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累赘是英语写作中常见的弊病之一。改掉这个坏习惯,我们可以遵循一个宗旨:不要转弯抹角(don’t waste words),而应简明扼要(get to the point)。检查和修改文章时,我们应该去掉意思含糊不清、重复或夸张的词语。换句话说,就是除去没有用的东西,做到准确扼要。
1. 减少从句。校对时,尽量将长的从句改成短一点的短语。如:
Wordy[冗长的,啰嗦的]: The clown who was in the center ring was riding a tricycle.
Revised[修改]: The clown in the center ring was riding a tricycle.(处在中心圈的那个小丑骑着一辆三轮车。)
Wordy: The clown at the end of the line tried to steal everyone’s attention.
Revised: The last clown tried to steal everyone’s attention.(队伍最后的那个小丑想让所有人都注意到他。)
3. 避免用there is、there are和there were做句子开头。如果there is、there are和
there were对句子没有实际意思,请避免使用这类开头。如:
Wordy: There is a prize in every box of Quaker cereal.
Revised: A prize is in every box of Quaker cereal.(每盒桂格麦片里都有一个奖品。)Wordy: There are two security guards at the gate.
Revised: Two security guards stand at the gate.(门口站着两个警卫。)
4. 不要滥用修饰语。不要使用对表达句子意思作用不大的修饰语(如very、really、totally等)。如:
Wordy: By the time she got home, Mary was very tired.
Revised: By the time she got home, Mary was exhausted.(回到家时,玛丽已经精疲力竭。)
Wordy: She was also really hungry.
Revised: She was also hungry/famished[极饥饿的].(她也很饿。)
5. 避免累赘。用简明扼要的词语代替累赘、词不达意的表达方式。记住:不必要的词对我们要表达的意思没有任何作用(或只有些微影响),它们只会令读者厌烦,分散其注意力,所以去掉它们吧!
Wordy: At this point in time, we should edit our work.
Revised: Now we should edit our work.(我们现在应该修订作品了。)
6. 使用主动动词。可以的话,请让句子的主语做些事情吧。如:
Wordy: The grant[津贴] proposals[提案] were reviewed by the students.
Revised: The students reviewed the grant proposals.(学生们对津贴提案进行了评论。)
7. 不要炫耀。达·芬奇说过:“至繁归于至简(Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication)。”不要以为复杂的单词或长长的短语会给读者留下深刻印象,其实最简单的词往往是最佳选择。如:Wordy: At this moment in time, students who are matriculating[被录取入学] through high school should be empowered to participate[参加] in the voting process.
Revised: High school students should have the right to vote.(高中生应该有投票权。)
Wordy: All things being equal, what I am trying to say is that in my opinion all students should, in the final analysis, have the right to vote for all intents and purposes.
Revised: Students should have the right to vote.(高中生应该有投票权。)
9. 避免使用动词的名词形式。过度名词化不是好事,我们的建议很简单:给动词一个机会。如:
Wordy: The presentation of the arguments by the students was convincing.
Revised: The students presented their arguments convincingly./The students argued convincingly.(学生们对其论点的阐述很有说服力。)
situation、something、thing、type、way等意思含糊的名词可用具体一点的词代替,或者直接去掉它们。如:
Wordy: After reading several things in the area of psychology[心理学]-type subjects, I decided to put myself in a situation where I might change my major.
Revised: After reading several psychology books, I decided to change my major.(读完几本心理学的书后,我决定改变自己的专业。)
1. 减少从句。校对时,尽量将长的从句改成短一点的短语。如:
Wordy[冗长的,啰嗦的]: The clown who was in the center ring was riding a tricycle.
Revised[修改]: The clown in the center ring was riding a tricycle.(处在中心圈的那个小丑骑着一辆三轮车。)
Wordy: The clown at the end of the line tried to steal everyone’s attention.
Revised: The last clown tried to steal everyone’s attention.(队伍最后的那个小丑想让所有人都注意到他。)
3. 避免用there is、there are和there were做句子开头。如果there is、there are和
there were对句子没有实际意思,请避免使用这类开头。如:
Wordy: There is a prize in every box of Quaker cereal.
Revised: A prize is in every box of Quaker cereal.(每盒桂格麦片里都有一个奖品。)Wordy: There are two security guards at the gate.
Revised: Two security guards stand at the gate.(门口站着两个警卫。)
4. 不要滥用修饰语。不要使用对表达句子意思作用不大的修饰语(如very、really、totally等)。如:
Wordy: By the time she got home, Mary was very tired.
Revised: By the time she got home, Mary was exhausted.(回到家时,玛丽已经精疲力竭。)
Wordy: She was also really hungry.
Revised: She was also hungry/famished[极饥饿的].(她也很饿。)
5. 避免累赘。用简明扼要的词语代替累赘、词不达意的表达方式。记住:不必要的词对我们要表达的意思没有任何作用(或只有些微影响),它们只会令读者厌烦,分散其注意力,所以去掉它们吧!
Wordy: At this point in time, we should edit our work.
Revised: Now we should edit our work.(我们现在应该修订作品了。)
6. 使用主动动词。可以的话,请让句子的主语做些事情吧。如:
Wordy: The grant[津贴] proposals[提案] were reviewed by the students.
Revised: The students reviewed the grant proposals.(学生们对津贴提案进行了评论。)
7. 不要炫耀。达·芬奇说过:“至繁归于至简(Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication)。”不要以为复杂的单词或长长的短语会给读者留下深刻印象,其实最简单的词往往是最佳选择。如:Wordy: At this moment in time, students who are matriculating[被录取入学] through high school should be empowered to participate[参加] in the voting process.
Revised: High school students should have the right to vote.(高中生应该有投票权。)
Wordy: All things being equal, what I am trying to say is that in my opinion all students should, in the final analysis, have the right to vote for all intents and purposes.
Revised: Students should have the right to vote.(高中生应该有投票权。)
9. 避免使用动词的名词形式。过度名词化不是好事,我们的建议很简单:给动词一个机会。如:
Wordy: The presentation of the arguments by the students was convincing.
Revised: The students presented their arguments convincingly./The students argued convincingly.(学生们对其论点的阐述很有说服力。)
situation、something、thing、type、way等意思含糊的名词可用具体一点的词代替,或者直接去掉它们。如:
Wordy: After reading several things in the area of psychology[心理学]-type subjects, I decided to put myself in a situation where I might change my major.
Revised: After reading several psychology books, I decided to change my major.(读完几本心理学的书后,我决定改变自己的专业。)