英语作文范文IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH WRITING SKILLS.docx

1、英语作文范文IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH WRITING SKILLS英语作文范文IMPROVE YOUR ENGLISH WRITING SKILLS Perhaps you have dreams of becoming the next Great Novelist. Or maybe you just want to be able to better express your thoughts and ideas more clearly. Whether you want to improve your writing skills as a creative writ

2、er or simply perfect your skills for schoolwork, you can take some steps to learn how to be a better writer. Becoming a great writeror even a good writertakes practice and knowledge, but with enough hard work perhaps someday somebody will aspire to be the nextyou!Writing HelpSample Writing Exercises

3、Sample Freewrite About a NameCommon Grammar Mistakes Cheat SheetMethod1Improving the Basics1Use active instead of passive voice.One of the most common manifestations of bad writing is overuse of the passive voice. In English, the most basic sentence structure is S-V-O: Subject-Verb-Object. “The zomb

4、ie bit the man” is an example of this sentence structure. The passive voice can cause confusion by putting the object first: “The man was bitten by the zombie.” It usually requires more words and use of a “to be” verb form, which can suck the energy out of your writing. Learn to avoid these construc

5、tions as much as you can.1Using the passive voice isnt always bad. Sometimes there is no clear way to make a statement active, or sometimes you want the lighter touch a passive construction allows. But learn to follow this rule before you start making exceptions.The main exception to this is science

6、 writing, which conventionally uses the passive voice to put the emphasis on the results, rather than the researchers (although this is changing, so check the guidelines before you write). For example, “puppies fed spicy dog food were found to have more upset stomachs” puts the emphasis on the findi

7、ng rather than the person doing the finding.22Use strong words.Good writing, whether its in a novel or a scholarly essay, is precise, evocative and spiced with the unexpected. Finding the right verb or adjective can turn an uninspired sentence into one people will remember and quote for years to com

8、e. Look for words that are as specific as possible. Try not to repeat the same word over and over unless you are trying to build a rhythm with it.One exception to this is the words used to describe dialogue. Bad writing is filled with “he commented” and “she opined.” A well-placed “sputtered” can wo

9、rk wonders, but most of the time a simple “said” will do. It may feel awkward to use the word “said” over and over, but changing it up unnecessarily makes it harder for your readers to get into the back-and-forth flow of the conversation. “He said/she said” becomes nearly invisible to your readers a

10、fter a while, allowing them to stay focused on the characters voices.3Strong doesnt mean obscure, or more complicated. Dont say “utilize” when you could say “use.” “He sprinted” is not necessarily better than “he ran.” If you have a really good opportunity to use “ameliorate,” go for itunless “ease”

11、 is just as good there.Thesauruses can be handy, but use them with caution. Consider the predicament Joey fromFriendsgets into when he uses a thesaurus without also consulting a dictionary: “Theyre warm, nice people with big hearts” becomes “Theyre humid, prepossessing homo sapiens with full-sized a

12、ortic pumps.”4If youre going to use a thesaurus to spice up your vocabulary, look up your new words in the dictionary to determine their precise meaning.3Cut the chaff.Good writing is simple, clear and direct. You dont get points for saying in 50 words what could be said in 20, or for using multi-sy

13、llable words when a short one does just as well. Good writing is about using the right words, not filling up the page. It might feel good at first to pack a lot of ideas and details into a single sentence, but chances are that sentence is just going to be hard to read. If a phrase doesnt add anythin

14、g valuable, just cut it.5Adverbs are the classic crutch of mediocre writing, and they often serve only to clutter up a sentence. A well-placed adverb can be delightful, but much of the time the adverbs we use are already implied by the verb or adjectiveor would be if we had chosen a more evocative w

15、ord. Dont write “screamed fearfully” - “scream” already suggests fear. If you notice that your writing is filled with “-ly” words, it might be time to take a deep breath and give your writing more focus.6Sometimes cutting the chaff is best done at the editing stage. You dont have to obsess about fin

16、ding the most concise way to phrase every sentence; get your ideas down on paper however you can and then go through to edit out unnecessary stuff.Your writing doesnt just exist in a vacuumits experienced in conjunction with the readers imagination. You dont need to describe every detail if a few go

17、od ones can spur the readers mind to fill in the rest. Lay down well-placed dots and let the reader connect them.4Show, dont tell.Donttellyour readers anything that could be shown instead. Instead of just sitting your readers down for a long exposition explaining a characters background or a plot-po

18、ints significance, try to let the readers discover the same ideas through the words, feelings and actions of your characters. Especially in fiction, putting this classic piece of writing advice into practice is one of the most powerful lessons a writer can learn.7For example, “Sydney was angry after

19、 reading the letter” tells the reader that Sydney felt angry, but doesnt give us any way to see it for ourselves. Its lazy and unconvincing. “Sydney crumpled the letter and threw it into the fireplace before she stormed from the room”showsthat Sydney was angry without having to say it outright. This

20、 is far more effective. Readers believe what we see, not what were told.5Avoid clichs.Clichs are phrases, ideas or situations that have been used so often that theyve lost any impact they once had.8Theyre also usually too general to leave a lasting impression on your reader. Whether youre writing fi

21、ction or nonfiction, cutting clichs out of your work will make it better.9“It was a dark and stormy night” is a classic example of a clichd phraseeven now a clichd concept. Compare these similar weather-related opening lines:10“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen

22、.”1984, by George Orwell. Its not dark, nor stormy, nor night. But you can tell right from the start somethings not quite right in 1984.“The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.”Neuromancer, by William Gibson, in the same book that gave us the word “cyberspace.” T

23、his not only gives you the weather report, it does so in such a way that you are immediately placed into his dystopian world.“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it

24、was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other wayin short, the period was so far like the present period, t

25、hat some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. Weather, emotion, damnation, and despairDickens covered it all with an opening line that leaves the reader ready for anyt

26、hing.Clichs are also important to avoid when youre writing about yourself. Saying youre a “people person” says nothing definite about you. Saying youre able to communicate well with a variety of people because you grew up in a bilingual family and lived in six countries growing up lets your reader k

27、now youre a “people person” without you relying on lazy language.6Avoid generalizations.One of the hallmarks of sloppy writing is broad generalizations. For example, an academic essay might say something like “In modern times, we are more progressive than people a hundred years ago.” This statement

28、makes a host of unfounded assumptions and doesnt define important ideas like “progressive.” Be precise and specific. Whether youre writing a short story or a scholarly essay, steering clear of generalizations and universal statements will improve your writing.This applies to creative writing, too. D

29、ont allow yourself to assume anything without examining it. For example, if youre writing a story about a female character, dont assume that she would automatically be more emotional than a man or more inclined to be gentle or kindly. This kind of non-examined thinking keeps you in a creative rut an

30、d prevents you from exploring the variety of possibilities that real life presents.7Back up what you say.Dont speculate without providing evidence for your assertions. In creative writing terms, this is similar to the “show, dont tell” principle. Dont justsaythat without a strong police force societ

31、y as we know it would break down. Why is that true? What evidence do you have? Explaining the thinking behind your statements will allow readers to see that you know what youre talking about. It will also help them determine whether they agree with you.8Use metaphors and similes with caution.While a

32、 good metaphor or simile can give your writing punch and vigor, a bad one can make your writing as weak as a baby. (That, by the way, was a weak simile.) Overusing metaphors and similes can also suggest that you arent confident with what youre saying and are relying on figures of speech to explain your ideas. They can also become clichd really quickly.A “mixed” metaphor mixes two metaphors so that they dont make sense. For example, “Well burn that bridge when we come to it” mixes the common metaphor “Wel