大學(xué)英語四、六級考試幾乎是每個大學(xué)生必需的考試。在大學(xué)英語四、六級考試中,作文是必考的內(nèi)容,占有15%的分值,其重要性顯而易見。在大學(xué)英語四、六級考試中作文和快速閱讀作為第一部分要考的內(nèi)容,其作答的好壞直接影響接下來的考試。作文寫得既快又好,有利于學(xué)生在整個考試中保持平和的心態(tài),更好地進(jìn)行整場考試。
在作文的書寫過程中,很多學(xué)生頭疼考試要求中規(guī)定的120字(四級)和150字(六級),經(jīng)常為了湊夠字?jǐn)?shù)出現(xiàn)文不對題、語句啰嗦、詞不達(dá)意甚至直接跑題等現(xiàn)象。本文總結(jié)了提高英語四、六級作文質(zhì)量的五方面技巧,幫助學(xué)生巧“湊”字?jǐn)?shù),使文章既能滿足字?jǐn)?shù)的要求,又能提高用詞用句的水平,增加文采,提高作文的整體水平。
一、妙用標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號,提高作文質(zhì)量
用標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號連接有緊密聯(lián)系的前后兩個句子,組成一個長句子。這樣既能句子之間的緊密性,又使敘述更加流暢自然,一舉兩得。下面我就幾個常用標(biāo)點(diǎn)舉例說明。
1.分號
如果兩個句子有緊密的聯(lián)系,并且重要性相同,可以中間用分號連接組成一個長句子。
例如:句1:Nancy wants to be a lawyer.
句2:Her friend Lucy wants to be a teacher.
合:Nancy wants to be a lawyer;her friend Lucy wants to be a teacher.
2.冒號
2.1用來連接有緊密聯(lián)系的前后兩個句子,如果第二個句子是對前面句子的進(jìn)一步解釋或修飾的話,可以用冒號來連接。
例如:The garden had been neglected for a long time: it was overgrown and full of weeds.
2.2冒號可以用來表示列舉,用來替代 “such as”、“for example”、“for instance”、“in the following examples”、“as follows”等詞組 。
例如:
(1)句1:My vacation plan includes the following activities.
句2:The activities are reading a good book,visiting my grandparents and swimming.
合:My vacation plan includes the following activities: reading a good book,visiting my grandparents and swimming.
?。?)句1:The overseas cargo carrier brought goods from all over the world.
句2:It brought clothes,furniture,household appliances and heavy machinery.
合:The overseas cargo carries brought goods from all over the world: clothes,furniture,household appliances and heavy machinery.
3.破折號
3.1可以用來替代分號和冒號來連接前后緊密相關(guān)的兩個句子,增加標(biāo)點(diǎn)的變化,惹人注目,使文章更加生動、印象深刻。
例如:Sirens blared,men shouted and people crowded around to witness the scene——it was total chaos for the first fifteen minutes.
3.2用來表示總結(jié),可以作為總結(jié)句的句式。在段落或文章的結(jié)尾用來總結(jié)前面的主要思想。
例如:Time and patience——two simple words——yet why are they so hard for me to remember.
二、巧換單詞,提高詞匯等級
所謂詞匯的等級,即我們在寫作的過程中,如果想出一個基本詞匯之后,能夠在這個基本詞匯的基礎(chǔ)上把它再提升一下,也就是我們一般寫作所提倡的用“難詞”。例如,我們一提到“重要的”,大多數(shù)學(xué)生首先會想到“important”(換別的詞)這個單詞,那么提升一下的話就可以想到它的如下同義詞:significant,vital,main,basilica,crucial,momentous。
類似巧換能讓作文增色良多。
1.用“大詞”替代“小詞”,“具體詞”替代“通用詞”。
例如:good用positive,favorable,promising,perfect,pleasurable,excellent,outstanding代替;bad用dreadful,unfavorable,poor,adverse代替。
2.用連接副詞(conjunctive adverbs)代替并列連詞(conjunction)。
but可以替換為however,nonetheless;and可以替換為besides,moreover;so可以替換為hence,therefore。
例句:
?。?)He promised to come to the meeting,but he didn’t appear.
—He promised to come to the meeting;however,he didn’t appear.
?。?)Tom reviewed all the lessons,so he was ready for the exam.
—Tom reviewed all the lessons;therefore,he was ready for the exam.
用了新詞,增加了詞匯的難度,既增加了句子的長度,又增加了標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號,使句子看起來更復(fù)雜、更有水平。
三、用短語替代單詞,輕松增加作文字?jǐn)?shù)
如果我們能夠在單詞的基礎(chǔ)上進(jìn)一步想到與之同義的詞組,那么文章就會顯得與眾不同,更具有英語的味道。比如上面所說的“重要的”這個單詞,當(dāng)我們想到important的時候,如果從語法角度再稍加考慮一下,就能夠聯(lián)想到“be of importance”,因?yàn)檎Z法中規(guī)定:形容詞等于of加這個形容詞的名詞形式。如果再提升一步呢?我們還能用一個常用的詞組“play an important role in...”。下面我們看兩類具體應(yīng)用的例子。
1.普通詞的替代
as—in the same way
same—to have ... in common
want—be looking forward to
2.過渡詞的替代
2.1表示順序:first,firstly替換為in the first place,for the first point,to begin with,first and foremost second,secondly,then替換為in the next place,in addition last 替換為last but not least。
2.2表示對比:but,however替換為in contrast,on the contrary,on the opposite side。
2.3表示比較:similar,like替換為 in the same way,at the same rate as,to be parallel in...。
2.4表示舉例:for example,for instance,such as,a case in point is that...。
2.5表示總結(jié):in conclusion,in brief,in summary,in the whole,all in all。
通過短語的替代使字?jǐn)?shù)明顯增加,表達(dá)也更有文采。
四、巧用并列連詞和連接副詞,短句變長句,豐富句式的多樣性
四、六級作文主張學(xué)生能長短句并用,避免過多地使用簡單句。在寫作中,適當(dāng)使用復(fù)雜句子結(jié)構(gòu),會提高語言質(zhì)量,給人一種清新愉悅的感覺;反之,簡單句過多,便會味同嚼蠟,讀后令人乏味。巧妙使用并列連詞和連接副詞,可以幫助學(xué)生在語法水平一般情況下寫出結(jié)構(gòu)較復(fù)雜的長句子,提高作文質(zhì)量。
1.使用并列連詞,把兩個短句連接成并列結(jié)構(gòu)的長句。
例如:
(1)句1:John’s mother stays at home.
句2:His father goes to work every day.
合:John’s mother stays at home,and (while) his father goes to work every day.
(2)句1:Bicycling is a good form of exercise.
句2:It does not contribute to air pollution.
合:Bicycling is a good form of exercise;moreover,it does not contriYkAfe7NkAUCa1WVEB+NZ9g==bute to air pollution.
2. 使用連接副詞,把兩個短句連接成主次分明的主從復(fù)雜句。
例句:
?。?)句1: She was deeply hurt by his disrespect to her.
句2:She continued to help him.
合:Although she was deeply hurt by his disrespect to her,she continued to help him.
?。?)句1:The staff of the department will meet in the room.
句2:They met in the room last week.
合:The staff of the department will meet in the room where they met last week.
以上實(shí)例,通過并列連詞和連接副詞的使用豐富了句式,增加了作文的邏輯性和連貫性,明顯增添了文采。
五、巧用結(jié)束句,提高文章緊密性
大學(xué)英語四、六級作文要求段落結(jié)構(gòu)一般由三部分構(gòu)成:主題句、擴(kuò)展句和總結(jié)句。學(xué)生一般都知道在段落的開頭寫上主題句,但很多學(xué)生卻總忘記在結(jié)尾寫上總結(jié)句。在段落結(jié)尾和文章結(jié)尾增加結(jié)束句既能增加文章的緊密性,使觀點(diǎn)更加突出,結(jié)構(gòu)更加緊湊,又能無形中增加作文字?jǐn)?shù)。
結(jié)束句非常簡單好寫,是對整個段落的總結(jié)。一般情況上只要把段首主題句換個說法(換種表達(dá)方式)即可,表達(dá)的意思基本相同。如果實(shí)在不會,也可以把主題句直接寫過來。
例如:一個段落主題句為“Smoking cigarettes can be an expensive habit.”,總結(jié)句可以為“One can see that all the above expenses do contribute to making smoking an expensive habit. ” 。
主題句是“With the application of advanced technology we can learn more easily and efficiently.”的一個段落,總結(jié)句為“In a word,advanced technology had changed the way we learn and has helped us a lot in our study.”。
下面以一個完整的段落為例:
For a university student in China,living on the campus is beneficial to his study.Firstly,the atmosphere can help to make him feel pressed and therefore work hard.Whenever he goes,he may comeE5SJG277l4YeLoSzp9DUYg== across some other students working,in the classroom,in the library,in the garden or even in a corner on the sports ground. He may even find students practicing English on the way to the classroom. Secondly,living at school is extremely convenient. The student does not have to worry about any traffic jam or the long hour from home to school. And with all his classmates living in the same quarter,he can easily find someone with whom he can discuss the problems he comes across in study whenever he has one. He may also have time to discuss with teachers who also live inside the university.Thirdly,living at school may provide the student many chances for academic activities,which benefits his professional career. For all these advantages,many students choose to stay on the campus rather than living at home.
以上五種技巧是我在近幾年作文教學(xué)中研究的一點(diǎn)淺顯心得,希望能對各位同仁在幫助學(xué)生應(yīng)對考試作文時有些幫助。我也清楚提升學(xué)生的考場作文能力不是一朝一夕之事,還需各位同仁共同努力。因此,我希望這篇文章能拋磚引玉,看到各位同仁研究發(fā)現(xiàn)更多更好的提升學(xué)生四、六級作文的方法技巧。