2022-08-05写作的流畅性原则4：用一句话清晰地点明中心要点

Chapter 6: Coherence II

Section 1: Intentons and Points

本章继续讨论文章的流畅性问题。第五章已经介绍了3个原则：

Principle 1: A cohesive paragraph has consistent topic strings.

Principle 2: A cohesive paragraph has another set of strings running through it that we will call thematic strings.

Principle 3: A cohesive paragraph introduces new topic and thematic strings in a predictable location: at the end of the sentence(s) that introduce the paragraph.

前文讨论中，作者将一段话分成两部分：Issue引出论点，Discussion展开讨论。

Principle 4: A reader will feel that a paragraph is coherent if she can read a sentence that specifcally articulates Its point. （一段话中，如果有一句话清晰地表述出该段话中心要点，读者会认为这段话更加连贯流畅）

如果没有一个点明段落要点的句子，读起来会显得不够聚焦，整体不够流畅。

e.g. 

As you know, Abco is contemplating the possibility of entering into a cooperative venture with Janeway to develop an electronically controlled steering mechanism for our new line. Janeway has a long history of developing highly efcient hydraulic components including brake systems, front end systems, and various types of stabilizing systems. We have found them entirely  reliable and cost-effective. So far as I know, Janeway's experience in developing electronic systems has primarily involved ignition and other engine components, not steering. The development of an electronic steering mechanism will depend on an innovative marriage of electronics and hydraulics. Edwards has recently marketed a hydraulic lift system that depends on electronic sensors to read terrain features and compensate for them. Their systems appear to have many of the features we will require in our steering mechanisms.

作者内心或许有一个想要表达的要点，但是却没有用一句话明确地表述出来，所以会让读者觉得这段话没有要点。如果作者在起始加上一句主旨句，整个段落读起来会更加紧密，连贯，流畅：

"Abco should not cooperate with Janeway in developing a new steering system because Edwards has more technical expertise."

The most common problem that writers have with points is that they fail to articulate them clearly, and so the reader doesn't get the point of a paragraph, of a section, or of the whole document. Or worse, the reader gets the wrong one. （写作中，关于一段话，一个章节，乃至整个文章的中心要点，作者最常犯的一个错误是没有清晰地表述出要点）

By POINT we mean the specifc sentence on the page that the writer would send as a telegram if asked "What's your point?" （中心要点的意思是在电报中可以用于传递核心意思的一句话）