PART 1 Expressions
1. Careless writers often change their time frame without remembering to tip the reader off.
tip sb off (about sth/ that ...):to give sb such as the police a secret warning or piece of information, especially about illegal activities
The police must have been tipped off.
Did you tip him off about Bernard?
tip-off: (n.)informal, 1. 密告，警告；表明，表示
The arrests came after a tip-off from a member of the public.
The fact that he hasn't called should be a tip-off that she's not interested.
2. I like to replace a humdrum word with one that has more precision or color.
humdrum: 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.
3. Finally, don't strain to find synonyms for "he said".
strain:(v.) 拉紧
strain (sth) to do sth/ strain for sth to try very hard to do sth using all your strength or ability
She was straining to keep her head above the water.
Bill choked and gasped, straining for air.
strain your ears/ eyes: try very hard to hear or see
I strained my ears, listening for any sound in the silence of the cave.
4. Adjectives you would squirm to use in conversation are common currency.
squirm: 1.蠕动 SYN wriggle; 2. embarrassed or ashamed
The boy tried to squirm free.
He made me squirm with embarrassment.
currency: the state of being accepted or used by a lot of people
The argument has received wide currency.
The idea was common currency in European political life.
5. Nobody but a Chinese-American woman could have made me feel what it's like to be a Chinese girl plunked down in an American kindergarten and expected to be an American girl.
plunk: 1.plunk oneself down: to sit down suddenly or heavily and then relax
Why don't you plunk yourself down with a good book?
2.plunk sth (down): to put or place sth somewhere especially in a noisy, sudden, or careless way
plans to plunk a theme park on the island
3.plunk down (money) : to spend an amount of money on sth
She plunked down $250 for a silver necklace.
PART 2 Writing
No one else have I had more fights and quarrels with than my younger cousin. We were both raised by our common maternal grandparents until we reached high school. We used to fight for toys, snacks and most often, the control of our TV remote. He was a cartoon enthusiast while I was a big fan of Korean dramas. I figured out numerous ways to hide the TV remote, but he learned quickly and became a master of hiding.
When we reached puberty, our relationship became more complex. We still fought intermittently with each other. Whenever my snacks were gone, the situation was plain as day: my little cousin gobbled them up behind my back. But sometimes we were like intimate comrades. We shared secrets which we couldn't share with our parents. Sometimes, we even forged signatures for each other when we flunked the exams or dictations in class to avoid the punishment from the adults. We soon quitted forging the signature and I contrived another trick. I would tell the adults before the result came out that I felt terrible for the exam. The results usually turned out to be less bad than they imagined and thus I got away scot-free. My cousin figured out his own way which didn't work at all. He would put on a cheerful façade whenever he failed the exams, only to incurr the wrath of his parents.
We seldom meet each other in person ever since he matriculated at the Karlsruhe University in Germany. I visited Germany this July and crashed at his dormitory for two weeks. The little villain was gone and there was a man who had mellowed over the years. When he saw me off at the airport, I came to realize that we might fight with each other, but we would also fight for each other and however many times we had quarrels, we would always be family.
PART 3 Summary
Zinsser gave an assortment of admonitions on writing well. Firstly, writers should choose active verbs over passive verbs if possible. Secondly, avoid unnecessary adverbs, adjectives, and qualifiers which make no sense. Thirdly, use punctuations, mood changers, and contractions adeptly. Fourthly, use "that" and "which" properly. Moreover, concept nouns, creeping nounism, overstatement, insincerity, dictation and thoughts of competition are fatal to any essay. Furthermore, keep paragraphs short but never go berserk. What's more, the English language is stuck with the generic masculine. There are several approaches that might help the authors get out of the quagmire. A good writing is the result of reshaping, tightening and refining the raw material in the previous drafts. Last but not least, Zinsser writers should trust their materials and their readers.
Writers should not be misled by the false idea that nonfiction is inferior to novels. In fact, nonfiction has become the new American literature and is closer to people's life. For those who are learning to write, nonfiction is a more suitable and comfortable genre.
Writers can animate their writing by adding human elements into their work. Zinsser gave several tips regarding the skills of conducting an interview. He suggested that writers should choose interviewees who touch some corner of the readers' life and they should keep their notebook out of sight until they need it. He also admonished them never to fabricate quotes or surmise what their interviewees might have said.
Travel writers tend to write everything they did on their trip. Worse still, they are tempted to use syrupy words and groaning platitudes when describing places. Zinsser's advice on writing about places comes down to two principles -- one of style, the other of substance. First, writers should avoid clichés and strive for fresh words and images. Second, they should strain to draw the best out of their visiting places by distilling the important qualities from the immaterial ones.
Zinsser encouraged writers to write about themselves and enjoy doing so. When writers write in the form of memoir, they should think narrow and focus on a unique time and place instead of their entire life span. One secret of the art is to give interesting details. Another is to add ingredients of people: the sounds or smells or songs etc. Then they should return to their own thoughts and write about what they learn from the hills and valleys of life.