starter英语写作-精简你的句子

wrongdoer

的意思，并对照解释了一些近义词，如

venality

和

vice

。所以，

Roget

词典是最好的同义词词典。可以帮

你节省时间，

找到最合适的词。

对与作家，< /p>

或是歌词作家，

可以帮你找到压韵的词。

如果你想知道

scalawag

和

sc apegrace

的区别，就去查这本字典吧。

chuanqi

(

：

）

) 2011-11-22 17:28:42

E. B. White makes the case cogently in The Elements of Style, a book every writer should read once a

year, when he suggests trying to rearrange any phrase that has survived for a century or two, such as

Thomas Paine s

E. B. White

的

《风格的 要素》

，

每个作家都应该拜读。

他建议 改写每个句子，

例如

Thomas Paine

的

are the times that try men's souls

，改写了

4

次：

1 Times like these try men's souls.

2 How trying it is to live in these times!

3 These are trying times for men's souls.

4 Soulwise, these are trying times.

Paine s phrase is like poetry and the other four are like oatmeal

—

which is the

divine mystery of the creative process. Good writers of prose must be part poet,

always listening to what they write. E. B. White is one of my favorite stylists

because I'm conscious of being with a man who cares about the cadences and sonorities of the language.

I relish (in my ear) the pattern his words make as they fall into a sentence. I try to surmise how in rewriting

the sentence he reassembled it to end with a phrase that will momentarily linger, or how he chose one

word

over

another

because

he

was

after

a

certain

emotional

weight.

It's

the

difference

between,

say,

—

one so soft, the other strangely disturbing because of the unusual n and q.

Paine< /p>

的语言，像诗歌一样，而改写的句子，更富有创造性。好的作家，也是诗人，总是倾听自己 的作品。

E. B. White

是我最喜爱的作家，我被他抑 扬顿挫的语言所感染，为其风格而着迷。我总是猜想，他是如何

改写句子，使其回味无穷 ；如何根据感觉，选择合适的词汇。比如，

和

< br>

，第一个，很

柔和，第二个， 让人感觉不安，因为里面的

n

和

q

。

Such

considerations

of

sound

and

rhythm

should

be

woven

through

everything

you

write.

If

all

your

sentences move at the same plodding gait, which even you recognize as deadly but don't know how to

cure, read them aloud. (I write entirely by ear and read everything aloud before letting it go out into the

world.) You'll begin to hear where the trouble lies. See if you can gain variety by reversing the order of a

sentence,

or

by

substituting

a

word

that

has

freshness

or

oddity,

or

by

altering

the

length

of

your

sentences so they don't all sound as if they came out of the same mold. An occasional short sentence

can carry a tremendous punch. It stays in the reader's ear.

所以，写作时，应考虑语言的声音 和节奏。如果你的句子单调乏味，或者不知道如何修改，那么大声读出

来。

（我总是先大声朗读，用耳朵判断，然后再下笔）

，你会听出有问题的地方， 修改一下，或者换一个词，

或者改变句子的长度，看看有什么不同。有时，一个短句会非 常有力，给读者印象深刻。

Remember that words are the only tools you've got. Learn to use them with originality and care. And also

remember: somebody out there is listening.

记住，词汇是你唯一的工具，仔细地，创造性地使用它们，每个人都在倾听。

chuanqi

(

：

）

) 2011-11-23 16:12:47

. Unity

整体

Nobody can write a book or an article

peace, or Melville a book about whaling. They

made certain reductive decisions about time and place

and

about

individual

characters

in

that

time

and

place

—

one

man

pursuing

one

whale.

Every

writing

project must be reduced before you start to write.

没人能把所有的事，都写进一本书，或一篇文章。例如，托尔 斯泰的《战争与和平》

，赫尔曼的《白鲸》

，

< br>他们只是提炼某个时间，某个场景和某些人物——一个人追赶一只白鲸。每个主题，在动笔前，都要提炼。

Therefore think small. Decide what corner of your subject you're going to bite off, and be content to cover

it well and stop. Often you'll find that along the way you've managed to say almost everything you wanted

to say about the entire subject. This is also a matter of energy and morale. An unwieldy writing task is a

drain on your enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the force that keeps you going and keeps the reader in your grip.

When your zest begins to ebb, the reader is the first person to know it.

所以，要学会以小见大。给你的主题，选定一个小范围。你会 发现，这个小范围里，几乎能涵盖所有的内

容。这也关系到，你的精力和热情。一个大的 范围，会消耗你的热情。而热情是你唯一的动力。当你兴致

减退时，你的读者会马上感觉 到。

As for what point you want to make, every successful piece of nonfiction should leave the reader with one

provocative thought that he or she didn't have before. Not two thoughts, or five

—

just one. So decide what

single point you want to leave in the reader s mind. It will not only give you a better idea of what route you

should follow and what destination you hope to reach; it will affect your decision

about tone and attitude. Some points are best made by earnestness, some by dry understatement, some

by humor.

至于你要表达的观点，每个成功的 作品，都应该给读者一个全新的观点。不需要太多观点，一个就够了。

所以，要想好，你 要带给读者的观点。这不但会给你带来思路，写作路线和目标。还会影响你的风格和态

度 。要表达你的观点，有时需要真诚，有时需要轻描淡写，有时则需要幽默。

chuanqi

(

：

）

) 2011-11-25 15:51:43

The Lead and the Ending

开头和结尾

The most important sentence in any article is the first one. If it doesn't induce the reader to proceed to the

second sentence, your article is dead. And if the second sentence doesn't induce him to continue to the

third sentence, it's equally dead. Of such a progression of sentences, each tugging the reader forward

until he is hooked, a writer constructs that fateful unit, the

文章的第一句，是最重要的。如果 第一句，不能引导读者读第二句，文章就失败了。同理，第二句，第三

句也是。所以，要 写好“开头”，用一系列句子，牵着读者，直到读者被深深吸引。

How long should the lead be? One or two paragraphs? Four or five? There's no pat answer. Some leads

hook the reader with just a few well- baited sentences; others amble on for several pages, exerting a slow

but steady pull. Every article poses a different problem, and the only valid test is: does it work? Your lead

may

not

be

the

best

of

all

possible

leads,

but

if

it

does

the

job

it's

supposed

to

do,

be

thankful

and

proceed.

Sometimes

the

length

may

depend

on

the

audience

you're

writing

for.

Readers

of

a

literary

review

expect

its

writers

to

start

somewhat

discursively,

and

they

will

stick

with

those

writers

for

the

pleasure of wondering where they will emerge as they move in leisurely circles toward the eventual point.

But I urge you not to count on the reader to stick around. Readers want to know

—

very soon

—

what's in it

for them.

另一些，要写好几页，慢慢地让读者沉浸其中。每一篇文章都不同，所以开头也不同 。你的开头，也许不

是最精彩的，但是，能吸引读者就足够了。有时，开头的长度取决于 读者的不同。有时读者，喜欢看作者

东拉西扯，慢慢地展开情节。但是，我劝你，不让读 者等得不耐烦，读者总是希望尽快得到答案。

Therefore your lead must capture the reader immediately and force him to keep reading. It must cajole

him

with

freshness,

or

novelty,

or

paradox,

or

humor,

or

surprise,

or

with

an

unusual

idea,

or

an

interesting fact, or a question. Anything will do, as long as it nudges his curiosity and tugs at his sleeve.

所以， 你的开头，必须抓住读者，让他们读下去。你可以用新鲜的东西，或矛盾的东西，或幽默，或惊喜，

或不寻常的想法，或一个有趣的故事，或一个问题，什么都行，只要能勾起他的好奇心。

Next the lead must do some real work. It must provide hard details that tell the reader why the piece was

written and why he ought to read it. But don't dwell on the reason. Coax the reader a little more; keep him

inquisitive.

另外，开头还要注意，必须说明， 写作目的和读者为什么应该阅读。但是，不要说得过多，要让读者保持

好奇。

Continue to build. Every paragraph should amplify the one that preceded it. Give more thought to adding

solid

detail

and

less

to

entertaining

the

reader.

But

take

special

care

with

the

last

sentence

of

each

paragraph

—

it's the crucial springboard to the next paragraph. Try to give that sentence an extra twist of

humor or surprise, like the periodic

and you've got him for at least one more paragraph.

然后，继续往下写。每一段，应该比上一段更深入。多写些实 在的东西，少一些哗众取宠。注意每段的最

后一句，要承上启下。用一些幽默，或惊喜的 东西，就好像喜剧里的穿插的场景，让读者开心，然后，他

会接着读下一段。

chuanqi

(

：

）

) 2011-11-26 21:41:40

Speaking of everybody else's lead, there are many categories I'd be glad never to see again. One is the

future archaeologist:

will he make of the jukebox?

from Mars:

clad earthlings lying on the sand barbecuing their skins.

happen

small button- nosed boy was walking with his dog, Terry, in a field outside Paramus, N.J., when he saw

something

that

looked

strangely

like

a

balloon

rising

out

of

the

ground.

And

I'm

very

tired

of

the

have-in- common

lead:

did

Joseph

Stalin,

Douglas

MacArthur,

Ludwig

Wittgenstein,

Sherwood

Anderson,

Jorge

Luis

Borges

and

Akira

Kurosawa

have

in

common?

They

all

loved Westerns.

Let's

retire the future archaeologist and the man from Mars and the button-nosed boy. Try to give your lead a

freshness of perception or detail.

举几种糟糕的开头：

1

未来的考古学家：“当未来的考 古学家，偶然发现现在文明的遗迹——投币式唱机，他们会做何感想”

2

来自火星的客人：“如果一个火 星人来到地球，他会吃惊地发现，人们在沙滩上晒太阳”

3

故意碰巧发生的事，如在不久前的一天，或周六的下午：“ 不久前的一天，一个小男孩，在遛狗

.....

突然

4

共同点开头：

“

oseph Stalin, Douglas MacArthur, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Sherwood Anderson, Jorge Luis

Borges and Akira Kurosawa

，这些名人，有什么共同点？他们都喜欢西部。

以后， 别再这么写了，在你的开头，写些新鲜的东西，或者感悟，或者细节。

chuanqi

(

：

）

) 2011-11-29 15:21:46

One moral is that you should always collect more material than you will use. Every article is strong in

proportion to the surplus of details from which you can choose the few that will serve you best

—

if you

don't go on gathering facts forever. At some point you must stop researching and start writing.

一条原则是，你要尽可能多地搜集 素材。如果你不这么做，你的素材，就会不够用。到一定时候，你要停

下来，开始写作。

Another

moral

is

to

look

for

your

material

everywhere,

not

just

by

reading

the

obvious

sources

and

interviewing

the

obvious

people.

Look

at

signs

and

at

billboards

and

at

all

the

junk

written

along

the

American roadside. Read the labels on our packages and the instructions on our toys, the claims on our

medicines and the graffiti on our walls. Read the fillers, so rich in self-esteem, that come spilling out of

your

monthly

statement

from

the

electric

company

and

the

telephone

company

and

the

bank.

Read

menus and catalogues and second-class mail. Nose about in obscure crannies of the newspaper, like the

Sunday real estate section

—

you can tell the temper of a society by what patio accessories it wants. Our

daily

landscape

is

thick

with

absurd

messages

and

portents.

Notice

them.

They

not

only

have

social

significance; they are often just quirky enough to make a lead that's different from everybody else's.

另一条原则是，你要随处寻找素材，不只是那些明显的人和事 ，例如：

1

街道两旁的招牌，公告栏，垃圾广告

2

包裹上标签，玩具上的说明，药品 上的声明，墙上的涂鸦。

3

电业局，电话局和银行每月寄来的账单和宣传活页

4

菜单，各种分类目录，垃圾邮件

5

报纸上，不起眼的版面，例如周日 的房产板块

通过它们，你可以了解 社会的走向，公众的口味。我们每天，都被大量的信息包围。关注这些东西，不仅

帮我们 了解社会，而且可以作为素材，让你的开头与众不同。

chuanqi

(

：

）

) 2011-12-05 13:30:33

The positive reason for ending well is that a good last sentence

—

or last paragraph

—

is a joy in itself. It

gives the reader a lift, and it lingers when the article is over. The perfect ending should take your readers

slightly by surprise and yet seem exactly right. They didn't expect the article to end so soon,

or so abruptly, or to say what it said. But they know it when they see it. Like a good lead, it works. It's like

the curtain line in a theatrical comedy. We are in the middle of a scene (we think), when suddenly one of

the actors says something funny, or outrageous, or epigrammatic, and the lights go out. We are startled

to

find

the

scene

over,

and

then

delighted

by

the

aptness

of

how

it

ended.

What

delights

us

is

the

playwrights perfect control.

为什么要写好 结尾——好的结尾，或最后一段，可以让读者受到鼓舞，回味无穷。完美的结尾，应该让读

者有点意外，但又在情理之中。他们没想到会这么快结束，有点突然，或者和预料的不一样，但最终，他

们会理解。就像好的开头一样。就像我们在看戏，突然，里面的角色说了句风趣的话，或是粗话 ，或是格

言，灯光就熄灭了，戏结束了。我们起初会感到奇怪，但过后，会感到愉快，赞 叹作家的手笔。

For the nonfiction writer, the simplest way of putting this into a rule is: when you're ready to stop, stop. If

you have presented all the facts and made the point you want to make, look for the nearest exit.

对于作家，最简单的方法是：当你 该结束时，就结束。当你把所有的事情，都交代了，就该考虑尽快结束

了。

chuanqi

(

：

）

) 2013-12-18 12:07:07

Something I often do in my own work is to bring the story full circle

—

to strike at the end an echo of a note

that was sounded at the beginning. It gratifies my sense of symmetry, and it also pleases the reader,

completing with its resonance the journey we set out on together.

我在写作中，经常注意把故事写圆满

-

——即首尾呼应。这样做让我感到满足，让读者开心，就好像我和读

< br>者一起经历了旅程。

chuanqi

(

：

）

) 2013-12-19 12:07:32

But what usually works best is a quotation. Go back through your notes to find some rema that has a

sense of finality, or that's funny, or that adds an unexpected closing detail. Sometimes it will jump out at

you during the interview

—

I've often thought,

—

or during the process of writing.

通常，最好的办法是标记。查看你的笔记，找出标记，这样会感觉完整，有趣，或者加入一个意外的结 尾。

有时，在采访时，它会跳出来——我经常遇到，“就是这样的结尾”，或者在写作的 过程中。

chuanqi

(

：

）

) 2013-12-20 12:28:24

In the mid-1960s, when Woody Allen was just becoming established as Americas resident neurotic, doing

nightclub monologues, I wrote the first long magazine piece that took note of his arrival. It ended like this:

60

年代 中期，当伍迪艾伦刚刚成名，做舞台剧时，我写了第一篇长篇文章，描述他的到来，结尾是这样的：

come away wanting to hear me again, no matter what I might talk about, then I'm succeeding.

by the returns, he is. Woody Allen is Mr. Related-To, and he seems a good bet to hold the franchise for

many years.

艾伦说，如果人们不只喜欢我的作 品，而是喜欢我这个人，不论我谈论什么，都喜欢我，那么说明我成功

了。的确是这样， 很多年，他一直保持成功。

chuanqi

(

：

）

) 2013-12-23 14:32:48

Yet he does have a problem all his own, unshared by, unrelated to, the rest of America.

he says,

然而，他始终有一个麻烦，和美国人无关。

“我很纠结”他说“因为我老妈真的很像格鲁桥马克思”

There's a remar-k from so far out in left field that nobody could see it coming. The surprise it carries is

tremendous. How could it not be a perfect ending? Surprise is one of the most refreshing elements in

nonfiction writing. If something surprises you it will also surprise

—

and delight

—

the people you are writing

for, especially as you conclude your story and send them on their way.

这是一个风马牛不相及的评价，没人能预料到。却带来了巨大 的惊喜。这不是个完美的结尾吗？惊喜是写

作中最让人振奋的元素。如果什么事情，能给 你带来惊喜，那么同样也能给读者带来惊喜，尤其是以你自

己的方式。

< br>

chuanqi

(

：

）

) 2014-01-03 10:17:33

6. Bits & Pieces

细节才是王道

This is a chapter of scraps and morsels

—

small admonitions on many points that I have collected under

one, as they say, umbrella.

这一章，是我搜集的各种小技巧

VERBS.

不到万不得已，不要用被动动词

Use active verbs unless there is no comfortable way to get around using a passive verb. The difference

between an active verb style and a passive-verb style

—

in clarity and vigor

—

is the

difference between life and death for a writer.

尽量使用主动动词，除非万不得已，才可以使用被动。对于作 家来说，两者的区别，和生死一样。

about who did what. The second is necessarily longer and it has an insipid quality: something was done

by somebody to someone else. It

’

s also ambiguous. How often was he seen by Joe? Once? Every day?

Once a week? A style that consists of passive constructions will sap the readers energy. Nobody ever

quite knows what is being perpetrated by whom and on whom.

例如，“

Joe

看见他”和“他被

joe

看见”，前者简短准确，表述毫 无疑问。后者冗长无味。而且会引起

歧义。读者会猜想，他经常被

job

看见吗？一次？每天？每周？被动的句型会浪费读者的热情，没人能猜