《实用英语写作技巧》
作者：原传道【完结】
本书内容精练、选材准确、重点突出、针对性强，对提高学生英语写作水平具有很高的使用价值，对学生应试更具有非常高的指导性。本书不仅适用于大学英语四级考试以及其他各类英语考试的学生而且也适用于同等英语水平的自学者。
第一单元 段落简介
1．1段落
段落是构成文章的一组句子。段落必须表达完整的意思：或描写事物（describe
something），或争论某事（argue
about something），或对某事提出疑问（question
something），或要求什么（demand
something），或给事物下定义（define
something），或驳斥某观点（reject
something）。
1．2典型段落的构成
一个典型的段落通常由三部分组成：（1）主题句（the topic sentence）；（2）说明或支持主题的推展句（ supporting sentences）；（3）结论句（the
concluding sentence）（有些段落没有该部分）。
示范段落1-1
We all know that cigarette smoking is a dangerous habit because it
causes health problems． Doctors say it can be a direct cause of cancer of the lungs and
throat and can also contribute to cancer of other organs． In addition， it can bring about other health
problems such as heart and lung diseases． It is clearly identified as one of the chief causes of death in our
society．
1．3示范段落分析
这是一个典型的段落，可概括提纲如下：
主题句： We all know that cigarette
smoking is a dangerous habit，because it causes health problems．
推展句： 1． Doctors say it can be a direc cause of cancer of the lungs and
throat and can also contribute to cancer of other organs．
2． It can bring
about other health problems such as heart and lung diseases．
结论句： It is clearly identified as one
of the chief causes of death in our society．
从以上提纲可见，主题句提出了一个问题： What kind of
health problems does cigarette smoking cause？随后的两个推展句回答了这个问题，结论句总结了推展句并再一次强调主题句。
Exercise 1-1
Directions： Read the following paragraphs and find out the topic sentence， the supporting details and the
concluding sentence， if there is one．
（1）
The need for wildlife protection is greater now than ever before．About a thousand species of animals
are in danger of extinction,，and the rate at which they are being destroyed has increased． With mammals， for instance， the rate of extinction is now
about one species every year； from A． D． 1 to 1800， the ratewas about one species
every fifty years． Everywhere， men are trying o solve the problem
of preserving wildlife while caring at the same time for the world’s growing population．
Topic Sentence：____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Details： 1．________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2．_______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Concluding Sentence：________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
（2）
The Americans and the British not only speak the same language but
also share a large number of social customs．For example， in both America and England， people shake hands when they meet each other for the first time． Also， most English men will open a door for a woman or offer their seat
to a woman， and so will
most Americans． Promptness
is important both in England and in America． That is， if a dinner invitation is for 7 o’clock， the dinner
guest either arrives close to that time or calls up to explain his delay．
Topic Sentence：____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Details： 1．______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2．_______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
3．________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Concluding Sentence：________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
（3）
Birds use many different materials to build nests．Some birds use bits of grass． The tailor-bird of Africa and
India uses grass to sew leaves together． Other birds find twigs and pebbles useful．
Topic Sentence：_____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Details： 1．_____________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2．______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
3．______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Concluding Sentence：_______________________________________
______________________________________________________________
第二单元 主题句简介
2．1主题句
作者的首要任务是让读者知道所写段落要谈的是什么，这就是每段的主题句的作用。因此主题句应该阐明段落的主要思想，所有支持主题句的细节和描述都与这一主要思想有关。
2．2主题句的形式
主题句通常有以下三种形式：
1）肯定句（Affirmative
Sentence）
Example： The need for wildlife protection is greater now than ever before．
2）反诘句（Rhetorical
Sentence）
Example： How do you think people will solve the problem of wildlife
protection？
3）不完整句（Fragments）
Example： And the workingman？
初学者最好使用肯定句作为主题句。
2．3主题句的位置
主题句出现的位置有以下四种情况：
1）段首（At the
beginning）
主题句经常居于段首，以便读者浏览主题句就可掌握文章的概要。这个位置适用于写提供信息或解释观点的段落。
2）段末（At the end）
用推理方法展开段落时，主题句往往位于句末。
3）段中（In the
middle）
有时为了使段落多样化，主题句也可以居于段中。
4）隐含（Implied）
有时候，尤其在写叙述性或描写性段落时，当所有的细节都围绕着一个显而易见的主题时可以不用主题句。
Exercise 2-1
Directions： Read the following paragraphs and identify the topic sentence． If it is implied， summarize it yourself．
（1）
But no matter what it is called， all polyester has certain good points． It does not wrinkle easily． It dries quickly after it is washed． It holds its shape． It is strong and keeps its colors well．
Topic Sentence：____________________________________________
Position：________________
（2）
Black is the colour of mourning． Red symbolizes danger，violence，or bloodshed． If you are afraid， you are yellow． None of these sayings is true outside the English speaking world． In China and Korea， white is the color of mourning． In Russia red stands for beauty
and life． In Italy and
Germany you are yellow with anger，not with fear．
Topic Sentence：_____________________________________________
Position：__________________
（3）
Our chief source of fresh water is rainfall that collects in lakes，rivers， and reservoirs． Recently， however， we have discovered anew source， aquifers， which are rock formations
containing water．Even under
deserts， vast
aquifers may be waiting to be tapped．Companies drilling for oil in the Middle East have sometimes struck
aquifers， which
provide unexpected water supplies for arid regions．
Topic Sentence：____________________________________________
Position：_____________
（4）
Suppose you’re playing a game． You make a silly mistake and lose． Do you become angry？ Or can you laugh at yourself and hope to do better next time？ Suppose you are at a special
dinner．You
accidentally spill some food．Why keep worrying about how clumsy you look？Why not laugh it off and enjoy yourself
anyway？If you can， it’s good sign you've really grown up．
Topic Sentence：____________________________________________
Position：____________
（5）
Young men sometimes bring edelweiss back for their girlfriends． The girls think of the flowers as
a proof of true love．Mountain climbers， guides， and hunters pick edelweiss too．They wear it on their hats． To them it is a sign of courage and daring．
Topic Sentence：____________________________________________
Position：____________
第三单元 如何写好主题句
3．1关于写主题句的建议
1）要写合乎语法的句子
Example 1： Two causes of the American Civil War．
这个句子是个不完整的句子，不合乎语法，因此不能用作主题句。
Example 2： There were two causes that led to the American Civil War．
重写后的句子合乎语法，是个较好的主题句。
2）要使用限写词限定主题
为了正确表达观点，好的主题句经常使用关键词或词组，即限制词（controllers）限制这一观点。
Example 3： Air travel is more convenient than train for at least three reasons．
从上例主题句我们得知作者将要写“air travel”（ topic），他将要把 “train”（ aspect）和“ air travel”作比较，并且陈述“reasons”。由此可见，作者在“aspect”（方面）和“reason”（原因）两方面限制他的主题。
3）要注意主题的可写性
所定的主题不能太笼统，也不能太具体。
Example 4： In Hemingway's story “Soldier’s Home”，Krebs tells
his mother that he wants no part of God's Kingdom．
这个句子太具体以至于无东西可写，无法展开段落。
Example 5： In Hemingway's story “Soldier’s Home”， Kreb is a
lonely， cynical
veteran．
这个句子可作为主题句，因为可以围绕“lonely，cynical”展开段落。
Example 6： Let me tell you something about overpopulation．
这个句子太笼统，作为一个段落的主题太大，难于驾驭。
Example 7： Why has the world population been increasing sorapidly in the last
decades？
这个句子是个较好的主题句，作者用“the reasons for
overpopulation in the last decades”，从“原因”（cause）和“时间”（time）两方面限制了主题，能在一个段落内论述。
Exercise 3-1
Directions： Identify the areas which limit the topic sentences．
3．1．1 Soccer has become increasingly
popular in the U． S． in the last ten years．
Topic：_____________
Limitations：________________________________________________
3．1．2 Pollution has caused three major
problems in the last decades．
Topic：______________
Limitations：________________________________________________
3．1．3There are two kinds of memory： short-term and long-term．
Topic：____________
Limitations：________________________________________________
3．1．4 Women are playing an increasingly
important part in society today．
Topic：____________
Limitations：________________________________________________
3．1．5 Women are paid less for equal
work than men in some companies．
Topic：____________
Limitations：________________________________________________
Exercise 3-2
Directions： Write two topic sentences for each of the topics，limiting the topic in different
ways．
3． 2． 1 Topic： the study of English
Topic Sentence 1：__________________________________________
Topic Sentence 2：___________________________________________
3．2．2 Topic： college students today
Topic Sentence 1：__________________________________________
Topic Sentence 2：__________________________________________
3．2．3 Topic： women in China
Topic Sentence 1：__________________________________________
Topic Sentence 2：__________________________________________
3．2．4 Topic：crime
Topic Sentence 1：__________________________________________
Topic Sentence 2：__________________________________________
Exercise 3-3
Directions： Read the following paragraphs and supply the missing topic sentence．
（1）
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Iceland’s flag， for instance， stands for features of the land．Red for the fire of Iceland’s volcanoes． White is for ice． Blue is for the mountains． On India’s flag， the blue wheel stands for peace
and progress． The white
stripe behind it is for truth． The black stripe on the flag of Malawi stands for the Negro people
of that African land． The red stripe represents the blood they shed to free themselves
from foreign rule．
（2）
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The one most people are familiar with is the“desk dictionary”，sometimes refered to as
general-purpose dictionary． Another kind is the pronouncing dictionary， which is concerned with a word's
pronunciation more than with its meaning． A third type is the bilingual dictionary， which lists the words in one
language and attempts to give equivalent meaning in another language． Other types include technical
dictionaries， special
purpose dictionaries，and scholarly dictionaries．
第四单元 如何写推展句
4．1段落的推展
在前几单元中，我们谈到写段落的第一个步骤是写主题句。作者要对主题句在某些方面加以限制。第二个步骤将是写推展句。例如你要陈述你选择某院校的理由，第一步，写出主题句：
There are two main reasons why I have decided to attend Bingston
University next year．
第二步，以数个理由推展你的主题：
示范段落4-1
① There are two main reasons why I
have decided to attend Bingston University next year．② First of all， there is the question of money：Bingstonv's tuition is reasonable
and I don’t even have to
pay it all at once．③ This is very important， since my father is not a rich man．④ With Bingston's “deferred payment plan，” my father will be able to pay my tuition without too much
difficulty．⑤The second
resaon is the fine education which I feed will receive there in agriculture， my chosen field．⑥ It is a well-known fact that
Bingston hires only the finest professors in its Agriculture Department．⑦ Moreover， the university reqires all
agricultural students to get practical experience by working on farms in the
areawhile they are still going to school．
4．2示范段落分析
细节： two main reasons：
理由 1—financial consideration②
a． reasonable
tuition③
b． deferred
payment plan④
理由 2—quality of education⑤
a． fine
teachers③
b． practical
experience⑦
在两个主要理由之下，作者用更小的细节支持它们。
由此可见，段落的推展依赖于支持主题句的细节（details）。推展段落的方法很多。通常每个段落以一种方法为“支配方法”（ the
dominant method），必要时，可运用其它一种或数种方法作为“辅助方法”（ the supporting method）。上面的示范段落使用因果法（cause-and-effect）作为支配方法，分类法（division and classification）作为辅助方法。作者还运用了“重要性排列顺序”（the order of importance）作为安排细节、组织段落的手段。我们将在以下各单元逐个讨论这些方法。
Exercise4-1
Directions： Read the following paragraphs and find out what details the authors
use to support their topic sentences．
（1）
Warm water freezes more quickly than cold． Sir Francis Bacon stated that
almost four hundred years ago． But few people believedhim—till 1970． In that year， Canadian scientist George Kell proved the English scholar right． Dr． Kell filled an open pail with cold water． He filled another with warm water． He exposed both to the same low
temperature． The warm
water froze first．
Topic Sentence：____________________________________________
Details：1．________________________________________________
2．________________________________________________
（2）
There is a relationship between your blood type and your nationality． Among Europeans and people of
European ancestry，about 42
percent have type A while 45 percent have type O．The rarest is type B． Other races have different percentages．For example， some American Indian groups have
nearly 100 percent type O．
Topic Sentence：____________________________________________
Details：1．________________________________________________
2．________________________________________________
（3）
Although thousands of people have been killed by sudden eruptions， volcanoes also benefit man， Tin， tungsten， gold and other metals have been brought closer to the earth’s surface．Chemicals in the ash have enriched
