PART 1 Gist
The English language is stuck with the generic masculine. Although it would clog the language to get around every sexist word, there are several approaches that might help the authors get out of the quagmire. For example, they could replace "he" and other pronouns of male character with "we", "our", "you" and such like. Using general nouns instead of specific nouns is another solution.
Zinsser admonished that writing is an evolving process, not a finished product. Even professional writers are pushing they luck if they want to write a perfect essay in their first draft. A good writing is the result of rewriting which consists of reshaping and tightening and refining the raw material in the previous drafts.
Computers help writing become more efficient and flexible.
Last but not least, Zinsser suggested that writers should trust their materials and their readers. The knack is to write about what they really care about and never put on airs by over-explaining to the readers.
PART 2 Expressions
1. One of the most vexing new questions for writers is what to do about sexist language, especially the "he-she" pronoun.
vex: to make sb feel annoyed or worried 使烦恼
It vexed me to think of others gossiping behind my back.
vexing (a.) eg. a vexing problem
类似表达: irksome, nettlesome
2. "He" and "him" and "his" are words that rankle.
rankle: if sth rankles, you still remember it angrily because it upset you or annoyed you a lot 使痛苦不已，使耿耿于怀
His comments till rankled.
They paid him only $ 10 for it and it really rankled.
3. Over the years, however, many women wrote to nudge me about this,
nudge: 本意是”用肘轻推“，这里指to gently persuade or encourage someone to take a particular decision or action
nudge sb into/ towards sth
We're trying to nudge them towards a practical solution.
4. I like to replace a humdrum word with one that has more precision or color.
humdrum: [ˈhʌmdrʌm] boring and ordinary, and having no variety or interest 乏味的，平凡的
SYN tedious
humdrum existence/ job/ life etc
the prisoners' humdrum routine
Imagination raises a man above the humdrum of life.
5. I like to rephrase a drab sentence to give it a more pleasing rhythm or a more graceful musical line.
drab: dull
The walls were painted a drab green.
People were forced to live grey, drab existences in ugly towns.
6. I noticed that many reporters had fallen into the habit of trying to make the news more palatable by writing in a feature style.
palatable: [ˈpælətəbl] 美味的，可口的; 可接受的 an idea, suggestion etc that is palatable is acceptable (be palatable to sb)
a very palatable wine
The changed the wording of the advertisement to make it more palatable to women.
(o.) unpalatable
an idea that's unpalatable to most people
The unpalatable truth is that the team isn't getting any better.
7. I don't like baseball movies that go into slow motion when the batter hits a home run, to notify me that it's a pregnant moment.
pregnant: formal, containing a lot of a quality
Every phrase in this poem is pregnant with meaning.
pregnant pause/ silence: a pause or silence which is full of meaning or emotion
He stopped, and there was a pregnant pause.
PART 3 Thoughts
I resolved not to let my writing go into slow motion -- not to nudge the reader with significance -- or to claim baseball as a metaphor for life, death, middle age, lost youth or a more innocent America. My premise was that baseball is a job -- honorable work -- and I wanted to know how that job gets taught and learned.
还记得初中时我写过一篇作文，从汤里的葱写到人生的道理，好像是说有些人虽然不起眼却是必不可少的什么的，那篇文章还被老师当作范文在课堂上表扬了一番，说我感悟深刻、情感细腻什么的。然而我自己却一直觉得那篇文章是一篇败笔，矫揉造作，纯粹是为了应付作业而作无病之呻吟。就像陆游的词里所写的：“少年不识愁滋味，爱上层楼，爱上层楼，为赋新词强说愁。而今识尽愁滋味，欲说还休；欲说还休，却道天凉好个秋。” 生活中并没有那么多冠冕堂皇的大道理，感月吟风的人大多是不识愁滋味的人，而真正的悲伤往往是难以诉说和表达的。归有光的《项脊轩志》对于亡妻的所有意思都融入了一句朴素的事实描述里：“庭有枇杷树，吾妻死之年所手植也，今已亭亭如盖矣。”这句话是全文的结尾，他没有去联想，没有感物伤人，甚至没有一丝情感的抒发，但是那句简单的场景描绘却让读的人感觉很沉重，为之动容。我读过聂鲁达(Pablo Neruda)的诗 In My Sky at Twilight，这首诗用了大量的意象和比喻来形容诗人对一个女子的爱慕，但是读下来却感觉有一些腻的感觉，比如这几句：“In my sky at twilight you are like a cloud, and your form an color are the way I love them. ... The lamp of my soul dyes your feet, the sour wine is sweeter on your lips, or reaper of my evening song. ... You are taken in the net of my music, my love, and my nets of music are wide as sky.‘只能说作者是一个很有才华的诗人，但是他是否真的是一个深情的爱人是令人怀疑的。