英語寫作要訣

英語寫作要訣Agreement:主語和謂語在人稱、數(shù)上的一致，關(guān)系代詞與先行詞的一致。Ambiguity:盡量不去使用可能引起歧義的詞語或句子。Brief：文章"簡為貴”，要抓住要點(diǎn)，簡明扼要。Coherence:文理通順，前后連貫。Development:主題的發(fā)揮應(yīng)當(dāng)充分、合理、正確。Division:詞匯、句子、段落要分配使用得當(dāng)，劃分要清楚，避免使用重復(fù)字句和種子片段。Figures:正確合理使用各類修辭格式。Inflateddiction:不使用做作的語言。Key:用適當(dāng)?shù)年P(guān)鍵詞突出主題，每段都應(yīng)有主題句。Logical:內(nèi)容要符合邏輯。Message:信息要新鮮、確實(shí)、可信。Omit:合理刪除多余的不必要部分。Proposition:主張、觀點(diǎn)、論述要清楚肯切、合情入理。Punctuation:正確適時(shí)使用標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號(hào)。Relevant:文章一定要要題。Sentencepattern:句型要盡量多樣化。Strait:開門見山，直來直去。Style:文體恰切，適合內(nèi)容要求。Tense:動(dòng)詞時(shí)態(tài)要正確、一致、變化合理。Theme:選題得當(dāng)，主題突出。近四十年來，盡管非性別歧視語還沒有達(dá)到非不可的程度，但它畢竟已進(jìn)人日常會(huì)話和寫作的主流之中。隨便翻開一張英美的報(bào)紙，或瞧一下五花八門的宣傳廣告，就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)supervisor（工頭，領(lǐng)班）替代了原來的foreman,workman'scompensation（工人賠償金）變成了worker'scompensation；salesrep,salesassociate或seller（推銷員）取代了常用詞salesman等。為此，筆者將有關(guān)資料整理如下，供英語學(xué)習(xí)者參考。請(qǐng)注意，所選用的例句，除個(gè)別注明外，均選自RosalieMaggio編寫的TheNonselistWordFinder:ADictionaryofGender—FreeUsage（Maggio,1989）。1.盡量不用通性代詞he,除了明確地指代一個(gè)男性人物時(shí)，都要設(shè)法避免使用之?？梢愿鶕?jù)語境需要，選用下列替換方式：1）采用復(fù)數(shù)形式Sexist：Whenbathingababy,neverleavehimunattended.Revised：Whenbathingbabies,neverleavethemunattended.給嬰兒洗澡時(shí)，一定不能讓他們無人照料。2）用we/us/our改寫原句Sexist：Fromeachaccordingtohisabilities,toeachaccordingtohisneeds.Revised：Fromeachofusaccordingtoourabilities,toeachofusaccordingtoourneeds.各盡所能，按需分配。3）改用第二人稱、Sexist:Nomanknowshistruecharacteruntilhehasrunoutofgas,purchasedsomethingontheinstallmentplanandraisedanadolescent.Revised:Youdon'tknowwhatyourtruecharacterisuntilyouhaverunoutofgas,purchasedsomethingonthe!installmentplanandraisedanadolescent.只有當(dāng)汽車大的油用光了，按分規(guī)付款方式購物和撫養(yǎng)大一個(gè)孩子時(shí)，人的本來品性才會(huì)顯露出來。4）改用被動(dòng)語態(tài)Sexist：Onewho,whenhehasthechoiceoftwoevils,choosesboth.Revised：Onewho,whengiventhechoiceoftwoevils,choosesboth.一個(gè)在兩種惡行之中要作出選擇就兩者都選的人。5）完全省略代詞Sexist:Whatapersonthinksofafterhebecomesadepartee?Revised：Whatapersonthinksofafterbecomingadepartee?一個(gè)人離去后，會(huì)作何感想呢？6）用冠詞替代Sexist：Canacriticgivehisopinionofanomeletwithoutbeingaskedtomakeone?Revised：Canacriticgiveanopinionof...?評(píng)論家議論煎蛋時(shí)難道到非要他去自己煎雞蛋嗎？7）用someone,one,theone,noone等替代Sexist：Hewhocantakeadviceissometimessuperiortohimwhocangiveit.Revised：Someonewhocantakeadviceissometimessuperiortotheonewhocangiveit.接受忠告者有時(shí)勝過發(fā)出忠告者。8）使用heandshe或hisandher,但使用的次數(shù)不宜太多。s/he僅可用于備忘錄（memos）,便條（notes）,或者非正式的交談之中。9）用名詞或上下文中用過的同義詞替換Sexist:Tofindafriendonemustcloseoneeye-tokeephim,two.Revised:Tofindafriend,onemustcloseoneeye-tokeepafriend,two.想找朋友；就得睜一只眼，閉一只眼；想留住朋友，就得雙眼都閉上。2.盡量使用那些包括兩性在內(nèi)的詞，即無性別之分的詞（gender-freewords）,例如：child,teacher,officer（警官），people,worker,immigrant（移民）,voter（投票者，選民）,coach（教練）,churchmember（教友）,salerep（推銷員）,grandparent（夕卜/祖父或祖母）,leader,eveningstudent,employee（雇員）,testee（考生，應(yīng)試者）,engineer,customers（顧客），dealer（交易者，商人），clerk（職員，辦事員），civilian（平民），scientist,operator（接線員，辦事員）,patriot（愛國者），person,planner（策戈U者，計(jì)劃者）,politician（政客）,producer（生產(chǎn)者、制造者），tutor（家庭教師，導(dǎo)師，［美國］助教），reporter,writer,chiefexecutive（首席行政長官）,everybody,expert等.3、如非特指男性或女性，盡量用同義詞或近義詞替換含有-girl,-woman,-wife,-man后綴的詞，例如：calendargirl（月份牌上的美女像）-calendarmodel掛歷模特callgirl（應(yīng)召女郎）--prostitute妓女covergirl（雜志封面女郎）--covermodel封面模特flaggirl（女司旗手）--flagbearer司旗手，執(zhí)旗員flowergirl（賣花女）--flowerseller賣花人housewife（家庭主婦）--houseworker（家務(wù)工人）midwife（接生婆）--birthattendant（助產(chǎn)士）showgirl（舞女，歌女）--dancer（伴舞者）chairman（主席）--chair,head（主席，頭頭）ringman（賭/賽馬者）--bettor;gambler（賭馬者，賭博者）seaman（海員，水兵）--sailor；navigator；marinerpilot,captain水手，航海者，船員，領(lǐng)航員，船長spokesman（發(fā)言人）-speaker;representative,voice;pressagent發(fā)言人，代表，right-handman（得力助手）--righthand;deputy;assistant;helper得力助手，副手，助理，助手.寫信時(shí)，如果不知道收信人的性別，最好不要使用傳統(tǒng)的DearSir;DearGentleman,DearMadam.可以選用下列之一：Dearfriendsofthelibrary（親愛的圖書館的朋友們）DearMadamsandSirs（親愛的女士們及先生們）DearPersonnelOfficer（親愛的人事處長）DearCommitteeMember（親愛的委員）DearCitizen（親愛的公民）DearCustomer（親愛的顧客）DearCouncilor（親愛的參議員，或顧問）DearAgent（親愛的代辦）DearDirector（親愛的廠長或局長；主任；）.盡量少引用含有通性詞man;men的引語，如果非引用不可，下列處理辦法可供選擇：1）不直接引用，把引語進(jìn)行釋義Sexist：W.Phillipssaid:"Thebestuseoflawsistoteachpeopletotramplebedlawsundertheirfeet.”Revised：W.Phillipssuggestedthatthebestuseoflawistoteachpeopletotramplebadonesundertheirfeet.W菲利普斯說：行使法律的最好辦法是教導(dǎo)人們把不好的法律踩在腳下?！?）使用[sic]（原文如此）讓讀者意識(shí)到原文中的man使用得不大恰當(dāng)。例如：w.Phillipssaid:"Thebestusedlawsistoteachmen[sic]totramplebadonesunertheirfeet.”3）對(duì)上述引語，也可只引用其中的一部分，例如：W.Phillipssaidthebestuseoflawswastoteachpeople“totramplebacklawsundertheirfeet我們贊同RosalieMaggio所講的話：“Itsalsonecessarytoacknowledgethattherecanbenosolutiontotheproblemofsexisminsocietyontheleveloflanguagealone.Usingthewordsecretaryinclusively,forexample,doesnotchangethefactthatonly1.6%ofAmericansecretariesaremen.UsingdirectorinsteadofdirectressdoesnotmeanawomanwillnecessarilyenjoythesameopportunitiestodayamanmightSteponeinthegreatenterpriseofanewandpreferableyouinthehouseoffictionis:Meanless.Thatis,don'tmeansomuch.Makeupastory,screwaroundwithit,pastejunkonit,needlethecharacters,makethemsayqueerstuff,gobadplaces,insertnewpeopleatinopportunemoments,dosomedrive-bys.Makeitup,please.Dontletitmaketoomuchsense.Dousestuffthatyoucareaboutwhenyou'rmakingitup.Ifyou'rmadatyourmother,husband,boyfriend,wife,lover,neighbor,dog,takeitoutonamother,husband,etc.andputitinthemouthofoneofyourcharacters.Ifyou'refullofloveforthesea,saysomethingniceaboutthebath.Leaventhepiecewithsomemerchandise(figurative)youdon'tparticularlycareaboutbutthatseemstoyouodd,intriguing,curious,baffling,quirky.Attachthismaterialtoyourcharacters.Donotusetheabovetorationalizedisconnected,ersatz,orunrelatedoddballdebris.totalktoyoubutthere'sagiantinmyroom"isn'ttheanswertoanynarrativequestion.Longplotexplanationsaren'tgoingtogetit.Like,whensomethingneat(horrible?)happenedtooneofthecharactersareallongtimeago,andyoureallyreallywanttotellusaboutit,youknow?Don't.Itdoesn'tparticularlymatterwhichcharactersthesethingsyoucareabout(see#3)getattachedto(thesearethingslikepiecesofdialogue,bitsofdescription,somegesture,alooksomebodygivessomebody,asetting,tabletops).Infact,you'reprobablybetteroffifthestuffattachesitselfinunexpectedwaystowrongcharacters(soyoudon'tgomeaningtoomuch,see#1).Remember:Manythingshavehappenedwhich,totheuntrainedeye,appearinteresting.GraceSlick.Ateveryturn,askyourselfifyou'rebeinggullible,dopey,pretentious,cloying,adolescent,Neanderthal,routine,dull,smarty-pants,clever,arty,etc.Youdon'twanttobebeingthesethings.Besurethere'saplotforthereadertograsp;whilenotnecessarilythecenterofthestory,itkeytolullingthereaderintothatcomfortzonewherehe'svulnerable.Wecan'tcareaboutsandmutants;ifyoudo,orthinkyoudo,killyourself.Coherenceisabigpartofthegame.Makesurethestoryiscoherent,thatthescenesfloweachfromthelast,thatthereaderhastheclearestsenseatalltimesofwhatisgoingon.Erronthesideofclumsinesstostartwith;backawaylater.Fordramaticpurposesyou'reprobablyweervedstickingclosetoanobjectivenarrative(1stpersonunvoiced,or3rdpersonobjective-ineithercase,thecameraview).Thisforcesyoutowritescenesinwhichcharactersdoandsaythingsto/with/foreachother;thesethingswillthenconstructthestoryforyou.Thisexpedientblocksthe“telling“problem.Organizethestory'sstructurearoundthesimplestavailablestrategy.Forexample,ifthereobligingreasonthatthestorybetoldinflashbacks,don'ilseflashbacks.Don'useflashbackssimplybecauseyougettoacertainpointandthenthinkofsomethingthatrequirestellinginflashbackifitistobetoldatthatpoint.Instead,returntothefrontofthestoryandaddthematerialinitsappropriatespot.Plainchronologicalstorytellingisagoodidea.Rulesondeviations:(a)avoiddisruptionsintimeasmuchaspossible;(b)flashbacks(andsimilar)aretentimesmoreconfusingtothereaderthantheyseemtoyou(keepinmindforuseinstrategicallyconfusingparts);(c)flashbacks,dreamsequences,drug-inducedbeatificappreciations,Mongolhordes,etc.arenotgoodexcusesforlumberingattemptsatthehighrhetoricalbar;(d)deviationsfromanormtendtodrawattentionawayfromthestory,awayfromthecharacters,awayfromtheemotional/spiritualcenterofthings;(e)sometimesyoumaywanttodothis.16a)Intheredundancydepartment:Giveusasmuchofthegroundsituationasyoucanassoonaspossible.Thefirstparagraphisnottoosoon.Thefirstpageisnottoosoon.Telluswho,what,when,where,etc.Donotdothis"artfully.”Rememberthatyouwantsomethingtochangeoverthecourseofthestory.Somethingbigandvisibletothereader.Startwithonesituationandendwithaclearlydifferentsituation.Inbetweentellushowyougotfromtheonetotheother.Don'tbesubtledesigfonpuhsoseangeofnailingdramatics