大学英语词汇与写作课件

1、Chapter IVocabulary and WritingBe Careful about Words Every parent hopes that his child will turn out a dragon. Be Careful about Expressions重男轻女。 Man used to be heavier than woman in traditional culture in ancient China.Man used to be superior to woman in social position in traditional culture in an

2、cient China.ContentPart I. Levels of wordsPart I. The meaning of words Section A Synonymy Section B Hyponymy Part III. General and Specific WordsPart VI. Tips to avoid monotonous repetitionPart V. Accurate Diction and The cultural difference in English and ChinesePart I Levels of WordsWords are gene

3、rally 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 WordsFormal English is the language of professional journals, formal speeches,

4、 and 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

5、universe which 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

6、a fairly uniform emotional response to a given word, that response become part of the connotation, therefore part of the standard meaning of the word in that language. FormalCommonimpoverished; poverty-strickenpoorWealthyrich; intelligent clever (smart); automobilecar; Diligenthard-working;penultima

7、te next-to-last; second 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 WordsStandard 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,

8、 non-fiction, best sellers, 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 vibrations that went to

9、make up sound, he found that 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 WordsColloquial or informal words are usually short words of one or two syllables and most

10、of them are of Saxon origin.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

11、 disgruntled passenger on there, 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 oth

12、er drivers, to avoid hitting them. So you 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

13、to death. (colloquial)I saw an apparition, and 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 WordsSlang refers to novel and colorful expressions that reflect a certain groups spe

14、cial experiences and set the group off from othersSlang 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

15、is generally inappropriate for college or business writing.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! Di

16、dnt do that, my son, when Is a little shaver in school.Note:th mornin: the morning take keer oim: take care of himseeim: see him Lettin: Letnohow: anyhow Is: I wasa little shaver: a little boyput off postponecover up concealcome across encountertake part in participate cut down reduce break up disin

17、tegrateVerbal phrases verbsRule 1 Verbal phrases tend to be colloquial，verbs tend to be formal：make a contribution contribute give consideration to consider the application of apply adjective phrases verbs be forgetful of forget be envious of (嫉妒) envy be contemptuous of contempt (轻蔑)noun phrases ve

18、rbsRule 2 Noun phrases and adjective phrases are more formal than their corresponding verbs ：Exerise 1：Do you know the following formal words？And what are their Anglo-Saxon originals？profound deep approximately aboutaccommodation room inquire askcaution care corporal* body sufficient enoughcommence

19、begin identical similarExercise 2： What are the formal equivalents of these Anglo-Saxon originals？helpaid putplacewet humidchange transform inner interior carry convey buypurchasehave possess useemploy/utilizeExerise 3：Here is a beginning of an application letter, what do you think of its wording？ I

20、m sending you this letter because I want you to meet with me and give me some info about the job you do.The improper usage of the words like want, info which are colloquial made the letter sound informal and casual in impolite tone. Improved revision： Im writing to inquire about the possibility of a

21、n interview. More exercise Task 1,2Students book, Page 4Part II The meaning of WordsThe Meaning of Words has 2 aspects: denotative（原义）and connotative（涵义）.A words denotation is what it literally means, as defined by the dictionary; its connotation is the feeling or idea suggested by it.Denotation: ty

22、pewriter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）。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 home away fro

23、m 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，while the second one refers to its donotation.denotative and connotative refer two aspects of a word instead of two independently separate concepts. The Use of Connotation

24、Based on what the word suggests in our mind，connotation can de divided into three types: Negative: There are over 2,000 vagrants in this city. Neutral: There are over 2,000 people with no fixed address in this city. Positive: There are over 2,000 homeless in this city. Another exampleNegro Black Afr

25、ican-AmericanNegro is negative，implying the racial discrimination;Black is objective，referring the group of a race of people with the dark skin African-American is positive.Guess the meaninggreen eye Im feeling rather blue today. Im browned off, sitting here all day with nothing to dodenotation and

26、connotationMr. 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, but he said nothing. Last Friday, a black letter day, he had a car accident. He was looking rather green and feeling blue lately. When I saw him, he was in a

27、 brown study. I hope hell soon be inthe 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。我见到他的时候，他心事重重。我希望他早点振作起来。Part II the Meaning of Words Section A SynonymsSince the connotations of words may vary along a number of dimensions, it is difficult

28、 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 Synonyms1. British English and American English British EnglishautumnliftlorrypetrolflatAmerican Englishfallelevatortruckgasolineapartment2. Example: inform

29、al-formalask : informalquestion: ask many questionsinterrogate: suggesting that the person is being held by force and asked questions which they are unwilling 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

30、interrogated as prisoners of war.3. Example: weak-strongGroup 1: economical, frugal, thrifty, mean, miserly, stingyHe has been a very thrifty person all his life.Dont you expect a loan from such a miserly man?Group 2: like, love, admire, adore, worshipHe is a nice man and all the pupils like him.The

31、 pop singer is especially worshipped by teenagers.3. Example: weak-strongbig : biglarge : unusually bighuge : extremely large emphatic (formal)Put the books in the big box.Wuhan is a big/large city in Central China.The team has got a huge man over two meters tall.3. Example: emotionless-emotionalsma

32、ll: (emotionless)little: (implying a feeling of fondness) They lived in a small town. (describing the area) I can never forget the little town where I spent my happy childhood. (I like it.)3. Example: favorable-unfavorablemodest: not proud (a virtue, laudatory/favorable)humble: having a low opinion

33、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. Example: different collocationaccuse of, charge with, rebuke for rotten tomatoes, addled eggs, rancid bacon or butter, s

34、our milkA large amount / number / quantity of money/ people / beergreat courage / confidence / ability / wisdom, 5. Example: slight difference in meaningThey lost no time in escaping the burning hotel They lost no time in fleeing the burning hotel 5. Example: slight difference in meaningFinish, comp

35、leteWhen 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 wife likes shopping so much then you are finished completely.Section B Hyponymy Hyponymy refer

36、s 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. Section B Hyponymysuperordinate: flowerhyponyms: rose, tulip, carnation, lily, morning glory

37、 superordinate: animal hyponyms: dog, cat, tiger, lion, wolf, koala, fox Section B HyponymyRed-light running has always been regarded as a minor wrong, and so it may be in individual instances. When the violation becomes habitual, widespread and incessant, however, a great deal more than a traffic m

38、anagement problem is involved. ( Frank Trippett: A Red Light for Scofflaws) ExerciseTask 1,2, 3 ,4 ,5Student book, page 5Part III General and Specific WordsGeneral words name classes or groups of things. These words are needed in classification and definition.Specific words refer to examples of a gr

39、oup. 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 master and use specific words wherever possible. Specific words h

40、elp 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, honorablegood food: tasty, delicious, nourishing, rich, wholesome, fresh, appetizing,

41、 abundanthouse: mansion, villa, chateau, cottage, bungalow带走廊的平房, cabin, hut, shack小室, shanty棚屋, shed货棚, barnlaugh: 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 words It is easy to see that the specific words on the right ar

42、e 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.General It is very cold.Specific The biting cold pierced through my bones. Part III general and specific wordsUse specific words should go along

43、 with providing details, and then there will be effective and impressive writing. Study the following examples:Part III General and Specific WordsExample 1 General She was walking her dog. Specific I could see her golden retriever splashing into puddles, chasing ducks, and licking small children as

44、he loped across the park.Example 2General 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 ears,

45、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.ProfessionalScientistsChemistsBuilding House Log cabinClothes Swimming

46、 suit Bikini general specific (superordinate) (hyponym)Exercise Task 1,2,3Page 7Part VI How to avoid monotonous repetition Chinese 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

47、, “请给我们多提宝贵意见”. It may be translated literally as “Please gives us your valuable opinions”. Actually, we should always appreciate the others advice and suggestions, “valuable” here seems to be superfluous. The authentic one turns out to be “Your opinions will be appreciated”Another good example is “

48、他的病情好多了”. It is very likely 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 learne

49、rs try to express following “V. O. structures” 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 oftenDick was mad about booksHe made notes while he read (books).Its through train, you dont have to change

50、(trains) anywhereHe paid (money) to see the show Tips of diversifying diction In 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 sub

51、stitute each other in order to avoid monotonous repetition. Such practice is so-called elegant variation(求雅替换） Tip 1: synonyms are often used 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 mini

52、ster and chairman of the Chinese delegation and Sir Richard Evans, British ambassador to China and head of the British team. Tip 2: the superordinate and its hyponyms often take the place of each other to repeat the same meaning. e.g. 2 Yesterday a pigeon carried the first message from London to Liv

53、erpool. The bird covered the distance in three hours. The Bird the superordinate a pigeon its hyponym Tip 3: Specific words can replace general words to deliver clear, exact, vivid and distinct meaning helping the reader informative.e.g. 3: At 50 yards he stumbled / fell, and I helped him to his fee

54、t . He looked like he was going to get teary-eyed / cry and , and stammered / run that he wanted to run with the others. Tip 4: The sentences, noun phrases and expressions meaning the same in various forms can also be repeated. e.g.4 Many of us believe that a persons mind becomes less active as he g

55、rows older. A recent study shows that it is true that when a person is old there is some decline in his psychomotor (adj. 精神运动的 ) speed. But when speed is not a factor, he loses very little intellectual ability over the years. Please figure out three forms of “大脑退化”in the paragraph.key: Many of us b

56、elieve that a persons mind becomes less active as he grows older. A recent study shows that it is true that when a person is old there is some decline in his psychomotor (adj.精神运动的) speed. But when speed is not a factor, he loses very little intellectual ability over the years.Exercisepage 8Part V.

57、Accurate Diction and The cultural difference in English and ChineseWhy the words the learners are using are not entirely wrong, but inappropriate, inexact, unidiomatic or uninteresting?e.g.大雨把我们浇成了落汤鸡。（）The rain was so heavy that we were like chickens.（）The rain was so heavy that we were all as wet

58、as drowned rats.Part V. Accurate Diction and The cultural difference in English and ChinesePlease translate the following Chinese phrases into English1. 冷色调 2. 温床3. 喝汤 4. 休息室5. 旅游城市 6. 步行街7.一轮圆月 8.学知识 9.安全感 10.飞吻 The difference between the right word and the almost-right word is as great as that between lightning and the lighting bug用词准确与用词几乎准确，这两者之间的差异就如闪电与萤火虫之间的差异。” Part V. Accurate Diction and The cultural difference in Engli