governor who signs or vetoes bills.There are four rules that should be observed: .More ConciseThe governor signs or vetoes bills.Four rules should be observed:.WordyThere was a big explosion, which shook the windows, and people ran into the street.More ConciseA big explosion shook the windows, and

56、people ran into the street.5. Use active rather than passive verbsWordy An account was opened by Mrs. Simms.Your figures were checked by the research department.More ConciseMrs. Simms opened an account.The research department checked your figures.How might you improve the following sentence?The deci

57、sion that was reached by the committee was to postpone the vote.Better: The committee reached the decision to postpone the vote.Best: The committee decided to postpone the vote.Wordy The function of this department is the collection of accounts.The current focus of the medical profession is disease

58、prevention.More ConciseThis department collects accounts.The medical profession currently focuses on disease prevention.6. Avoid overusing noun forms of verbs7. Reword unnecessary infinitive phrasesSome infinitive phrases can be converted into finite verbs or brief noun phrases. Making such changes

59、also often results in the replacement of a be-verb with an action verb.Wordy The duty of a clerk is to check all incoming mail and to record it.More ConciseA clerk checks and records all incoming mail.Wordy A shortage of tellers at our branch office on Friday and Saturday during rush hours has cause

60、d customers to become dissatisfied with service.More ConciseA teller shortage at our branch office on Friday and Saturday during rush hours has caused customer dissatisfaction.8. Omit words that explain the obvious or provide excessive detailBe sure always to consider your readers as you draft and revise yo