师本 ACEW Lecture 2Writing effective sentencesWord格式.docx

1、100 minutesTeaching Procedures: 1. Students discuss how to write effective sentences.2. Teachers lecture about writing effective sentences.3. Students do the exercises to practice writing effective sentences. Sentences are the fundamental units in writing. The effectiveness of a piece of writing dep

2、ends largely on the effectiveness of individual sentences. The strengths and weakness of the sentence will shape the quality of the writing generally. No matter how interesting your ideas are or how well you organize your essay, your writing appears on the page one sentence at a time.Effective sente

3、nces are concise, varied, and emphatic. They say as much as possible and as economically as possible without sacrificing clarity. They use a variety of structures and are at different lengths. They emphasize the important ideas so that the reader can spot the writers intentions.1. ConcisenessThe bes

4、t sentence contains no flabby or unnecessary words. Compare:Wordy: One of my close personal friends who lives in the city of Indianapolis at the present time has under consideration moving his residence to Buffalo for the reason that he has been offered a position in that metropolis. （38 words）Conci

5、se: One of my friends in Indianapolis is considering moving to Buffalo because he has been offered a job there. （19 words） This does not mean that all sentences must be brief or “bare bones”. When you want to emphasize certain words or ideas, then concrete, specific details to make the meaning clear

6、 and precise and repetition may be necessary. But empty phrase, padding, and unnecessary repetition add nothing to the meaning of a sentence and are barriers between you and readers. Be sure to watch for the following constructions in your writing:1） Wordiness. Unnecessary words clutter up a sentenc

7、e because they add nothing to its meaning. They make sentences flabby and, like redundancies, they are no more than padding. With regard to the fact that our environment is polluted, members of Congress should draft and consequently enact laws that prohibit pollution in our nation. Because our envir

8、onment is polluted, Congress should pass laws prohibiting pollution.Wordy Concisein an efficient manner efficientlyfor the purpose of getting rich to get richhas the capability of working can worksay in a hard-to-hear voice mumblein the final analysis finallyin the event that ifat that point in time

9、 thendue to the fact that becauseamong all problems that exists today among all current problemssomewhere in the neighborhood of twenty about twentyin the not too distant future soondance with a graceful style dance gracefully2）. Redundancies. A redundant phrase is one that contains certain unnecess

10、ary repetition; it says the same thing twice with no new shades of meaning.Redundant: The slowly moving train crawled into the station. The train crawled into the station.The bracketed parts in the list below are redundant:advance （forward） round （in shape）continue （to go on） （physical） aerobic exer

11、cisetwo different reasons （true） facts（deliberate） lie circle （around）whisper （softly） repeat （again）visible （to the eye） disappear from view（basic） fundamentals （flat） pancake （ You will occasionally want to repeat an idea in different words to emphasize a particular point. Except in those instance

12、s, cut out any repetitive words or phrase that do not emphasize or clarify your point.） ExerciseRevise the following sentences to eliminate redundancy and wordiness1） In the world of today, eighteen-year-old young people find little joy in draft registration. 2） It is usually the case that these tal

13、es give encouragement to the peoples fantasies.3） I see no reason at this point in time why we should not rely, as has often been the case in the past, on the good offices of the mayor.4） I think that it is not a mistake-nor is it incorrect-to say that the characteristics of repetition, redundancy,

14、and saying the same thing again and again that typify most and much or at least a great deal of writing in the modern world of today should be eliminated or done away with by every means available to the person or persons who teaches these writers.5） In the event that the grading system is changed,

15、expect complaints on the part of students.6） As far as sexism is concerned, it seems to me that a woman can be as guilty of sexism as a man.7） The forces that were against gun control ran an advertisement that covered two pages.8） I think that he knows that that girl is not the suitable girl for him

16、 to marry.9） She suspected she would be in an unemployment-type situation when the overflow of customers due to the Christmas shopping circumstances was no longer in effect.10） I was actually smaller than my younger brother. He was six feet and I was five four. Key:1） Today, eighteen-year-old young

17、people find little joy in draft registration. 2） These tales usually encourage fantasies.3） We should rely now, as we have in the past, on the help of the mayor.4） Instructors should use all means to decrease redundancy in their students writing.5） If the grading system is changed, expect complaints

18、 from the students.6） A woman can be as guilty of sexism as a man.7） The anti-gun control forces ran a two-page advertisement.8） I think he should not marry that girl. 9） She suspected she would be laid off after the Christmas rush.10） My younger brother was six feet and I was five four. 2. Variety

19、Sentences are the building blocks of paragraphs. If all sentences in a composition are of the same length and structure, the composition will be as drab and uninteresting as a straight highway. If the sentences are varied, however, the composition will hold the readers attention as a road curves and

20、 rises and falls with the changing landscape. A good essay includes a variety of sentence types. It mixes shorter with longer sentences and employs a variety of sentence patterns.To achieve sentence variety and include a mixture of sentence structure, we need to keep the following points in mind.1）

21、Strike a balance between long and short sentencesSentences come short, medium, and long-and the simple principle for effective writing is to try variety. Good writing uses a mixture of short and long sentences to imitate the natural rhythms of speech. A piece of writing filled with sentences of the

22、same length is monotonous. A succession of simple sentences will bore your readers; a succession of compound or complex sentences may confuse or tire them. Your writing should offer your readers sentences of different lengths.i） Combining sentences with phrases. In the following examples, short sent

23、ences are combined into longer ones that include at least one phrase.a. The Blue Angels perform spectacular stunts. They are part of the United States Navy. They perform stunts at air shows. Air shows are held around the world.b. The Blue Angels of the United States Navy perform spectacular stunts a

24、t air shows around the world.ii） Combining sentences by coordinating. Another way to combine your sentences is to link items of equal importance with coordinating conjunctions.a. Coincidences often intrigue people. Coincidences often frighten people.b. Coincidences often intrigue or frighten people.

25、iii） Combining sentences by subordinating. Still another way to combine sentences is to join ideas of unequal importance by turning the less important idea into a dependent clause with relative pronouns or subordinating conjunctions.a. With his loss of hearing, his music reached new heights of beaut

26、y and feeling. His loss of hearing was nearly complete in 1816.b. With his loss of hearing, which was nearly complete in 1816, his music reached new heights of beauty and feeling. Exercise:1） John is very efficient. He is a librarian. He is an excellent organizer of events. Those events are extracur

27、ricular events for the college.2） Today, many young women do not rush into marriage and motherhood. They spend several years establishing careers.3） I was looking over my books then. I noticed that Micky was missing. That book was one of my roommates favorite books.1） John, a very efficient libraria

28、n, is an excellent organizer of extracurricular events for the college.2） Today, many young women do not rush into marriage and motherhood, but spend several years establishing careers.3） I was looking over my books when I noticed that Micky, one of my roommates favorite books, was missing. 2） Vary

29、sentence structureSentences are classified according to the number and kind of clauses within them. The four basic kinds of sentences are simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. Strive for a mixture of sentence types to create interest and variety for your readers.3） Vary sentence beginning

30、s Inexperienced writers tend to begin every sentence with the subject. This is natural, because the subject-verb pattern is the most common arrangement in English sentences. A series of such sentences, however, can be boring and monotonous. By beginning some of your sentences with something other th

31、an the subject you can make them more appealing. The following ways help to achieve sentence variety.i） Begin some sentences with appositive expressions-The most spectacular mountain in China, Huang Shan Mountain attracts thousands of visitors each year.ii） Begin some sentences with participles-Stricken with grief, Greg cried for an hour because he could not take French.iii）