相信对于很多同学来说,作文是一件头痛的问题,如何写一篇优质英语作文呢?
① Read in English 看英文书
When you want to master a language, you can never read enough.
The easiest way to get started with reading in English rather than your own language is to pick up a non-fiction book on a familiar, interesting topic. Non-fiction tends to be easier to follow than fiction (fiction authors use tricky words to touch their readers' feelings) and reading about a familiar topic makes it easier to guess what the author is trying to say to you when you don't quite understand the words he's using. Don't use a dictionary unless you really have tojust skip the parts you don't understand. If you make your reading feel too much like work, you'll lose the fun in it, and the habit of reading won't last for long.
当你想要掌握一门语言,看再多的书也不够。
开始看非母语的英文书,最简单的方法是挑选一本关于你熟悉且感兴趣的话题的非小说类作品。非小说类作品比小说更容易读懂(因为小说家们通常用一些狡黠的词汇来引起读者的共鸣),而在不怎么理解作者用词的情况下,阅读熟悉的话题让你更容易猜到作者想要表达的意思。若非必要,不要使用字典跳过你不理解的部分。假如你把看书当成作业,就会乐趣全无,看书的习惯也不能持久。
② Listen to native speakers 听英文演说
If you don't speak English every day, this is rather tricky advice to follow. The Internet comes to rescue here through podcasts and videos from speaking events. Pick your favorite speakers and listen to them deliver their message. You will learn not only about how they use the language, but also how to captivate the audience, and a bit about the topic at hand.
假如你不是每天都说英语(精品课),这将是个不大好办的建议。在这一点上,互联网帮上了忙,它可以提供播客和演讲比赛的视频。选择你喜欢的演说者,听听他们如何传达信息。不单能学习他们使用语言的方法,还可以学习怎样吸引观众,并对正在讨论的这个话题产生一定的了解。
③ When writing in English, think in English 运用英语思维写作
This is one of the biggest things that separates a decent foreign language writer from a lousy one. The lousy writer thinks in his own language and then tries to translate his thoughts to English. But that simply doesn't work: The idioms, grammar rules, and cultural differences make text written in this manner sound clumsy and unnatural.
这是区别外语(课程)写作者水平优劣的最关键因素之一。糟糕的作者用母语思考,然后试图将他的想法翻译成英文。但显然这行不通:习惯用语、语法结构和文化差异使这种方式写出来的文章看起来拙劣而不自然。
④ Write 多写多练
The best way to learn anything is by throwing yourself out there and practicing. In fact, I would give you the same advice even if you were considering writing in your native language. But of course, it's even more important when writing in some other language.
When you are just starting out with your blogging, you should write something every day to really get your writing routine developed. After a while it's okay to drop the pace a bitalthough even then, if you want to become the best at what you do, keeping up the habit of daily writing helps a lot.
Write in different styles: lists, humorous posts, serious posts, interviews, and if you have the time, even text that is completely unrelated to your blog. Just to get more practice.
最好的学习方法就是全身心地投入其中,然后不断练习。事实上,即使在用母语写作方面,我也会给你同样的建议。但当然,用其他语言写作时,这点更重要。
刚开始写博客时,你应该每天都写些东西以真正形成自己的写作习惯。一段时间后,适当放缓速度也无妨即使到了那个时候,如果你想做到最好,继续保持每天写作的习惯会很有帮助。
写不同风格的文章:列表、幽默文、严肃文及采访等,假如有时间的话,甚至可以是和你博客完全没有关联的文章。笔头一定要勤。
⑤Trust your gut [内心的感觉] 跟着感觉走
The human brain is an amazing machine.
This can be a bit scary at first as you don't know how you have learned the sayings and word plays you are using, and can't be sure if they are correct or not. Uncertainty is the price you have to pay for trying to learn to use the language in a natural way. You just have to go with your gut and trust your brain when words keep popping up that you didn't know you even knew.
人类的大脑是一台不可思议的机器。
这起先也许会让人有些慌乱,因为你不知道自己使用的说法和词汇是怎么学会的,也无法确定它们正确与否。不确定是你想自然地使用这门语言所要付出的代价。当你甚至不知道自己认识的词汇不断地冒出来时,你只要跟着自己的感觉走,相信自己的大脑就行了。
⑥ Proofread 校对
When you have finished writing your article and it seems nearly perfect to you, the next thing to do is to check it for typos, grammar mistakes, and just some plain weird sounding sentences.
The easiest way for checking for typos is to use a spellchecker, but checking for grammar mistakes is a lot trickier. What I do is that I usually check the grammar first in Microsoft Word or just play it by the ear, depending on how much you trust your own English language skills.
And of course, if you want to play it safe, you can always ask one of your English speaking friends to double check your article.