写作教程刘海平主编

1、刘海平主编 新世纪大学英语系列教材写作教程 (Book 2)上海：上海外语教育出版 社 2008 年 5 月版。Narrative WritingWhat you are going to learn in this part is another type of writing: narration. It often goes hand in hand with description. The only difference between them is that to narrate is to tell a story while to describe is to show a

2、word picture. As a story, the narrative essay should include a plot, a climax and an ending, and it can be written either in the first person or in the third person. It is true that the main component of a narrative is the story, but details must be carefully selected to support, explain, and enhanc

3、e the story.Exploring the Meaning of LifeWriting StrategyPrinciplesIn this unit, we will focus on the narrative writing essay. To narrate is to tell a story or give an account of a single experience or a series of related events. Narration often goes hand in hand with description. The experience or

4、event may be in the past (past narration), may be what people usually do, or may be going on now (present narration). To write the narrative essay, all we have to do is tell what happened/has happened/ is happening in a coherent way. However, we should keep the following principles in mind:* A narra

5、tive essay, as a story, should have a plot (including time, place, and characters), a climax, and an ending.* A successful narrative is based on relevant details that contribute to bringing out its main ideas or the narrator's purpose of writing.* A narrative can be written either in the first p

6、erson or in the third person, singular or plural.*A narrative essay should follow a logical time sequence: a chronological order (presenting events as they naturally occur in the story) or a flashback (taking the readers back in time to reveal an incident that occurred before the present scene of th

7、e essay),* A narrative usually contains dialogue to reveal actions or personality traits of the speakers. By presenting conversations, writers show rather than tell, often creating emphasis or a more dramatic effect.Task 1 Read to learn about writingSample ARead the following essay about a wedding,

8、and pay attention to* how the author begins her narration;*how she presents the events;what effect the dialogue at the end of the essay brings.My Sister' WeddingIt is difficult to forget the day when my sister got married and moved away. It happened on 3 March 1993 and I can remember vividly the

9、 weeding ceremony, the dinner and the emotionalfarewell she took from me.I helped her to dress up; it was what youn ger sisters are for. I helped her on with the heavy saree. It was spun with expe nsive thread, as my father did not want to spare any expe nse. She was his favorite and he wan ted her

10、to be give n away with maximum pomp. They made a fuss whe n they saw that she was not ready. Fin ally, they left I in sisted on ridi ng with my sister, so that one of the escort party had to travel with my Dad. She did n't like it at all.The ceremony was long and excit ing. My sister sat through

11、 it all with bowed head, as she was supposed to. I looked at her. She looked like the Goddess of Wealth herself. It was impossibleto believe that as rece ntly as yesterday, she had bee n running about in jea ns.The wedding was over and we went to the hall for the next stage of the celebrations, the

12、sumptuous vegetaria n dinner. The couple sat on their thrones while the crowd went to con gratulate them. I was standing beside my sister, with a permanent smile fixed on my face and accepting all the gifts on her behalf. One eccentric uncle of ours actually heaved a standing fan in. I believe hejus

13、t had to be the man who gave the biggest prese nt.The dinner over, we went home. I was surprised that as soon as we reached home, my sister asked for dinner. She had bee n so excited that she had not eate n. And what with all the cous ins teasing her mercilessly. At about 11:00 p.m. came the part we

14、 dreaded the most: my sister's official farewell to us. She said nothing: just hugged all of us and cried .our mother cried the most of all. Fin ally she recon ciled herself, gave the groom a long lecture on how he should take care of her darling and left them go. My father was a man of few word

15、s. He was all smiles and saidnothing, but I knew that he was storing up his feelings for later.After they had left, I went into my room. I looked about. It looked so empty without my sister. We had bee n shari ng that room since we were born. I lay in bed un able to sleep for at least twohours. &quo

16、t;The n I felt thirsty and went to get a drinkAs I passed the hall, I saw my father sitti ng in the dark ness. He was trying to come to terms with the loss of tile darl ing of his life. I went up to him, put my arms around him and kissed him.You still got me, Pa, ”1 said.Yes, Geetha,” he said, but f

17、or how long? ”Taken from GCE ,O?Level Challe ngi ng En glishEssays by Redspot Publishing , 2001The firs person narration: introducing the time and events. Detailed description with a reason.A related detail about the narrator sister.Telling what they were doing during the dinner.The emotional farewe

18、ll.Description of the narrator ? loneliness.Comforting her father.A more emotional ending.Sample BIn our life, many things (big or small) happen every day, and many people are quite observant. Suppose you see a butterfly struggling to come out of its cocoon. Try to write a narrative essay to tell pe

19、ople a philosophic story. The following sample essay is just for your reference. Read it carefully and try to answer the questions after it.A man found the cocoon of a butterfly. One day, a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it straggled to force its body t

20、hrough that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.So the maul decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.The butterfly then emerged easily.

21、 But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life

22、crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.What the man in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body o

23、f the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.Sometimes struggles m-e exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have

24、 been. We could never fly!Taken from the website: http:/ 1.Questions on content and structure1. What purpose does the beginning paragraph serve?2. Why is this narrative essay written in the third person?3. Is the story told in the chronological order? If so, what are the adverbials of time and seque

25、nce?4. What is the conclusion the writer draws after telling us the story?Sample CLife is enjoyable to some people while it can be hard to others. The following sample is an account of what happened to an old woman on her eightieth birthday. Simple as it is, the story shows us some aspects of the fa

26、mily relationship and 9ives us insights into the frustrations lonely people suffer. Now read it, paying attention to its structure, and then retell the story by answering the questions that follow.The PresentIt was the old lady ?s birthday.She got up early to be ready for the post. From the second f

27、loor flat she could see the postman when he came down the street, and the little boy from the ground floor brought up her letters on the rare occasions when anything came.Today she was sure there would be something. Myra wouldn't forget her mother's birthday, even if she seldom wrote at othe

28、r times. Of course Myra was busy. Her husband had been made Mayor, and Myra herself had got a medal for her work for the aged.The old lady was proud of Myra, but Enid was the daughter she loved. Enid had never married, but had seemed content to live with her mother, and teach in a primary school rou

29、nd the comer.One evening, however, Enid said, "I've arranged for Mrs. Morrison to look after you for a few days, Mother. Tomorrow I have to go into hospital -just a minor operation. I'll soon be home."In the morning she went, but never came back - she died on the operating table. M

30、yra came to the funeral, and in her efficient way arranged for Mrs. Morrison to come in and light the fire and give the old lady her breakfast.Two years ago that was, and since then Myra had been to see her mother three times, but her husband never.The old lady was eighty today. She had put on her b

31、est dress. Perhaps -perhaps Myra might come. After all, eighty was a special birthday, another decade lived or endured just as you chose to look at it.Even if Myra did not come, she would send a present. The old lady was sure of that. Two spots of color brightened her cheeks. She was excited - like

32、a child. She would enjoy her day.Yesterday Mrs. Morrison had given the flat an extra clean, and today she had brought a card and a bunch of marigolds when she came to do the breakfast. Mrs. Grant downstairs had made a cake, and in the afternoon she was going down there to tea. The little boy, Johnni

33、e, had been up with a packet of mints, and said he wouldn't go out to play until the post had come."I guess you'll get lots and lots of presents," he said. "I did last week when I was six."What would she like? A pair of slippers perhaps. Or a new cardigan. A cardigan woul

34、d be lovely. Blue's such a pretty color. Jim had always liked her in blue. Or a table lamp. Or a book, a travel book, with pictures, or a little clock, with clear black numbers. So many lovely things.She stood by the window, watching. The postman turned round the comer on his bicycle. Her heart

35、beat fast. Johnnie had seen him too and ran to the gate.Then clatter, clatter up the stairs, Johnnie knocked at her door."Granny, granny," he shouted, "I've got your post."He gave her four envelopes. Three were unsealed cards from old friends. The fourth was sealed, in Myra&#

36、39;s writing. The old lady felt a pang of disappointment."No parcel, Johnnie?""No, granny."Maybe the parcel was too large to come by letter post. That was it. It would come later by parcel post. She must be patient.Almost reluctantly she tore the envelope open. Folded in the card

37、 was a piece of paper. Written on the card was a message under the printed Happy Birthday - Buy yourself something nice with the check, Myra and Harold.The check fluttered to the floor like a bird with a broken wing. Slowly the old lady stooped to pick it up. Her present, her lovely present. With tr

38、embling fingers she tore it into little bits.Taken from College English, Book OneQuestions on content and structure1. What happe ned or what was the story about'?2. When did it happe n?3. Where did it happe n.'?4. Who was in volved?5. Why did it happe n?6. How did it happe n?TASK 2 Enlarge y

39、our vocabularyA A descriptive essay is gen erally arran ged accord ing to space order while a n arrative essay is usually orga ni zed accord ing to time order. Time order is the simplest and most cohere nt and n atural way of telli ng a stol3'. There are two kinds of adverbial phases in dicati n

40、g time or seque nee. The first kind consists of one-word expressions of sequenee such as first, then, next, last, etc. The sec ond, kind con sists of time expressi ons of more tha n one word such as in the morning, two years ago, in the after noon, at other time, etc., which we could find in Sample

41、C. Now un derl ine the adverbial phrases in dicat ing time in the follow ing paragraph, which shows how culture can in flue nee a pers on.From the mome nt of his birth the customs into which he is born shape his experie nee and behavior. By the time he can talk, he is the little creature of his cult

42、ure, and by the time he is grow n and able to take part ing in its activities, its habits arc his habits, its beliefs his beliefs, its impossibilities his impossibilities.Take n from Patterns of Culture by Ruth Ben edictB If you do not like the classification mentioned above, we may just look at tha

43、t is, words frequently used hi a narrative to indicate time relations between events. Time transitions help move the reader from one mome nt to ano ther. The follow ing some of them:afterafterwardat lastat oncebeforeearlierfirstformerimmediatelyin the pastlater onlattermea nwhilen extnowoftenoncepre

44、viouslysecondthirdthe ntodaytomorrowun tilwhe nwhileyears agoyesterdayThe following are some sentences from a short story. With the help of time transitions, putthem in the light order so that the story will flow smoothly.1. When he retur ned to En gla nd for a visit twenty years later, he decided t

45、o go back to his old uni versity.2. When David Williams left the university, he went to Australia.3. David was delighted whe n he discovered that his old professor was still teach ing there.4. He went to visit the old man, after they had an in terest ing talk, the professor went out get someth ing.5

46、. He looked at the date on it and saw that it had bee n give n to the stude nts the week before.6. David picked the paper up and read it through.7. While he was away, David saw an exam in ati on paper on the desk.8. When the professor came back, David said to him. "Professor, I'm certain th

47、at these are exactly the same questi ons that you asked us in our exam in atio ns twenty years ago! How is that possible?"10. "Yes, that's right." agreed the professor calmly. "The questions are the same, but the an swers have cha nged."Take n from In termediate Stories

48、for Reproduct ionTASK 3 Write your own essayThe follow ing essay topics are offered for your own writ ing practice. Select one or more topics that you are interested in and write your own narrative essay(s).1. The day Mother (or Father) cried2. The day everyth ing went wrong ( or right )3. The happi

49、est mome nt in my life1. A bad habit that got me into trouble3. The toughest experie nee I ever had6. My best holiday or special occasi on7. An event that gave a hard less on8. A very special first day or last dayTASK 4 Learn to write your essayRewriting is one of the most significant and rewarding

50、steps of writing. It offers you an opport unity to discover ways of improvi ng your writi ng by ide ntify ing problems and work ing out in tellige nt soluti ons. The follow ing is a sample stude nt essay. Read it, and try to revise it.Sample Student Essay CET-4For this part, you are given 30 minutes

51、 to write a composition about An Early Morning Walk in three paragraphs. You are given the first sentence of the first two paragraphs and the last sentence of the third paragraph. Your part of the composition should be about 100 words, not including the words given. Remember to write clearly.1. One

52、morning I got up very early, and everyth ing around was very quiet.2. When I arrived at the park, I found, to my surprise, that there were so many people there.3. Taking early morning walks makes a person healthy and wise.An Early Morning WalkOne morning I get up early, and everyth ing g around was

53、very quiet. The sun had just risen, shining brilliantly, everything seemed to be covered with a layer of golden silk. There were only some birds si nging occasi on ally in the tall trees. I tripped on the way toward the park, breathing the fresh air, feeling extremely happy.When I arrived d at the p

54、ark, I found, to my surprise, that there were so many people there. Men and wome n, boys and girls, all were enjoying themselves by various activities. Some were doing morni ng exercises, some were playi ng badm inton, some old people were havi ng their tea while talking to each other cheerfully.I w

55、andered around the park, to my delight, I found a few middle-school students talking to each other in English in the southeast corner of the park. I went to them at once and spoke to them in English, we became friends right away. I was very glad to find another opportunity to practice my spoken Engl

56、ish. On the way home, I thought early morning walk was really helpful. Taking early morning walks makes a person healthy and wise.Revised Version An Early Morning WalkOne morning I got up very early, and everything around was very quiet. The sun had just risen, shining brilliantly, and everything se

57、emed to be covered with a layer of golden silk. There were only some birds singing occasionally in the tall trees. I walked toward the park, breathing the fresh air and feeling extremely happy.When I arrived at the park, I found, to my surprise, that there were many people there. Men and women, boys

58、 and girls, all were enjoying themselves in their various activities. Some were doing morning exercises, some were playing badminton, and some old people were having their tea while talking to each other cheerfully.I wandered around the park. To my delight, I found a few middle-school students talki

59、ng to each other ill English in one corner of the park. I went up and spoke to them in English; we soon became friends. I was very glad to find another opportunity to practice my spoken English. On the way home, I thought an early morning walk was really good and healthy. Taking early morning walks makes a person healthy and wise.TASK 5 Additional readingHave you ever told lies to anyone? How do you feel when s/he real