英语写作1 chapter 2 general words and specific words

1、Choice of words/Diction,Choice of words,Use suitable words General words and specific words Abstract words and concrete words Level of words,Use suitable words,Eg. The skinny woman slinked in. 瘦的皮包骨头的女人溜了进来。 The slender woman glided in. 一位苗条的淑女飘然而至。,They should adopt a more _approach and investigate

2、 alternative uses for their property. Designing silicon chips to mimic human organs sounds _. (fanciful, imaginative) Malcolm is a _ and realistic businessman. The _criminal is difficult to track down. (cunning , shrewd) They have plenty of money now, but they still tend to be_. Shes too _ to make a

3、 donation. (thrifty, mean),The committee expressed thanks to everyone for their _donations. Would it would be too _to buy both? (extravagant, generous) The Prime Minister appeared relaxed and _of winning an overall majority. Its _of you to assume youll win every time. (confident, arrogant),Children

4、are _about the origin of mankind/the structure of atoms. Ive always found her unbearably_. (curious, inquisitive, nosey) All these considerations made him even more _to lead the world toward arms reduction. The conservatives show _resistance to reform. (determined, stubborn),The Meaning of Words,The

5、 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/implied by it.,Three aspects of connotation,Negative neutral positive Disapproving approving Derogatory Unfavo

6、rable favorable,Note: 1) When using a word, you first need to be sure about a words denotation, otherwise mistakes will be unavoidable in your spoken or written communication. Eg. College English speech contest prize promulgation ceremony 2） greater concern should be showed for connotations of a wor

7、d. One word may have several connotations. The same thing may have different connotative meanings in different cultural contexts. Eg. the color word yellow may stimulate us Chinese and an English native speaker to think of different things.,Words with the same detonation but different connotations,T

8、he Meaning of Words(1-1),country, nation, state, land country - refers to an area of land and its population and government nation - the people of a country state - the government or political organization of a country land - more literary and emotive country,The Meaning of Words(1),an island countr

9、y; neighbouring countries In area China is the third largest country in the world. a peace-loving nation; the awakening nations of Africa,The Meaning of Words(2),The modernization programme has won the support of the whole nation. state organs; state-owned enterprises China is my native land.,The Me

10、aning of Words(2),big, large, huge big - a common word large - slightly more formal and may be used to describe things that are unusually big, so it is more emphatic than big huge - more literary than these two words, means extremely large and is more emphatic than large,The Meaning of Words(3),a bi

11、g / large city; a big / large house Wuhan is a very large city in Central China. The team has got a huge man over two metres tall.,The Meaning of Words(3),small, little interchangeable, different in emotional coloring between them small - objective little - a feeling of fondness,The Meaning of Words

12、(3),They lived in a small town. I can never forget the little town where I spent my happy childhood.,The Meaning of Words(4),modest, humble both a lack of pride, different in tone modest - a virtue, laudatory humble - not a virtue; often connotes undue self-depreciation; derogatory,The Meaning of Wo

13、rds(4),Modest and hardworking, he made very quick progress at school. Clearly Gompers was overawed by Wilson. His face took on a servile look;his voice was humble.,Ex _ Diction(1),In each sentences, choose the more precise of the two in italics, and explain your reasons. 1. A few listeners were disi

14、nterested / uninterested and dozed off. 2. Though she has grown up, her behavior is often childlike / childish.,Ex _ Diction(2),3.I am quite jealous / envious of your opportunity to study at such a famous university. 4.Her clothes, though made of cheap / inexpensive material, are quite elegant. 5.I

15、am sorry to refuse / decline your invitation.,Ex _ Diction (3),6. He was surprised / shocked/stunned to find that little sister had become a pretty, slim / skinny young woman. 7.This servile man was especially modest / humble when he was talking with his superiors.,Ex _ Diction (4),8. This homely /

16、ugly old man is a well-known musician. 9. My uncle became fat / stout as he grew older. 10. Is that old / elderly woman / lady sitting on the bench your mother?,Ex _ Diction (1-5),11. The enemy troops were driven back when they attempted / tried to cross the border. 12. They all felt sympathy / pity

17、 for the victims of the disaster and made donations. 13. Empress Doeager Cixi was famous / notorious for her cruelty.,General words and specific words,General word- a group/class Specific word-a member of that class Attention: This classification of words into general or specific is relative in thei

18、r reference.,General and Specific words,Specific words provide precise, sensory, or concrete details. General words convey inexact, intangible, and often abstract concepts. Comparatively speaking, general words are more vague and abstract in meaning than specific words. Professionals, for instance,

19、is more general than scientists, doctors, teachers, lawyers, journalists, etc., all of which are more specific. 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 help to make writi

20、ng clear, exact, vivid, and striking. For they are more informative and expressive than general words.,Example,The presidents knowledge of domestic issues is superior to his understanding of foreign policy. He has been more successful with welfare reform, for example, than with peace in the Middle E

21、ast. In this context, Domestic issues and foreign policy are used in a general sense in the first sentence. The writer then elaborates by clarifying specific kinds of issues (welfare reform and peace in the Middle East) referred to by the more general terms in the earlier sentence.,Hyponymy: The Rel

22、ationship Between General and Specific Words,上义词(superordinate) vehicle 下义词(subordinate) car, truck Flower-tulip, jasmine, daffodil, rose, lily, carnation, daisy, edelweiss, violet, forget-me-not General and Specific Words vs. abstract and concrete words,General and Specific,It is easy to see that t

23、he specific words on the right are much more concrete and colorful than the general ones. They seem to make the reader see, hear, or feel what the writer wishes to describe.,General and Specific words a good movie-a suspenseful, terrifying, lighthearted movie a nice smile-a winning, angelic, purpose

24、ful smile someone I know-a friend, an acquaintance, a colleague, a coworker Walk-pace, strut, stroll, march,Substitute the precise verbs listed below for look at/said and discuss the different connotation of each verb: 1. Sebastian looked at the woman seated next to him. Stared at Glared at Leered a

25、t Gazed at Peered at Admired studied,2. “Hurry up!” Jolene said. Shrieked Demanded Snapped Sang seethed,General and Specific(1),General and Specific(2),General and Specific(3),General and Specific(4),gaze, glance/glimpse, glare, peek, peer, stare, watch, goggle, leer, scowl,General and Specific(5),a

26、nnoyed, desperate, enraged, furious, infuriating, irritated, outraged, sullen,English offers a fascinating variety of specific words for many activities and interests. When we say a man is walking, we can also say that a man is marching, pacing, patrolling, stalking, striding, treading, tramping, st

27、epping out, prancing, strutting, prowling, plodding, strolling, shuffling, staggering, sidling, trudging, toddling, rambling, roaming, sauntering, meandering, lounging, loitering, or creeping. But each of them conveys to us a slightly different meaning. No matter which word we use, it should match o

28、ur thought and suit to the occasion.,stalk: 高视阔步, 大踏步走 stride:大踏步走; 跨过 tread: 步行于, 在上走; 踩(烂), 践踏 trudge trd :v. 沉重地走,蹒跚地走 prance pr:ns v. 腾跃, 欢跃, 昂首阔步 shuffle fl :拖曳,慢吞吞地走 Sidle saidl : v. (偷偷地)侧身而行 saunter s:nt :v. 闲逛,漫步 lounge laund :v. 闲荡,懒洋洋地躺卧 loiter lit : v. 闲荡,虚度,徘徊 creep kri:p :v. 爬,徐行,蠕动,Mo

29、re examples,1. The drunkard staggered（蹒跚）from the coffee shop and clung to a lamp-post. 2.The hikers reached the town after a long walk and plodded（重步行走）wearily to the hotel. 3. The man whose wife was expecting the first baby was pacing（踱步）nervously up and down the hospital corridor. 4. After class,

30、 the children did not go home direct but loitered（游荡）on the way. 5. The manager strode（大步走）into the office and asked who was late for work. 6. The puppy strayed（迷途）from its home and was completely lost. 7.The cock is strutting（昂头阔步）up and down the farmyard. 8. After dinner, I went rambling（漫步）in the

31、 park. 9.The thief has been lurking（潜行）in a corner for his unsuspecting victims. 10.Not wishing to be noticed, the boy crept（爬行）downstairs.,11. At the weekend, Tom and his friends went strolling（闲逛）in the town.12. In her hurry, the maid stumbled（绊倒）and fell flat on the floor.13. The farmer trudged（艰

32、难地走）home with his hoe.14. The mountaineers scrambled（攀爬）up the hill side.15. The car lurched（摇摆不定）forward across the grass.16. With one leg hurt, John limped（跛行）home.17. Beasts come out to prowl（四处觅食）after their prey at night.18. Before babies can walk, they crawl（爬行）.19. The victorious army marched

33、（迈进）into the conquered city.20. The pedestrians rushed（快步走）here and there in the rain.,笑的种种说法laugh, giggle, chuckle, grin, guffaw, beam, smile,Laugh loudly to laugh in a nervous, excited, or silly way Smile widely showing your teeth to laugh quietlyLaugh maliciously 不怀好意地笑 Laugh lightly 轻松地笑 Laugh h

34、appily,Giggle音调高或尖声地笑, 常指儿童或女孩咯咯笑 The girls whispered and giggled together. Chuckle轻笑, 暗笑, 常用比喻意义, 指觉得满意 He was chuckling to himself over what he was reading. He must be chuckling at his success. Grin指露齿而笑 He grinned broadly at me. Guffaw放声大笑,哄笑 The company guffawed at the silly answer. beam笑逐颜开 Her

35、 face beamed with joy. Smile 微笑, 反义词frown He smiled to see the children play.,General and Specific,I have a tool in my hand. I have an axe in my hand. A man is walking down the street. A man is strolling down the street. That was a very wonderful movie. That was a very instructive movie. The proposa

36、l covers all important aspects of the problem. The proposal covers cost, materials, methodology, and personnel.,kill MurderTo murder someone is to kill them deliberately and unlawfully: The key witness was murdered before he could testify. MassacreMassacre is used when you talk about the deliberate killing of a large number of people, especially people who cannot defend themselves: Whole native populations were massacred when the Eur