英语写作Coherence.docx

1、英语写作CoherenceCoherence（连贯性）连贯性是指句中的成分之间具有含乎逻辑的有机联系，全句所表述的思路清晰，使交际对方容易得到要领。 Coherence means clear and reasonable connection between parts. the train of thoughts flows smoothly in a logical sequence in a sentence, from sentence to sentence, from paragraph to paragraphExample: John saw a handbag in a f

2、ield. He walked a cross the field and picked up the handbag. He took the handbag to the police station and handed it in as lost property. When he had done this, he went home.这个语篇做到了紧凑连贯。这是因为四个句子表达的意义联系紧密：通过重复(handbag)延续主题发展，第四句this的照应对象是一个句组，做到回应总结 。通过代词指示做到语义连贯：第二、三、四句中的he与第一句的John发生了照应关系，第三句的it与第一

3、、二句的handbag是词汇复现关系。A sentence is coherent when its words or parts are properly connected and their relationships unmistakably clear. It is not coherent if it has confusing shifts in person and number, or in voice, tense, and mood. pronouns with ambiguous reference, faulty parallel constructions, dan

4、gling or misplaced modifiers, Pronoun reference句子中的代词应在数性和人称等方面保持一致，或者和它所对应的名词词组保持一致。1) 代词与先行词在数上不一致是一个常见的错误。Being a student, we all wish to learn to write well. One can never write effectively, unless they write as much and as often as they can.No matter what he is learning, children all seem to fo

5、llow what the alduts do.2). Ambiguousreference歧义指代: a sentence contains more than one antecedent to which a pronoun may grammatically refer.Faulty: She told my sister that she was wrong.Revised: “ Im wrong,” she said to my sister.She admitted that she was wrong and said so to my sister. “ Youre wron

6、g,” she said to my sister. My sister was told that she was wrong. Faulty: He was knocked down by a bicycle, but it was not serious.Revised: He was knocked down by a bicycle, but was not badly hurt.Faulty: Im going to the lecture on modern Chinese dramawith my friend, because he is a dramatist I like

7、. Revised: Im going to the lecture on modern Chinese dramawith my friend, because the speaker is a dramatist I like.3). Weak reference: the antecedent is implied or unspecified指代含糊, or the same pronoun stands for different implied antecedents. In this case, you should clearly state what is implied.

8、Hes the author of a best-selling book on sailing, although hes never set foot on one.I wished I had brought my raincoat, for it had become colder and I needed it.When the weather became colder, I wished I had brought my raincoat, for I needed it.When he went by the dog pound(栏), they rushed to the f

9、ence and barked at him.When he went by the dog pound, the dogs rushed to the fence and barked at him. 注意：句中起修饰作用的名词不可以作代词所指代的先行词。e.g. In John Whites novel The Whites, he describes the life of the immigrant family.In his novel The Whites, John White describes the life of the immigrant family. Faulty:

10、 A man is judged not only by what he says but also by his deeds.Revised: A man is judged not only by what he says but also by what he does. A man is judged not only by his words but also by his deeds. 平行结构：Parallelism一句话里往往出现两个或两个以上意思并列的成分，这些成分应该保持平衡。Collecting stamps, playing chess and catching but

11、terflies are Warys hobbies.她既漂亮，又温柔，还勤俭持家。Parallel ideas had better be expressed in parallel constructions, which give emphasis, clarity and coherence to a sentence. 不平行(non-parallelism)Dentists advise brushing your teeth after every meal and to avoid sugar in your diet.Dentists advise brushing your

12、 teeth after every meal and avoiding sugar in your diet.She is pretty, tender, and manages the household thriftily.She is pretty, tender, and thrifty.善于使用平行结构（parallel construction）Bothand, not but, rather than, not onlybut also, as well as, eitheror,等结构前后的语法形式必须一致。He believed neither in himself nor

13、 did he believe in others.He believed neither in himself nor in others.平行的含义:语法结构一致平行语法结构，意义，语气语法结构平行Parallel in structure Word to word; phrase to phrase; clause to clause; sentence to sentenceWe have great faith and high hopes for her.We have great faith in and high hopes for her.To swim in a pool

14、is not as much fun as swimming in a river.To swim in a pool is not as much fun as to swim in a river.The hurricane was more of a threat to the tourists than the natives.The hurricane was more of a threat to the tourists than to the natives.We met a Frenchman who had lived in Brazil, but he knew very

15、 little about his own country.We met a Frenchman who had lived in Brazil, but who knew very little about his own country.意义，语气一致平行Parallel both in sense and mood, voice, etc.:The Spring Festival brings children care-free happiness and grants people leisured refreshment.The Spring Festival brings chi

16、ldren care-free happiness and grants adults/parents leisured refreshment.He was beaten and robbed, and then they left him to die in the gutter.He was beaten and robbed, and left to die in the gutter.If I were rich and she was single, I would marry her.If I were rich and she were single, I would marr

17、y her.Pay your taxes and you should be honest. (the imperative mood shifts to the indicative)Pay your taxes and be honest.misplaced modifiers 错位英文句子的每个成分，如主语，谓语，宾语和状语，应在句中占有正确的位置。如果放错了位置，那么这句话不仅是个病句，而且很可能造成意思上的误解。People who watch television rarely read much.We saw the monkeys driving down the highwa

18、y.下面每句话能有两个或两个以上的含义，请把说出它的每一种意思。The lamb was too hot to eat.The police were ordered to stop drinking in the park.The monkeys amused the people in cages at the zoo.A shark may attack a man that is hungry.Misplaced wordsadverbsBe careful with “almost” “even” “hardly” “merely” “nearly” “only” etc.Mispl

19、aced: He nearly lost ten dollars last night.Revised: He lost nearly ten dollars last night.On Sunday, I almost walked to the park.On Sunday, I walked almost to the park.If a modifier that can modify both the words that precede and follow it, be careful!The rain that the crops had needed badly damage

20、d the roads.Clear: The rain that the crops had badly needed damaged the roads.Clear: The rain that the crops had needed damaged the roads badly.She decided at that instant to quit he job.Clear: She decided to quit he job at that instant.Clear: At that instant she decided to quit he job.Note: these m

21、entioned adverbs should immediately precede or be put close to the word they modify.Misplaced phrasesMost often, it is the prepositional phrases that are misplaced. The best rule to follow is to keep them away from words they must not be understood to modify. The usual way is to put them right after

22、 the word they modify, because they tend to refer to the word that comes immediately before them.Misplaced: I looked at the tree I had felled(砍倒)with my hands in my pocket.With my hands in my pocket, I looked at the tree I had felled(砍倒)Misplaced: The family got together to eat mooncakes with the fu

23、ll moon.Revised: The family got together to eat mooncakes and appreciate the full moon.Misplaced clausesJane had a kitten in the house that ate birds.In the house, Jane had a kitten that ate birds.One day, the Queen gave Houyi a pill which can make people fly when he was in the mountain Kunlun. One

24、day, when he was in the mountain Kunlun, the Queen gave Houyi a pill which can make people fly.垂悬修饰语(dangling modifier)垂悬修饰语指在句中作状语却找不到逻辑主语的介词短语，非谓语动词短语，是常见的语病。On arriving the river, the current was frightening.Going through the red light, the traffic police on duty stopped him.Note: It frequently o

25、ccurs at the beginning of a sentence. The introductory phrases always refer to the sentences subject. If the subject is not the word that the introductory phrase is meant to modify, then the phrase dangles, or hangs.1. While reading, the doorbell rang.While reading, I heard the doorbell ring2. Stand

26、ing by the window, the park opposite our house is in full view.Standing by the window, we can have a full view of the park opposite our house.3. From attending class, the principles of chemistry were made clear.From attending class, we came to understand the principles of chemistry.From our attendin

27、g class, the principles of chemistry were made clear.4. To develop a lively writing style, all kinds of sentence structures should be used.To develop a lively writing style, the writer should use all kinds of sentence structures.5. When only three years old, my father took me to a circus（马戏团）.When o

28、nly three years old, I was taken to a circus by my father.When I was only three years old, my father took me to a circus.6. Without shoes, the tough stone cut the feet of the hikers（徒步旅行者）.The tough stone cut the feet of the barefooted hikers.7. At the age of six, my grandmother died.When I was six

29、years old, my grandmother died.注意：generally speaking, judging by, considering(that), to tell the truth, given(that), speaking of, talking about, to start with, to make matters worse等已经固定地用作插入语，表示一般的行为，不表示句子中具体的动作，不属于垂悬修饰语。Ways to correctMake sure your sentence main subject is the one you mean to mod

30、ify, or clearly state the logical subject of any modifiers, such as: words, phrases, and clauses. Homework:Try to make the following passage more concise:The robin population was affected indirectly for one simple reason: the reason was that they ate earthworms that had stored DDT in their bodies. R

31、obins eat earthworms, earthworms are poisoned by insecticides, and the insecticides are used to kill beetles that feed on the bark of elm trees. Robins eat many earthworms a day, and they eat as many as an earthworm a minute. As few as eleven infected earthworms can killed a robin and cause the bird to die. Then write an essay about the above resource.What do you learn from the above story?