怎样写出靠谱的英文文档格式.docx

怎样写出靠谱的英文文档格式.docx

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如果你即将去米国读研究生，未来两年经常要面对一茬一茬的各种paper;

如果你以后是一个英文写作从业者，经常要写newsrelease&

report.这本书就是你的圣经。

作者对写作标准的严苛和尊敬，作者的智慧和幽默感让我随时流着哈喇子拿出各种颜色的笔圈点勾画。

这种经典看一遍是绝对不够的，我认为有些句子是完全可以打印出来，贴在自己的写作台上，时时鞭策警示自己。

这样才能多写出一些人类看得懂的句子，少留下一些Cliché

和Clutter，让自己看到脸红。

以下的笔记摘选自本书第一章Principles和第二章Methods.这两章的篇幅只占全书的三分之一,但信息量非常之大，看完你就知道了。

摘选的内容包括：

1.Simplicity&

Clutter怎样把文章写的简洁

2.Style 

风格 

只有把“人”写出来，才会有自己的风格

3.Theaudience 

你的文章为谁而写

4.Words措辞 

怎样的用词会把你的文章搞坏，什么又是好的措辞

5.Unity 

整体性 

如何写出牛逼的开头和结尾，怎么寻找素材

6.Bits&

Pieces 

动词，副词，形容词，缩写，that/which等等用法

Φ

1. 

Simplicity&

Clutter

怎么样把文章写简洁？

Zinsser痛恨兜圈子，任何模棱两可的措辞，表意不明的句子在他看来都是灾难。

他对简洁如此执着，以至于Zinsser这个名字成了文风简洁的代名词。

美国有些老师会让学生Zinsser一下他们的文章，Zinsser成了一个清除文中clutter的动词。

什么是所谓的clutter呢？

放到中文语境里，遍地都是，比如说“有关部门”,比如说“某某领导高度重视.”比如说胡版2011年新年贺词的全部。

美版：

ClutteristhediseaseofAmericanwriting.Weareasocietystranglinginunnecessarywords,circularconstructions,pompousfrillsandmeaninglessjargon.

Fightingclutterislikefightingweeds—thewriterisalwaysslightlybehind.Newvarietiessproutovernight,andbynoontheyarepartofAmericanspeech.ConsiderwhatPresidentNixon'

saideJohnDeanaccomplishedinjustonedayoftestimonyontelevisionduringtheWatergatehearings.ThenextdayeveryoneinAmericawassaying"

atthispointintime"

insteadof"

now."

Taketheadjective“personal,”asin“apersonalfriendofmine,”“hispersonalfeeling.”It’stypicalofhundredsofwordsthatcanbeeliminated.Thepersonalfriendhascomeintothelanguagetodistinguishhimorherfromthebusinessfriend,therebydebasingbothlanguageandfriendship.Someone’sfeelingisthatperson’spersonalfeeling—that’swhat“his”means.Friendsarefriends,therestisclutter.

Clutteristheponderouseuphemismthatturnsaslumintoadepressedsocioeconomicarea,garbagecollectorsintowastedisposalpersonnelandthetowndumpintothevolumereductionunit.

Clutteristheofficiallanguageusedbycorporationstohidetheirmistakes.WhenGeneralMotorshadaplantshutdown,thatwasa“volume-relatedproduction-scheduleadjustment.”WhenanAirForcemissilecrashed,it“impactedwiththegroundprematurely.”Companiesthatgobelly-uphave“anegativecash-flowposition.”

“Experiencing”isoneoftheworstclutters.Insteadof“itisraining”,thereisnowaytosay“Atthepresenttimeweareexperiencingprecipitation.”Evenyourdentistwillaskifyouareexperiencinganypain.Ifhehadhisownkidinthechairhewouldsay,”Doesithurt?

”

Thepointofraisingtheseexamplesistoservenoticethatclutteristheenemy.Beware,then,ofthelongwordthat'

snobetterthantheshortword:

"

assistance"

（help）,"

numerous"

（many）,"

facilitate"

（ease）,"

individual"

（manorwoman）,"

remainder"

（rest）,"

initial"

（first）,"

implement"

（do）,"

sufficient"

（enough）,"

attempt"

（try）,"

referredtoas"

（called）andhundredsmore.Bewareofalltheslipperynewfadwords:

paradigmandparameter,prioritizeandpotentialize.Theyareallweedsthatwillsmotherwhatyouwrite.

Howcantherestofusachievesuchenviablefreedomfromclutter?

Theansweristoclearourheadsofclutter.Clearthinkingbecomesclearwriting;

onecan'

texistwithouttheother.It'

simpossibleforamuddythinkertowritegoodEnglish.Hemaygetawaywithitforaparagraphortwo,butsoonthereaderwillbelost,andthere'

snosinsograve,forthereaderwillnoteasilybeluredback.

作者的一个tip,“括号剔除法”.经我的PS测试,发现非常好用。

Isthereanywaytorecognizeclutterataglance?

Here'

sadevicemystudentsatYalefoundhelpful.Iwouldputbracketsaroundeverycomponentinapieceofwritingthatwasn'

tdoingusefulwork.Oftenjustonewordgotbracketed:

theunnecessaryprepositionappendedtoaverb（"

orderup"

）,ortheadverbthatcarriesthesamemeaningastheverb（"

smilehappily"

）,ortheadjectivethatstatesaknownfact（"

tallskyscraper"

）.Oftenmybracketssurroundedthelittlequalifiersthatweakenanysentencetheyinhabit（"

abit,"

sortof）,orphraseslike"

inasense,"

whichdon'

tmeananything.Sometimesmybracketssurroundedanentiresentence—theonethatessentiallyrepeatswhattheprevioussentencesaid,orthatsayssomethingreadersdon'

tneedtoknoworcanfigureoutforthemselves.Mostfirstdraftscanbecutby50percentwithoutlosinganyinformationorlosingtheauthorsvoice.

Myreasonforbracketingthestudents'

superfluouswords,insteadofcrossingthemout,wastoavoidviolatingtheirsacredprose.Iwantedtoleavethesentenceintactforthemtoanalyze.Iwassaying,"

Imaybewrong,butIthinkthiscanbedeletedandthemeaningwon'

tbeaffected.Butyoudecide.Readthesentencewithoutthebracketedmaterialandseeifitworks."

IntheearlyweeksofthetermIhandedbackpapersthatwerefestoonedwithbrackets.Entireparagraphswerebracketed.Butsoonthestudentslearnedtoputmentalbracketsaroundtheirownclutter,andbytheendofthetermtheirpaperswerealmostclean.Todaymanyofthosestudentsareprofessionalwriters,andtheytellme,"

Istillseeyourbrackets—they'

refollowingmethroughlife."

Youcandevelopthesameeye.Lookfortheclutterinyourwritingandpruneitruthlessly.Begratefulforeverythingyoucanthrowaway.Reexamineeachsentenceyouputonpaper.Iseveryworddoingnewwork?

Cananythoughtbeexpressedwithmoreeconomy?

Isanythingpompousorpretentiousorfaddish?

Areyouhangingontosomethinguselessjustbecauseyouthinkit'

sbeautiful?

Simplify,simplify.

2. 

Style

以下对写PS挠头的同学颇为有用

Fewpeoplerealizehowbadlytheywrite.Nobodyhasshownthemhowmuchexcessormurkinesshascreptintotheirstyleandhowitobstructswhattheyaretryingtosay.Ifyougivemeaneight-pagearticleandItellyoutocutittofourpages,you'

llhowlandsayitcan'

tbedone.Thenyou'

llgohomeanddoit,anditwillbemuchbetter.Afterthatcomesthehardpart:

cuttingittothree.

Thepointisthatyouhavetostripyourwritingdownbeforeyoucanbuilditbackup.Youmustknowwhattheessentialtoolsareandwhatjobtheyweredesignedtodo.Extendingthemetaphorofcarpentry,it'

sfirstnecessarytobeabletosawwoodneatlyandtodrivenails.Lateryoucanbeveltheedgesoraddelegantfinials,ifthat'

syourtaste.Butyoucanneverforgetthatyouarepracticingacraftthat'

sbasedoncertainprinciples.Ifthenailsareweak,yourhousewillcollapse.Ifyourverbsareweakandyoursyntaxisrickety,yoursentenceswillfallapart.

为什么必须要有自己的风格

I'

lladmitthatcertainnonfictionwriters,likeTomWolfeandNormanMailer,havebuiltsomeremarkablehouses.Butthesearewriterswhospentyearslearningtheircraft,andwhenatlasttheyraisedtheirfancifulturretsandhanginggardens,tothesurpriseofallofuswhoneverdreamedofsuchornamentation,theyknewwhattheyweredoing.NobodybecomesTomWolfeovernight,notevenTomWolfe.

First,then,learntohammerthenails,andifwhatyoubuildissturdyandserviceable,takesatisfactioninitsplainstrength.Butyouwillbeimpatienttofinda"

style"

—toembellishtheplainwordssothatreaderswillrecognizeyouassomeonespecial.Youwillreachforgaudysimilesandtinseledadjectives,asif"

weresomethingyoucouldbuyatthestylestoreanddrapeontoyourwordsinbrightdecoratorcolors.（Decoratorcolorsarethecolorsthatdecoratorscomein.）Thereisnostylestore;

styleisorganictothepersondoingthewriting,asmuchapartofhimashishair,or,ifheisbald,hislackofit.Tryingtoaddstyleislikeaddingatoupee.Atfirstglancetheformerlybaldmanlooksyoungandevenhandsome.Butatsecondglance—andwithatoupeethere'

salwaysasecondglance—hedoesn'

tlookquiteright.Theproblemisnotthathedoesn'

tlookwellgroomed;

hedoes,andwecanonlyadmirethewigmaker'

sskill.Thepointisthathedoesn'

tlooklikehimself.Thisistheproblemofwriterswhosetoutdeliberatelytogarnishtheirprose.Youlosewhateveritisthatmakesyouunique.Thereaderwillnoticeifyouareputtingonairs.Readerswantthepersonwhoistalkingtothemtosoundgenuine.Thereforeafundamentalruleis:

beyourself.

怎样写文章才会有自己的style？

----把自己放进去，找到那个“人”

Assumethatyouarethewritersittingdowntowrite.Youthinkyourarticlemustbeofacertainlengthoritwon'

tseemimportant.Youthinkhowaugustitwilllookinprint.Youthinkofallthepeoplewhowillreadit.Youthinkthatitmusthavethesolidweightofauthority.Youthinkthatitsstylemustdazzle.Nowonderyoutighten;

youaresobusythinkingofyourawesomeresponsibilitytothefinishedarticlethatyoucan'

tevenstart.Yetyouvowtobeworthyofthetask,and,castingaboutforgrandphrasesthatwouldn'

toccurtoyouifyouweren'

ttryingsohardtomakeanimpression,youplungein.Paragraph1isadisaster—atissueofgeneralitiesthatseemtohavecomeoutofamachine.Nopersoncouldhavewrittenthem.Paragraph2isn'

tmuchbetter.ButParagraph3beginstohaveasomewhathumanquality,andbyParagraph4youbegintosoundlikeyourself.You'

vestartedtorelax.Itsamazinghowoftenaneditorcanthrowawaythefirstthreeorfourparagraphsofanar