Chapter 10 (part1) 2017.11.06

词汇与表达

...which compounds their trouble and makes their sentences still more glutinous.

still more/further/another/other

还有更多/更进一步/另外一个/别的〔用于强调〕

used to emphasize that something increases more, there is more of something etc

E.g. Kevin grew still more depressed.

The beauty of flabbergasted is that it implies an astonishment that is total.

哑然失色的,大吃一惊的

It’s virtually a toss-up.

难以定夺的事,各半的希望(口语)

used when you do not know which of two things will happen, or which of two things to choose.

E.g. I don’t know who’ll get the job - it’s a toss-up between Carl and Steve.

...you have learned to use the adjectives sparsely.
Therefore it should be used sparingly...

这里的use sparsely和sparingly都是指少用、有限度地使用。

First they will put the troublesome phrase through all kinds of exertions.

Put sth through exertions

费尽心思,用尽力气

类似短语:with all one’s exertions

The gains far outweigh the hazards.

看到老爷子使用雅思写作惯用句式,给了我一点relief,证明这个表达虽然套路,但是效果还是不错的。

美句欣赏

We have all suffered more than our share of these sentences in which an exclamation point knocks us over the head with how cute or wonderful something was.
... the material I’m trying to knead into shape is shapeless dough.
That’s why it was giving you so much grief. Remove it and watch the afflicted sentence spring to life and breathe normally.

总结与感想

今天的章节中,老爷子也用了很多反例来论证他的观点,我突然有些疑问。术语和委婉语的使用,真的如他所抨击的如此不堪吗?其实这些单词和表达都是基于使用需求发展出来的,肯定有其价值所在。例如“the president of the company stepped dodwn.”这一句中,没有说明到底是辞职,退休还是被辞退,老爷子认为是一种模糊不清。但也许官方就是不想公布其中的原因呢?如果是处于这种写作需求,那这里的使用则是恰到好处。

同理,关于术语的使用,老爷子是持反对意见的。但是我却认为术语因为定义了某些概念,不仅能提高沟通效率,还设下了沟通壁垒,也就是说不是圈子里的人听不懂。这对于圈内人来说也是有利的。

当然,本文的观点都是基于对非小说写作展开的,其读者是普罗大众,所以对于官方语的滥用的确应该抨击。我也不认为老爷子没有意识到我所提出的问题,只是就像他在文中说的,好的文字要强势、自信、有说服力。他在自己的写作中很好地实践了自己的观点,点赞。

第十章讲的是在非小说写作中需要注意的一些细节问题,也是属于第二部分写作方法的一部分。今天阅读的内容总结如下:

Verbs

1. Use active verbs;

2. Choose the ones that are rich in meaning and emotion;

3. A word is stronger than a phrase;

4. Use precise verbs.

Adverbs & Adjectives

1. Mind the repetition of meaning with the modified verb or noun;

2. Don’t use them unless necessary.

Punctuation

1. If a sentence is too long, break it into short ones;

2. Exclamation point is gushy. If we want readers to notice a certain information, arrange the words in such an order that attention is naturally drawn to it;

3. Semicolon is used in carefully balanced sentences or to add a related thought. It brings a pause to reader, so use it with discreet;

4. Dash is more useful than its given credit to. It can be used to justify the preceding thought in the second part, or to set apart a parenthetical thought in a long sentence;

5. The colon is followed by an itemized list.

Mood changers

Keep readers oriented. Alert them with cuing words like but, still, instead, therefore, now, later, today, and subsequently, etc.

1. “But” can be used to start a sentence;

2. “However” should come as soon as possible but not at the beginning.

3. “Yet” is close to “meanwhile” in meaning, and serves the same function as “but”.

Others

Hedging dilute our style and persuasiveness. Getting rid of them makes the writing lean and confident.

Contractions are encouraged as long as they are correct and free of confusion.

Avoid concept nouns and creeping nounism. They are abstract and dead.

Overstatement forces the humor to readers, which can never be a pleasant experience.

Write only what’s true.

Stay alert to things around you and write down your casual ideas, feelings and opinions.

If you find a phrase troublesome, maybe it is not doing as much as you want it to. Just remove it.

Short paragraphs are more inviting, but make sure to think in paragraphs and not break logical units into different paragraphs.

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