英语写作讲义

写作八讲（book 2）第一讲：topic sentence and supporting sentences主题句和推展句How to write a topic sentence?Since the controlling idea or purpose must be stated clearly and precisely enough to indicate what the paragraph includes, your topic sentence must be: 1）specific instead of general 2）precise instead of vague (主题句要明确清晰不要笼统，要准确无误不要含糊不清)Compare the following two sentences and decide which is better.Astronauts must be very capable.√Astronauts must be scientists as well as expert test pilots.College students will be assured good jobs on graduation.√College students tend to get better jobs than those who haven’t a college diploma.People living in apartment never talk to each other.√People living in apartment seldom talk to each other.Countryside is much better than a city.√Countryside is a better place to live than a city in several aspects.Global warming is caused by a build-up of gases in the earth’s atmosphere.√Global warming is, to some extent, caused by a build-up of gases in the earth’s atmosphere.Write a paragraph about “television commercials”. Fashion an effective topic sentence and support it with details.Sample:The same television commercials repeat again and again in one evening. Perhaps the following two factors can account for this. The first reason is simply a matter of economics. It must make sure that as many people as possible will see it. Thus, more consumers will be attracted and a bigger profit may be gained. Another reason for repeating the commercials so often is the belief that repetition helps to imprint the message on the mind. Some feel that repetition—even to the point of irritation—is supposed to make people remember the product.第二讲：Unity in the Paragraph 段落的整体一致性A paragraph is unified when all the sentences in the paragraph are focused on one central thought or on a single topic. When you write a paragraph, be sure that each sentence contributes to the theme, and any irrelevant information is excluded.Read the following paragraphs and analyze: Which of the sentences doesn’t contribute to the topic?1. Riding a bicycle has a lot of advantages over driving a car. First, it is a physic al exercise to ride a bicycle. In contrast, sitting in the car, one tends to gain weight. Besides, it is much more economical to ride a bike than drive a car. The only fee a bike-rider has to pay is the annual tax. However, the annual fees for a car are costly. Most important of all, it is beneficial to the environment to ride a bicycle because the bike doesn’t consume petrol; it is a pollution-free transport. In contrast, the exhaust released by the car is harmful to the environment. Scientists should find a way to reduce its damage to the environment.key: Scientists should find a way to reduce its damage to the environment.2. Science and technology are developing rapidly with each passing day. At the same time, college are much higher than ever before. How to finance your college education had become amatter of concern for many. Y ou can deal with it in many ways. Y ou can get all of the money from your parents. Y ou can apply for a loan especially set up for college students. Y ou can also acquire the money completely by yourself, doing a full-time job in summer or winter holiday. In addition, you can ask your parents for most of it and earn the rest in your spare time in college, by doing a part-time job.key: Science and technology are developing rapidly with each passing day. At the same time, Write a paragraph on the topic of How to Solve the Problem of Heavy Traffic. Eliminate the irrelevant idea from the outline below. Then write the paragraph in a problem-solution pattern. situation: urban traffic, increasingly crowded, traffic jams, delay, traffic accidents, careless drivingsolution: more roads, speed up the flow of traffic, more public bus routesresult: take up much land, house shortage, inconvenience第三讲：Working toward coherence （I）段落的连贯性——过渡词/短语Coherence in a paragraph refers to the way the sentences are arranged and to their relationship to one another. When a paragraph is coherent, the sentences are arranged in a clear and logical order, the transitions are smooth and natural, and ideas flow smoothly and gracefully from one sentence to the next. As a result, the reader finds it easy to follow the writer’s train of thought.Generally, there are two devices that will help you achieve coherence in your writing: 1）transitional words and phrases that show specific kinds of relationships 2）the repetition of or reference to key terms. (一般来说，有两种方式使段落具有连贯性：一是过渡词和词组，二是对关键事物词语进行重复表达或指代。