实用英语写作(基本技能讲义)

1、1,实用英语写作基本技能训练2010-9,雅思写作,课程简介,授课教师: (),:用户名： 密码：nj.english,学分：2 学时：32,3,1. 本课程的地位与作用,2.本课程的教学目标,3.本课程的基本要求,课程简介,一、课程的地位与作用 写作是英语学习中较为重要也有一定难度的技能，它对阅读、听力、口语都有促进作用，在日常工作、生活中也有实用需求。本课程的开设便是为了更好地贯彻大学英语新教学大纲的要求，使学生在今后工作和社会交往中能用英语有效地进行书面信息交流，提高综合文化素养，以适应我国经济发展和国际交流的需要。该课程以英语基本写作技巧训练为基础，结合日常生活的实际语言需要，强化学生

2、应用文写作的能力，以全面提升学生的语言实际应用能力，并为今后更好地运用英语进行学习、工作打下良好的基础。本课程实用性强，有利于开阔学生的视野。,本课程分为基础写作与应用文写作两大部分，从基础训练起步，介绍英语写作步骤和技巧，如篇章结构、思想组织等，从而教写段落、全文；在应用文部分，通过大量的应用文实例，逐步了解并学会写各类实用英语，如通知、便条、请柬、证明、申请信函、个人简历、推荐信等，以期在实际生活中熟练地用英语传递信息、交流思想。本课程以提高学生综合运用能力为目标，有利于学生培养实际能力，做到学以致用，因此实用性强，对将来考研、就业、出国的英文应用都有很大裨益。,1. 教学目标 本课程以课

3、堂讲授、课堂讨论及课内外操练等为主要教学手段，同时利用内容新颖、丰富多样的例段及范文进行讲解和分析，让学生学习、模仿和参照，加强学生对每种文体写作的理解和应用，从而掌握书面表达的基本方法和手段。实用英语写作旨在使学生了解并学习英语写作的步骤、基本原则和技巧，以及应用文的写作模式及方法。通过该课程的学习，学生不仅可以了解各类实用英语文书的写作要求和技巧，而且还可以更好地了解各类英语文书应用的工作环境，掌握有效的沟通技巧，全面提高实用英语写作能力。,基本要求 1）了解英语写作的理论框架及基本知识； 2）通过基本功的训练，掌握英语写作的段落、提纲、全文方面最基本的写作步骤和技巧，写出主题较为明确、内

4、容较为完善、语言较为通顺、格式符合要求的的文章； 3）学会撰写个人简历、通知、便条、请柬等应用文。,三、学时分配,9,写作基本技能训练,实力+技巧 掌握丰富的词汇和 掌握多变的句型 注意中外文化的差异， 注意中外写作思路的不同,10,选词 造句 篇章 完整作文,11,Diction,Diction is the choice and the use of words,12,How to make a good diction?,By: Using the Appropriate Word Level of words Using the Exact Word Meaning of words

5、Using Figurative Language Figures of speech,13,Levels of Words,Words are generally classified into four groups according to different levels of usage or formality: Formal Standard or common Colloquial or informal Slang,14,Formal Words,Formal words may also be called learned words, or literary words,

6、 or “big” words. Most of them are of Greek of Latin origin. Formal words are more commonly used on addresses, eulogies颂词,颂文, articles for scholarly journals, technical reports, legal documents, etc. Formal English avoids contractions缩略词and colloquial expressions and therefore sounds different from t

7、he way average people speak.,15,Example:,There is nothing new in the recognition, within a given language, of a distinction between common usage and uses of the language for more restricted purposes and often enough, perhaps characteristically, more elevated purposes. The monolithic nature of Englis

8、h is not questioned when literary essayists like Emerson contrast poetry and common speech. The latter is recognized in American to be the proper subject for the investigation of Linguists who, however, now show some incipient开始的,初期的inclination to investigate poetry, too, and other noncasual utteran

9、ces in a given language.,16,Note:,Recognition (formal) knowing (common) seeing (common) characteristically (formal) typically (relatively common) elevated (formal) better (common) higher (common) monolithic (formal) inseparable, unchangeable (relatively common) investigation (formal) research, study

10、 (common),incipient (formal) early (common) beginning (common) noncasual (formal) special (common) serious (common) careful (common) inclination (formal) preference (relatively common) liking (common) utterance (formal) speaking (common),17,Standard or Common Words,Standard or common words are those

11、 used by the widest group of educated speakers and writers. Common words are popular in college writing, and are often employed in newspaper, textbooks, non-fiction, best sellers, etc. Common English is easy to understand, and complies well with the written language.,18,Example:,When I was a kid, an

12、d reading every science fiction book in the local library, I used to wonder exactly how the future would happen. By that I dont mean what the future would be like-science fiction already told me that-but rather how wed actually get there. Science fiction books seemed to agree, for example, that in t

13、he future there would be no money-all transactions可疑的would be made via identity cards and centralized computers. But that seemed dubious to me: how, I wondered, are you going to get everybody to give up money in the first place?,19,Note:,kid (colloquial) child (common) transaction (a little formal)

14、business/trade (common) dubious (a little formal) doubtful/unlikely (common),20,Colloquial or Informal Words,Colloquial or informal words are usually short words of one or two syllables and most of them are of Saxon origin. Colloquial or informal words are often used in spoken language and in writin

15、g aimed for a conversational effect.,21,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 disgruntled passenger on there, and starts a big argument. Traffic. You have someone who cuts you

16、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 other drivers, to avoid hitting them. So you take the tension home with you.,22,Note:,by a hair or so

17、:by a little chance on there :There cuts you off :make you suddenly stop Theres :There is got to :Must Youre :You are watchin :watching,23,Slang Words,Slang refers to novel and colorful expressions that reflect a certain groups special experiences and set the group off from others Slang is used by a

18、lmost 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 is generally inappropriate for college or business writing.,24,Exam

19、ple:,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! Didnt do that, my son, when Is a little shaver in school.,25,Not

20、e:,th mornin: the morning take keer oim: take care of him seeim: see him Lettin: Let nohow: anyhow Is: I was a little shaver: a little boy,26,Exercise 1,Please explain the underlined words with some more common words. 1. A bizarre experiment in the United States has demonstrated that psychiatrists c

21、an not distinguish effectively between people who are mentally disturbed and those who are sane. 2. At the end of the interview they told me that I would be notified of any vacancies suitable to my experience and qualifications. 3. A very trivial circumstance will serve to exemplify this. 4. The abs

22、ence of variation in the result of our experiments gave us confidence in the scientific law. 5. In a scientific inquiry, a fallacy, great or small, is always of importance and is sure to be, in the long run, productive of mischievous results.,27,1. A bizarre experiment in the United States has demon

23、strated that psychiatrists can not distinguish effectively between people who are mentally disturbed and those who are sane. bizarre (formal) demonstrate (formal) mentally disturbed (formal) strange (common) prove (common); mad (common) odd (common);show (common),28,2. At the end of the interview th

24、ey told me that I would be notified of any vacancies suitable to my experience and qualifications. notify (formal) vacancy (formal) tell (common) job (common),29,3. A very trivial circumstance will serve to exemplify this. trivial (formal) circumstance (formal) common (common) incident (common) smal

25、l (common) thing (common),30,4. The absence of variation in the result of our experiments gave us confidence in the scientific law. absence (formal) variation (formal) lack (common) difference (common),31,5. In a scientific inquiry, a fallacy, great or small, is always of importance and is sure to b

26、e, in the long run, productive of mischievous results. fallacy (formal) be productive of (formal) mischievous (formal) mistake (common) produce (common);harmful (common) cause (common),32,Exercise 2,Identify the level of the following sentences? When his dad died, Pete had to get another job. After

27、his fathers death, Peter had to change his job. On the decease of his father, Mr. Brown was obliged to seek alternative employment. Petes old woman hit the roof when he came home with that doll from the disco. Peters wife was very angry when he came home with the girl from the discotheque.,33,When h

28、is dad died, Pete had to get another job. (collo.) After his fathers death, Peter had to change his job. (com.) On the decease of his father, Mr. Brown was obliged to seek alternative employment. (fml.) Petes old woman hit the roof when he came home with that doll from the disco. (colloquial, impoli

29、te) Peters wife was very angry when he came home with the girl from the discotheque. (common),34,Using the Exact Word,The exact word suits to your purpose, your meaning, and your readers background, interests, and expectations. To choose the exact word, you must be clear about the denotation and con

30、notation of a word, the differences between general and specific words, abstract and concrete words, and have a good mastery of English idioms.,35,The Meaning of Words,Denotation: is the specific, direct, and explicit meaning of a word. The denotative meaning of a word comes directly from its refere

31、nt and is mostly gained from a dictionary Connotation: is the associative or suggestive meaning of a word. The connotative meaning is personal and mostly deduced from ones experience.,36,The Semantic Triangle of “Winter”,Reference/Concept (Connotation): desolate, icy, dead, treeless, bitter, barren,

32、 snow, cold, chill, white,Symbol (word) winter,Referent (thing/denotation): the coldest season of the year, including the months of December, January, and February,e.g. Laughter drives winter from the mind. She is in the winter of her life.,37,Example:,country: an area of land and its population and

33、 government nation: the people of a country state: the government or political organization of a country land: (emotive: motherland, homeland) England is a smaller country than China. The President spoke on radio to the nation. Should industry be controlled by the state? China is my native land.,38,

34、Synonyms,Since the connotations of words may vary along a number of dimensions, it is difficult to find two words that are exactly the same in meaning and use (structure). They may be identical, but they will never be equivalent. Usually, the common dimensions will be from “informal” to “formal”, fr

35、om “weak” to “strong”, from “emotionless” to “emotional”, from “favorable” to “unfavorable” or form different collocations.,39,Example: informal-formal,ask : informal question: ask many questions interrogate: suggesting that the person is being held by force and asked questions which they are unwill

36、ing 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 interrogated as prisoners of war.,40,Example: informal-formal,time: a period; a period in history age: a particular period in history epoch: long period in

37、 history, marked by important events It will take you a long time to learn French properly. In ancient times, people wore clothes made of fur. He has reached his retirement age. They were living in the Stone Age/Iron Age. The first flight into space marked a new epoch in the history of mankind. The

38、steam-engine was an epoch-making event.,41,Example: informal-formal,rise: go up; get higher mount: formal go up; climb ascend: formal go to a higher level, climb Smoke rose from the factory chimneys. The old lady mounted the stairs with difficulty. He ascended the stairs. Victoria ascended the thron

39、e. (became queen),42,Example: weak-strong,big : big large : unusually big huge : 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.,43,Example: emotionless-emotional,small: (emotionless) little

40、: (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.),44,Example: favorable-unfavorable,modest: not proud (a virtue, laudatory/favorable) humble: having a low opinion of oneself (derogato

41、ry/ unfavorable) 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.,45,Example: synonyms,proud: showing proper and reasonable respect for oneself; having too high opinion of oneself arrogant: u

42、npleasantly proud, with an unreasonable strong belief in ones own importance haughty: seeming to consider oneself better or more important than others; arrogant insolent: showing disrespectful rudeness They are poor but too proud to accept money from the state. The arrogant official did not listen t

43、o peoples protest. The haughty look of the young lady made everyone kept a distance from her. The insolent children rushed into the house without greeting the guests.,46,Not Necessarily Synonyms,Do not take the Chinese equivalent of an English word as its exact meaning, or understanding the meaning

44、of an English word from its Chinese equivalent. English words that may be translated into the same Chinese expression are not necessarily synonyms. Because usually an English word has no exact Chinese equivalent and it has to be translated in different ways in different contexts.,47,Example:,Family:

45、 a group of people, including parents, children, grandparents, uncles, aunts, living together home: the place where one lives (denotation) warmth, safety, comfort, love/coldness, burden (connotation) The whole family came to visit us at Christmas. I left my exercise book at home.,48,Example:,except:

46、 leaving out; not including besides: in addition to; as well as We were tired except/besides John. strict: exact rigid: stiff, inflexible, difficult to change We should obey the regulations strictly. We shouldnt obey the regulations rigidly.,49,General and Specific Words,General words name classes o

47、r groups of things. These words are needed in classification and definition Specific words refer to examples of a group. Specific and concrete nouns express meaning more vividly than general or abstract ones.,50,General and specific are relative terms, because there are degrees of generality. e.g. P

48、rofessional Scientists Chemists Building House Log cabin Clothes Swimming suit Bikini general specific,51,Example: house,mansion: a large house, usu. belonging to a wealthy person宅第, 公馆; 大厦 The old mansion was built in 1850. 这座古宅建于1850年。 She lives in Guilin Mansion. 她住在桂林大厦。,52,Example: house,villa:

49、 a pleasant country house in its own garden, often used for only part of the year for holidays, esp. in southern Europe别墅, 公馆; (城郊)住宅 Magnificent villas are found throughout Italy.在意大利到处可看到豪华的别墅 Chateau: a castle or large country house in France(法国封建时代的)城堡; (尤指法国的)别墅,庄园 The house was modelled on a F

50、rench chateau. 这房子是模仿一座法国大别墅建造的。,53,Example: house,bungalow: a house which is all on one level 英平房美单层小屋; 多于一层的小屋 cabin: 3. a small roughly built usu. wooden house 美小木屋 They lived in a little log cabin. hut: a small simply-made building小屋, 棚屋 They lived in a mud hut/a wooden hut.,54,Example: house,sh

51、ack: a small roughly built house or hut窝棚, 简陋的小屋 shanty: a small roughly built usu. wooden or metal house简陋的小木屋,铁皮棚屋 shed: a lightly built single-floored building, often wooden, used esp. for storing:棚, 库 a tool shed/cattle shed/garden shed/an airplane shed barn: a farm building for storing crops an

52、d food for animals, or for keeping animals仓房;牲口棚,55,Example: laugh,beam: to smile brightly and happily:面露喜色 He beamed (a cheerful welcome) as he opened the door. guffaw: to laugh loudly, and perhaps rudely大笑,狂笑 chortle: v.n. (to give) a laugh of pleasure and satisfaction哈哈大笑 He chortled with delight

53、 when I told him my news.,56,Example: laugh,chuckle: to laugh quietly:轻声地笑 I could hear him chuckling to himself as he read his book. snigger: derog. To laugh quietly and secretly in a disrespectful way:暗笑,窃笑 The children sniggered at the old ladys strange hat.,57,Example: laugh,giggle: to laugh qui

54、etly in a silly childish uncontrolled way:咯咯地笑 Stop giggling, girls; this is a serious matter. grin: to make a wide smile露齿而笑 She grinned with delight. 她高兴地咧开嘴笑。 He was grinning proudly, delighted with his achievements. 他为自己的成就感到喜悦, 自豪地咧着嘴笑。,58,Exercise 1,Arrange the following nouns according to deg

55、rees of generality: 1. German shepherd animal creature dog 2. flowers tulips plant creature nature 3. transport vehicle plane Boeing757 man-made device 4. a cold illness trouble thing 5. Aunt Sally a relative people acquaintance 6. novel Pride and Prejudice literature writing 7. scientists professio

56、nals chemists biochemists,59,Idioms,An idiom is a fixed group of words with a special meaning which is different from the meanings of the words that form it. Usually, problems in idiom are caused by collocation, especially the collocation of prepositions and verbs or adjectives,60,Example: phrasal v

57、erbs,put up with : informal to suffer (something annoying or unpleasant) without complaining I cant put up with your rudeness any more; leave the room. That woman has a lot to put up with. (=has many trouble) turn out: 1. To stop the operation of (a light) by turning a switch Turn the light out. 2.

58、(turn somebody out) to force to leave; send away Her father turned her out (of the house) when she became pregnant.,61,Example: phrasal verbs,put up with : informal to suffer (something annoying or unpleasant) without complaining Her father turned her out (of the house) when she became pregnant. 3.

59、to come out or gather (as if) for a meeting, public event, etc. Enormous crowds turn out for the procession. 4. (turn out something )informal to produce; make This factory can turn out 100 cars a day.,62,Example: phrasal verbs,put up with : informal to suffer (something annoying or unpleasant) without complaining 5. (turn out something ) to clear or empty the contents of (a cupboard, drawer, etc.) The policeman told him to turn out his pockets. 6. to happen to