師大學報
Bull. Nat'! Taiwan Nor. Univ.
Vo! 40 pp.213-248 1995
第 40 期第 213-248頁民國 84~
Some Tips on Reading and Writing:
A Reference for Chinese learners of English
Li ang -Kee Wang
Abstract
Reading and Writing are two sides of one body; they are closely related to each
othe r. Reading is a sort of "input", while writing is a kind of "output". How to integrate these two interrelated elements into one solid work depends highly on
dai砂 prac­
tlce.
In the course of teaching Engligh as a foreign language in the past several decades ,
the author discovered that many Chinese students of English overlooked the close interactions between reading and writing, thus the author is motivated by the said fact to
write this pape r.
This paper is divided into four parts. Th e first part is introduction which describes
briefly how to learn English through the four Channels--Listening, Speaking, Reading
and Writing.
Meanwhile it also illustrates the differences in sound system and
synt缸
between Engligh and Chinese.
The second part deals with how to cultiuate reading skills as well as good reading
habi t. The third part covers the important items needed for good writing, such as how
to collect materials , accumulate experiences from excellent work to reflect in one's own
work. Th e fourth part
is ∞nclusion
which wraps up the important principles or
l ­
sugg臼
tions to encourage the students of English to work as hard as they can by putting those
tips or
principl臼 as
mentioned in this paper into
practi∞ and
integrating these interre-
lated elements--reading and writing--into one resourse in order to get somewhere in the
field of learning English as a foreign language.
2可 4
師大學報第四十期
I.Introd u ction
In the process of learning a new language, there are four channels--listening, speaking, reading and writing. The first two items belong to sound system, while the latter
two parts relate to syntax. To Chinese
ther in sound system or in
learner盲，
English is a totally foreign language ei-
synt缸 (senten臼 structure).
For example, in chinese
it ∞n­
tains 37 phonetic symbols in which 21 are starting elements, 16 final elements together
with four tones to form a
ωmplete sound 可stem，
each
character 白白ying
single sound with single idea. On the other hand, Eng1ish is a sort
single syllable ,
of 可llabic
language;
its sound system is composed of 21 consonants, 12 vowel sounds and 3 diphthongs
coupled with four degrees of stress, in different intonations or speech contou fS. In the
field of syntax , many different points happen either in grammar or in
structure.
For example, in Chinese,
p訂ts
senten臼
of speech are not clearly catagorized--
prepositions, adjectives and verbs are easi1y mixed up from which the ungrammatical
expressions are generated: 1 at home. 我在家。
我怕狗。 In
the field of
senten臼 building，
1 ve可 happy. 我很幸福。 1
the arrangement of word order
lutely different from each other. In Engligh, the basic sentence structure
subject + verb +
object(∞mplement)
afraid dog.
is 叫so
abso-
is 部 follows:
+ adverb of manner + adverb of place + adverb
of time. For example , we study English hard in the c1 assroom every day. But in Chinese the sentence structure is arranged in the following way: subject + adverb of time
+ adverb of place + adverb of manner +verb + object. Th us the foregoing
senten臼 is
read 我們每天在教室裡努力學習英文。
Therefore, before starting to learn English one has, to first of all, iron out the dif-
ferences and make a proper adjustment between these two languages--English and
Chinese.
閱讀與寫作與議王良基
215
II.Reading
In the process of learning a new
practi臼 which
languagβ，
it means a very long period of trying
takes much time and effort. First, we should notice the basic features of
the target language. For example, English is a kind of syllabic language; its words are
made out of 26 letters written or printed horizontally from left to right, while Chinese
do明lW盯d 品 well
characters are arranged separately and vertically from up
as from
right to left in setting. Hence, for Chinese learners of Engligh, first of all , they should
form a habit suitable for reading English
bγdrilling
from left to righ t. In the process of reading, the
A. Read in phrases (unit of thought).
the movement of eyeball moving
follo叫ng
points should be followed.
La nguage is composed of phrases (unit of
thought) rather than individual words. Words by themselves mean nothing unless
they 訂'e.set
in a certain environment. For example, 1 am going to book a passage to
Hong Kong. Here the word book does not
ca訂y
the common idea as in 1 bought a
book at a book-store. To buy a book and to book a
passagβ 缸'e
quite different in
semantology.
B. In位ease reading speed. Reading speed is very important to learners as fast readers
usually understand reading material better than slow
ones.τhe
former read several
words (phrases)at a time , while the latter read one word at a time.
Students usually need to read quickly because they have to read a lot of material
within a limited amount of time. For example, fast reader reads the statement the
following way: p'eople
,
express their
But slow reader
deals 吶th
p'ersonalitie.s 的
their 也些es，
personaliti臼
in
their
the same statement the other
cars and homes.
cloth白
cars
and
hom臼.
way: 些盟主哩盟些且
r
216
師大學報第四十期
C. Skim for main ideas. As usual, each paragraph carries an important idea to the topic, so try to pick it out while reading. A
paragraph 凶ually
teIls about one topic; of-
ten one sentence is the "topic sentence." lt tells the topic and the main idea of the
paragraph. It aIso inc1 udes the ideas of other sentences which give deta iI s of the
main idea.
Example: There are several different kinds of c1 asses on college and
university 臼m­
pus. Professors usually teach large undergradute c1 asses. They give formal
lectures. Students have to listen and take notes. Then teaching assistants
(T. A. S.) lead discussion groups. In graduate seminars, small groups of
students discuss their ideas with theír instructor and c1 assmates.
Topic: "Ki nd of Cl asses"
Main idea: ‘'There are several
di旺'erent
kinds of c1 asses." 1
Paragraphs divide reading material into several sections each of which carries an im;>ortant idea. Therefore, while
readìng，的 to
catch the important idea of each para-
graph.
D. Read in intonations. Language is formed out of a series of sound elements (al1ophones) in a form of habit. AIlophones fill in different intonations, and each syllable of vocabulary items has different degrees of stress. AItogether, allophone, stress
and intonation generate
di証'erent
semantic meanings. Therefore readers should fol-
low these rrinciples during reading. It' s better for them to read out Ioud , which may
help readers better understand what they read.
E. Read as often as possible. Reading process is a habit-forming passage which takes a
lot of time and
e旺。rt.
Hen白，
cultivating a good habit of reading is a must for lan-
guage learners. Taking out some time to do some reading daily is advisable. It not
only helps one read faster but also leads one to adapt himself to reading the target
閱讀與寫作勢議王良基
217
material more easily and habituaIIy, as habit may help us take care of doing the
reading work unconsciously.
F. Be an active reader. In the course of reading, try to be an active reader rather than
passive one. Since in the passage of reading, one tries not only to pick out ideas but
also to analyze the merits of the reading material by referring to the following important categories in order to absorb
g∞d
points to help one's writing skil1s indirect-
ly.
1. Theme.
Before starting to read , make a judgement about the target material to
see what type of work one deals with, such as
des口iption，
exposition, narration
and argumentation. Point out the topic sentence togethet with its contro Ili ng
(central) idea, then the supporting ideas , etc.
Sin臼 the
main idea is the center of
the work, without knowing which it may lead the reader to go the wrong way, a
waste of time.
2. Vocabulary items. In the process of reading, do not consult dictionary each time
one meets a new word.
Quite often it may be solved by guessing its meaning
from context because somewhere in the vicinity of the new word one may find
some hints which either directly or indirectly indicate its meaning.
One can guess the meanings of many new words from the context. Sometimes
a sentence gives a definition of a new vocabulary item or information about it.
Th is information may be in parentheses ( ), after a dash (.), or after a comma (,).
Example: There were sixty-one identical cats in the classroom each one exactly like
the one on the board. (What does identcal mean?
It means "exactly
alike".) 2
SometÏm es there are examples of the meaning of a new vocabulary item in another sentence or sentence part. The words for example , for instance and such as
218
師大學報第四十期
may carry the hint of the new word.
For example: One goal of many Americans and Ca nadians is to move out of a
busy urban area , such as New York, Los Angeles or Toronto.
Th ey want to 閃閃pe from pollution (for example, smog and noise pollution).
They are tired of the
∞mmuter
叮owds
of people each day on mass-transit .system--buses ,
trains and subways. 3
A definition or explanation follows the connecting words that is and in other
words.
Example: Th ese people believe that life would be better in the suburbs--that
函，
the areas just outside the city. 4
Sometimes synonyms or explanations of new vocabulæy items give further information.
Example: The
earli臼t people
to live in North America were the
anc凹的rs
of Indian
groups today. 5
The pre fIx (beginning) or suffi江 (ending) of a word sometimes gives a cI ue to
íts meaníng.
Examples: We've discovered many unusual hotels in our travels. (Discover
means
to "uncover" information-- i. e. to find out something that we didn't
know before. Unusual means "not usual"--i. e. out of the ordinary.) 6
There can be words in a text that express the opposite of a new vocabulary
item--usually in a negative cIause or after words that show contrast (e. g. but, yet ,
however, on the other hand, by contrast, although, etc.)
Word roots: here are some word roots (also called "stems") that can combine with
preflXes and sufflXes to make words.
Examples: anthro , anthropo (man, human) aster, astro, stellar (star); ced (go,
閱讀與寫作與議王良基
move); chrom (form); scope (instrument for
seeing); 但le
219
(far); theo ,
the (god) 7
3. Grammar points. Aft er second (re-reading) reading, the reader should
t可 to
pick
out the grammar points, such as various forms of verb tenses, the correct use of
function words like articles , prepositions, etc. for practical references. If possible,
make a comparison between these two languages in the uses of parts of speech.
For example, in Chinese grammar, we don't have articles and three verb tense
forms; hence in a statement: "He goes to school
singular number present
tense 臼 ending
eve可 day."
Th e third person
is easily to be omitted by Chinese begin-
ning learners of Engligh.
Others such as prepositions, adjectives and verbs are likely to be mixed up.
Thus the following ungrammatical expressions happen among them.
Examples:
1 am home
1 ve可
(我在家)
happy (我很幸福)
(In Chinese no be verb before adjective)
4. Syntax. Explore and collect good sentence patterns or structures to store in one's
memory for later reference. Le arning a new language means a
prα:eSS
of imita-
tion. Therefore how to follow the native speakers of the target language either in
the production or in the construction of sentences is a
呵呵 important
language is composed of sentences (unit of thought) rather than
In order to elevate the level of learning, one has to
factor , as
indi討dual
collect 品 many gl∞d
words.
expres-
sions as possible to add splendor to one's writing later.
5. Paragraphing. Paragraph acts as the unit of the whole work. If one wants to
catch the main idea of the work, one has to follow it in a logical way because
good writers always follow a certain pattern in doing his work. A reading selec-
220
師大學報第四十期
tion follows an outIine which shows the organization of the
reading. Each paragraph carries a single idea to
topi臼 and
suppo此 the
reader follows these principles to read forward; he
ideas in the
whole work. The
can 臼rtainly
get the ropes of
the contents both easily and smoothly.
6. Concluding the whole work. After breaking down the work in a logical way as
mentioned above, make an over-all remark about the material one read , and then
t可 to
commend the whole work by generalizing the skills the author used , such as
good choice of words, rhetorical
devi臼s，
nice sentence structures as we11 as the
logical way of expressing ideas through different skills so on and so forth.
G. Four steps in reading.
In the course of reading , there are four steps Iisted as
follows:
1. Pre-reading.
In order to set the tone for the reading, the reader has to make
some arrangement to get ready for the reading task.
For example, try to predict what is to be read by referring to some skills, such
as anticipating the reading from the topic or thinking of some ideas,
phr部es，拙，
ioms, literary a11usions etc. related to the topic of the reading to lead one to the
area of the target material.
2. Initial reading. Get the main idea by skimming or scanning the material. Check
the comprehension of the general themes and important ideas during reading.
3. Re-reading. Th is time read for details. Check the new words and expand them
by using synonyms, antonyms or association; if possible find out the origins of the
new words by referring to
of them. Also
more
noti臼 the
t可 to
preflX郎，
sufflXes and roots (stems) for the firm
memo可
pick out the good, nice expressions for imitation. Further-
organization of the work, such as how the work integrated a11 the
related elements into a solid form so on and so
fo口h.
閱讀與寫作勢議王良基
221
4. Post-reading. Work out some exercises based on the reading in the fields of vocabulary items, grammar points to recall the whole work; check the general understanding of the reading selection. Paraphase the ideas in one's own words for
easy memory and model after the work to write a similar composition in order to
reach the goal of creative writing.
H. Summary. In the course of learning to read, one has to bear in mind the following
points and put them into immediate practice.
1.T:可 to
be an active reader.
2. Read in phrases.
3. Read out loud in correct intonations.
4. Form a good reading habit.
5. Read as much as possible daily.
Learn to read by reading. In short, there is no substitute for
cess of learning a foreign
language.τ'he
practi臼 in
the pro-
more one reads, the better one will be at
III. ，而lriting.
In the
∞urse
of learning a new language, writing is a sort of productive ability. How
0間 's
ideas through writing depends mainly on the following two essential
to express
approaches , namely, thinking and writing.
A. Thinking.
How to cultivate one's thought before starting to write; the following
items have much to do with it.
1. Ideas.
In the process of learning to write , first of aU, we should have enough
222
師大學報第四十期
amount of ideas, then we may expect to put down what we want. Ideas come
mainly from daily reading. The more we read, the better we write. Hence we
should try our best to form a good habit of constant reading in order to collect
some valuable ideas for later use.
2. Experiences. Human life is a process of learning new experiences which
∞'ver
the
major part of our daily life. Experiences come from many sources. For example,
when we travel somewhere, we may leam many things new through
the local people. Each
∞unt可 and
customs. These new things
its people has their own unique features or
en∞untered
may add much fI avor to our life and they
are also practical materials of writing, or else we may
from our
elder百 which
∞ntacts 叫th
a叫uire
many experiences
include a lot of knowledge beyond our reach in school edu-
cat lO n.
3. Philosophy. Each person has his own way of looking upon life, which is actually
his own philosophy of life. In the course of creative writing, personal philosophy
plays a very improtant part in it. How to bring forward
certain topic depends much on the active
4. Current information. Living in this
r'臼ponse
∞mputer
on的 points
of view on a
to the topic.
age, one has
to ∞llect 品 much
in-
formation as possible--especially in today's knowledge explosion world, everything
comes or happens as swiftly and abundantly as to be beyond our expectations.
How to get hold of current events is a
ve可 important
affair in our daily life. In
the course of either talking or writing on a certain topic, current information may
fill in much of our needs and help add
freshn臨 and
life to our talking or writing
as wel l. Therefore, collecting current information is a daily
ne臼ssity
for us. The
best way to meet this requirement is read daiIy newspapers or current magazines
which supply us with much food for thought indirectly giving us many aids for
閱讀與寫作與議王良基
223
wntmg.
S. Statistical figures. In writing, if we want to have our work to be vivid and practical, sometimes we have to produce some statistical figures to support our
illus比a­
tion. For example, if we should try to describe the general situation of education
here in Taiwan, we have to offer some statistical figures to
suppo此 For
if we should like to indicate how popular our elementary education
the following statement: ''The elementary school
attendan∞ rate
to 99.8%." Thus it gives the reader a real picture in mind of how
函，
example,
we may use
of Taiwan is up
popul缸 it
is.
6. Historical allusions. In order to add some splendor or depth to our writing, sometimes we may use some historical allusions or intelligent statements from great
masters in various fields of both home and
abroad 部 they
may odd many confi-
dent and trustworthy elements to our writing. Generally, people believe in famous
persons' sayings much more than in ordinary people.
7. Logical reasoning. Once we have enough ideas on a certain topic, we have to
to put them down in a logical
w呵，
i. e. in what order should we put them down--
from the less important to the most important, or from the simple to the
cated?
t可
∞mpli­
or in what way shall we organize them--using deductive or inductive
method; comparison or analogy; cause and
e旺ect; 缸guments
by authorities--in or-
der to make our ideas clearly expressed? Therefore, logical course is a prelimina可 factor
for us to touch on in the
8. Imagination. In the
pro臼ss
pro臼ss
of learning to write.
of writing, profound and strong imagination is a must
without which nothing can be expected in this part. Writing, actually speaking,
means to
t可 to
write something out of nothing. A whole
pie臼 of
work is devel-
oped on a small topic from a point to a line then to a whole body. A big
pie∞ of
writing depends mainly on how strong and profound one's imagination power is;
224
師大學報第四十期
therefore , expanding one's thinking power through imagining pictures in mind is a
necessary practlce.
9. Thinking patterns.
Thin蚵ng
patterns lead us to the writing path. We write in the
way of thinking. There is much difference in the way of thinking between East
and West. From the following expressions , we may justify this situation. For example , indicating direction there are the following differences:
in Chinese :
in English :
南後右
東前左
southeast
back and forth
right and left
AIso in terms of thinking pattern, English follows a straight line of development. It differs from oriental (circular line of development) , semitic (parallellines
of development) , Romance language Spanish (interrupted by
∞mplex
digressions) ,
Russian (often contains digressions). 8
一---;;.
"
島一一~
10. Cultural Backgrounds. When learning a new language, we have to
t可 our
best
to expose ourselves to the culture of the target language which inc1 udes almost
every aspect of daily life. As we know, language is a form of habit; we are Iiving
ín habit. In our daily life, habit almost takes care of everything. On the other
hand, language is also a direct reflection of culture. Different people speak different languages; different lagnuages reflect different cultures. Therefore, in the
process of learning a foreign language, the best approach for one to follow is to
閱讀與寫作勢議王良基
225
expose oneself to the real culture of the target language without which no typical
or wonderful work may be expected to achieve in the
∞urse
of learning to write.
B. Writing. Once enough ideas are coUected, how to put abstract ideas into words has
much to do with the following points.
1. Vo個bulary items. 1n the course of writing a composition, a large vocabulary is
quite needed; especially making a good choice of words is essential to a quality
work. Engligh has quite a few synonyms in many fields. For example , the words
carrying the meaning of "pride" may be listed as follows:
vani紗，∞n臼it，誼。"
gance , assurance , presumption, haughtiness , insolence, etc.
How to make a good choice among those synonyms has much to do with the
quality of the work. The proper uses of the foregoing synonyms may be listed
below:
a. He took pride in his high birth and family connexions.
b. He acted with so much vanity that everyone ridículed him.
c. He is
veηignorant，
but full of conceit, thinking that he knows a great deal.
d. He treated the woman with great arrogance , asking her how such a
poor 口ea﹒
ture as she was dared to contradict a man of wealth and position like himself.
e. How can you have the assurance , after insulting me to ask a favor at my
hands?
f. How can you have the pr.臼umption to scorn us?
g. He entered pompously, strutting and staring round upon those present with
the utmost haughtiness.
h.On my complaining to the man that he had beaten my dog without the slightest provocation, he replied with great insolence, that he only wished it had
been the cur's master instead. 9
226
師大學報第四十期
Synonyms unify a paragraph.
When 明iters
use synonyms, they don't have to
repeat the same word many times which may result in boredom.
When we contrast objects and note characteristics in which they differ , we
need the antonyms to make our meaning clear.
Examples of antonyms may be seen in the fo Ilowing
a. An army
commenc臼 operations
b. We initiate a student in
sent閃閃s:
in spring and concludes them in autumn.
a 臼rtain stud犯 but
he must pe社ct himself.
c. Common things are cheap; rare things are dear.
d. It is easier to promise than to perform.
e. There is proper reward both for good and for evil.
f. A man may confess that he has been careless, but deny that
he
has been
fraudulent.
g. 1 intended to do this right or wrong.
h. Permission may be refused or it may be granted
i. A work which is not genuine as to its authorship, is spurious; a work which is
not authentíc as to its facts , is fictítíous.
j. A scheme is promoted by
its 企iends;
baffled by its
From the foregoing examples we may
large vocabulary
t尬。ugh
different means,
en側的.10
justi句 the
importance of building a
such 路可nonyms，
antonyms, associa-
tion, classification, descriptive words, etc.
The descriptive words may be picked out from the foUowing article.
My Neighborhood
Sin白 people
from all over the world live in my neighborhood, it is a fascinat-
ing place to explore. When I walk down the main street of the neighborhood, I
can hear the babble of languages from all over the globe. Each language is ac-
閱讀與寫作與議王良基
227
companied by a colorful ethnic shop or exotic restaurant. On a warm evening, 1
can smell the sweet melons from the Korean produce store or the aroma o[ newly
baked bread from Hungarian bakery. These smells are free , but for a small price
1 can also buy any of fifty kinds of che自由
store or strange Asian
with
unpronounceable
vegetabl，臼 and the 中ic臼 to
nam臼 from
one
liven them up from another. The
people of the neighborhood take pride in their surroundings. Th ey build neighborhood churches, synagogues, and clubs in all different architectural styles.
On al-
most every street they plant trees and flowers from their native countries to remind
them of home and to brighten up the dreary gray cement and run-down apartment
building one neighbor of mine plants delicate scottish flowers
可 of
eve可 year
in memo-
her mother's garden in Scotland. An other neighborhood has a Chinese veg-
etable garden in window boxes.
1 don't need to buy an airplane ticket to experi-
ence the world; a walk around my neighborhood can be just as exciting. II
In describing one's personal characteristics, the following terms may be listed:
creative, thoughtful , disciplined , enthusiastic,
hard-working，∞nservative，
f1 am-
boyant, outgoing, popular, private professional, radical , strong, talented, warm,
weak , wholesome , friendly , self-confident, trustworthy, appealing, charismatic,
good sense of humor,...
In writing about a planet, we will prohably need to use expressions to describe the plant's position , movement, and composition.
LocationjMotion
-d7
的叫紀
戶
AU
moves aroundjrotates around
品
passed by jpasses close to
m
lies between
∞
is surrounded by
Composition
AU dy
-m-mw
mMb
PAen
LU
228
師大學報第四十期
Examples: The atmosphere of Saturn is composed of hydrogen and helium.
Two moons revolve around Mars. 12
Names of the planets:
Mercu句，
Uranus, Neptune, pluto 13
Prefixes
un-im-in-dis-(opposite meaning)
conjcom
--with, together
exje
--out of, from
ínter
--between, among
口l1 S
--wrong
pre
--first, before
re
--again, back
trans
--across
a, an
--no, without
ante
--before
poly
--many
hyper
--above, beyond
hypo
--beneath, under
Suffixes:
-al
--having the quality of
-ar
一relating
to nationality
-(i)an
-ed
一passive p叮ticiple
-en
一to
make, to become
-ence j ance --state j quality
Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
閱讀與寫作與議王良基
-er
一comparative
form
-erj-orj-ist --a person who
--full of
-ful
-iblej-able --having the quality of; able to be
-ic
--having the quality of; affected by
ing
--active participle
-ion
--state，∞ndition
-ive
--having the quality of; relating to
-ly
--manner (how)
-mentj-nessj -ship
--state; ∞ndition;
quality
. (i)ous
--full of
-ure
--state; reault
-y
--having the quality of; full of
word Roots:
anthro, anthropo
--man, human
aster, astro, stellar
--star
臼d
--go; move
chrom
--color
口letr，
meter
--measure
morph
--form
scope
一instrument
tele
--far
theo, the
--god
∞rp
--body
derm
--skin
for seeing
229
280
師大學報第四十期
mort
--death
ortho
--straight; correct
SpIr
--breathe 14
2. Grammar points. In the process of writing, grammar points are used as the basic
rules governing the building of sentences. They include the following basic parts:
verb tenses , prepositions, articles, voices, adjectives, adverbs, etc. (adverbs of frequen句:
always , usually, often, sometimes, seldom, never, since--giving reasons)
Example: Since quite a few people in the neighborhood come from Germany ,
there are many great German shops and restaurants here.
In the field of developing cohesion and style, we have to turn to correct use
of verb tense forms. Past tense refers to completion of action, state or relevan臼 of
even t.
Example: 1 came to Boston in 1986. (Before that 1 lived in Houston.)
Present perfect tense relates to incompletion of action, state of relevance of
even t.
Example:
Eve可 year
since 1986 1 have come to Boston for Christmas vacation.
(1 still come to Boston every year.)
Besides, there are quite a number of grammar points that deserve much attention in the course of writing
course of writing, such
部 present
such 部 present
perfect much attention in the
perfect versus present perfect continuous.
present perfect:
Nonaction verbs: be , have(for possession) , like , know, mean, etc.
Example: They have known about this since last month. (for a long time)
Other verbs, such as study, work, live, experience, think, help, make, etc. express
noncontinuous or nonrepeated actions.
閱讀與寫作勢議王良基
23 可
Example: 1 haven't gone there lately.
1 have gone there twice.
present perfect continuous:
This tense expresses continuous or repeated actions. Sometimes either the
∞rrect，
present perfect or the present perfect continuous can be
but the present
perfect continuous stresses the continuous or repeated nature of the event.
Example: Th ey have been to that restauran t.
They have been going to that restaurant. (once a week for months) 15
Using verbal adjectives to describe feelings
Many of the verbs that describe
emotions are verbal adjectives which take two forms.
describes the person (or animal) that has a
feeling.
One form ends in-ed. It
百le
other form ends in -ing.
It describes the person, animal or thing that creates a feeling.
Examples: Eva heard some surprising
ne明.
She was surprised at the news.
Here is a Iist of some common verbal adjectives
offended
frightening
humiliating
。旺'ending
terrified
thrilled
tired
terri句ing
thrilling
tiring 16
Using restrictive clauses
tify people ,
pla臼s，
Res住ictive
d1
-n
humiliated
啥時
台ightened
ob
J
disappointing
d
depressing
們刊和山
confusing
i
hu.hurr
ifI
31.1.l
XXUU
自LVPago
disappointed
CC
depressed
PLV
confused
adjective clauses are
often 凶ed
to iden-
and things in writing. Commas are not used with restrictive
clauses.
Examples: A machine was breathing for a man who was
φ'ing
o[ cancer.
232
師大學報第四十期
We Iive in a
∞unt可 where
people have individual
righ飢
A machine that breathed for her was keeping her alive. 17
Using transition words to move from one
paragraph
senten臼 to
sometimes essays may consist of lists.
another or paragraph to
百lere
will be a list
of 缸跟1-
ments in favor of a certain propoal, a list of possible objections, and a list of
counter-arguments to the ûbjections. Since there are so many
will have to list or enumerate ideas, it is important to
linking expressions and transition words.
t可 to
pla臼s
where one
use serval different
Th ere expressions can be used at the
beginning of each new paragraph and within the paragraphs themselves.
Here are some of the most common ways to add ideas to a ∞mposition.
Example
First idea
A day-care center would benefit the community by making it
possible for mothers of young children to attend class.
Lin姐ng
Additional
ideas
expressions
also
at the same time
besides + noun
or noun phrase
furthermore
泊 addition
moreover
s恤且訂ly
Examples
It wo叫d a/so benefit the sch∞l
Another benefit would be that ...
At the same time. teachers would
benefit.
Besides benefiting the community
ít would benefit the school.
(Besides 也函， it would benefit
the school.)
Furtherm01吧" the school would
benefit.
In addit如In ， the school would benefit.
Moreover, the school would benefi t.
S加li/arly， it would benefit the school.
Here are some common transition words for listing ideas in order.
閱讀與寫作勢議王良基
Transition
words
Examples
First (of all)
First of all , mothers of young children would be
able to attend classes.
Second, school sta宜 members would be able to use
the center.
Final.秒， the school would also receive many benefits
from this type of progrm. 18
second
fina l1y
233
Practice also with the mechanics of writing such as paragraph form , spelling,
punctuation and
t
capital泣ation.
Rhetorical devices. Once students of English finish up practicing grammar points
with
fluen句，
they may
e.有Ject
to step up to higher level of making use of rhetori-
cal devices , such as figures of speech--simile, metaphor, allegory, personification,
antithesis , epigram, metonymy, synecdoche, apostrophe , exclamation, interrogation , hyperbole ,
clim缸，
irony , vision , euphemism , periphrasis, litotes, pun ,
pleonasm, onomatopaeia, alliteration, etc.
By using figures of
spe凹h，
they may help make the thought more vivid and strik-
ing as well as explicit in fanciful application.
Examples: Charity, like the sun, brightens
eve可 object
on which it shines. (simile)
He is a man of spotf，臼.s character. (metaphor)
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. (antithesis)
四le
child is father of the man. William Wordsworth (Epigram)
The pen is stronger than the sword. (metonymy)
The coat is a mile too long for him. (Hyperbole)
The leopard changes
its 司pots，
whenever it goes from one spot to an-
other. (pun)
The little brooks tinkled like silverbells. (onomatopoeia)
234
師大學報第四十期
4. Phrases. Language is
com戶sed
of phrases (unit of thought) rather than individ-
ual words. Words by themselves mean nothing unless they are put in different
settings or contexts. For example, the word book might mean a noun, that is,
what we read , or it might be used as a verb in the following statement
1 am
going to book a passage to Hong Kong this afternoon. Therefore, we have 10
spend some time dealing with the words of high
frequen可 in practical 凶es
be-
fore starting to learn to write, because they are the basic elements for expressing
our ideas. For example, the word take may generate hundreds of meanings in
different contexts, such as take aim, take after, take back, take care, take charge,
take cold, take down, take
e旺ect，
take for, take heart, take root, take shape, take
steps, take oath, take liberties, take
0缸"
take on, take over, take pains, take part,
take to, take place, take stock, take turns, take up, take a train, take a
newspaper, take a seat, take a walk, take a chance, take a rest, take a bow, take
by storm, take by surprise, take exception to, take in stride, take for granted,
take into account, take it easy, take leave of, take note of, take the cake, take
one's leave, take stock in, take the rap, take the trouble, take to task, take up
with, take one's time, take the fifth, take pity on, take to heart, take up arms,
take the chair, take one's medicine, take issue with, take one's measure, take it
out on, take it on the chin, take it into one's head, take to the woods, take to
the stump, take the words out of one's mouth, take the wind out of one's sails,
take up the cudgels for , take with a grain (pinch) of salt, take one's name in
vain, take someone for a ride, take the bit in one's mouth, take the bull by the
horns , take the starch out of,... 19
5. Function words. In constructing English sentences, function words,
cl郎，
such 部缸ti­
prepositions, conjunctions, auxilary verbs, etc. are indispensible. Because
閱讀與寫作勢議王良基
285
they have their functions in sentences, they do not necessarily have their exact
meanings. Th us , they often cause much trouble for Chinese learners of English ,
as they don't have their
counte中arts
Examples: Listen to music
in Chinese.
to approve of a plan
∞ld
to catch a
; to play the
piano , to be afraid of dog
6. Idiomatic expressions. Since language is a sort of habit , habit controls almost
everything in our daily life. There are quite a number of expressions resulted
from habit.
Examples: There is a butterfly in my stomach. (being nervious)
1 am a little bit under thw weather. (not being well)
7.
Synt缸.
In terms of sentence -building (syntax) , there is much
di旺er閃閃 between
English and Chinese.
Example: We study English hard in the classroom every day.
The basic sentence structure in English
Subject
Place
is 品 follows
,
+ Verb + Object (complement) + Adverb of manner + Adverb of
+ Adverb of Time
But in Chinese, the said sentence reads as follows
我們每天在教室裡努力學習英文。
Its basic sentence structure is
Subject 十 Adverb
of Time
listed 部 follows
+ Adverb of Place + Adverb of manner + Verb +
0吋 ect
Word order is quite different between these two languages. Th erefore, in the
process of learning to write English composition, how to make a good adjustment
between them--especially in word order--is
ers of English.
ve可 important
for the
Chine田 learn.
286
師大學報第四十期
8. Proverbs. Proverbs are refined words handed down from generation to generation in every culture, not to say English. These wise sayings contain many elements concerning the unique features of a certain people
therefore , in learning
to write in a foreign language , we have to pay much attention to this aspect.
Sometimes when we make use of proverbs, they may add much f1 avor as
well 部
splendor to our work thus making our writing more understandable, convincing
and descriptive as well. What a clever approach!
Examples: A stitch in time saves nine.
The best ability is dependability.
Veriety is the spice of Iife.
Don't put a square peg in a round hole.
Actions speak louder than words.
We are the sum of all the Iives we once lived.
Becoming number one is easier than remaining number one.
Happiness walks on busy feet.
Each of the foregoing proverbs can be served as a good composition topic to
be pondered in depth.
9. Good Expressions. In our daily reading, time and agian we may bump into many
good and delicate expressions which are
ve可 useful
for
referen∞s
to
enhan臼 the
level of writing. Try to collect as many good expressions as possible and put
them in store for later use. Thus they may help us not only raise the level of
writing but also lead us to a new world of thought.
Examples: A constant shuttle of helicopters clattered in with additional workers.
Venturing unannounced into small
President Chiang Ching-kuo) would
count可 restaurants，
chat 叫th
other
he (the late
pa甘'OßS
while hav-
閱讀與寫作揖議王良基
287
ing a bowl of noodles , or tell earthy jok t" s with a boyish grin that
made him look half his age.
Fl ashligths are flickering at the base of the antenna.
The sister deepened her love of listerature.
A sence of victory prevails.
He was drenched with perspiration.
His legs felt like rubber.
Waves of depression began sweeping over her, drowning her in
sel已pity，
and
leaving her unable to do anything but lie in bed.
Europe shrugged off the years of paralysis.
A certain air of tension made itself felt at breakfast. 20
LO. Nice sentence structures. In the course of writing, we are not supposed to use a
certain fixed form of sentence-structure all the way making the readers feel
bored to read on.
T可 to
make use of different forms of sentence structures to
make your writing more vivid and striking.
Examples: Eleven months at different times have 1 passed at Florence. (Gray)
Down went the Royal George with all her crew complete. (Cowper)
There goes the thief
catch him, if you can.
Th ings temperal are less precious than things eternal.
Black were her eyes as the berry that grows on the thorn by the
wayω
side. (Lo ngfellow)
Th ey dashed that rapid torrent through.
By this treaty, the condition of the war WÌth the Dutch was widely altered. (Swift)
Of political wisdom , indeed , in its larger and more generous sense,
288
師大學報第四十期
Elezabeth had little or none, but her
politi臼1
tact was unerring. (J.
R. Green)
Resorting to the uses of various forms of sentence structures may bring much
power to the writing and give the readers different images , reactions as well. The
delicate use of words is just like the fanciful use of a camera which may catch
nice and delicate scenes for the readers. In the same way, through various forms
of
senten臼 structures，
they may also bring the readers to the seemingly real and
mtoxlcant sltuatlons.
11. Five steps in writing
a. Exploring ideas. Once having a subject, how to collect ideas concerning it?
Of course , it has much to do with one's personal backgrounds cultivated in his
daily reading or experiences through different
sour，臼s.
Try to list some relat-
ed ideas for later selection.
b. Organizing ideas. With a firm outline including the basic ideas related to the
topic, try to organize them in a logical order. Certainly this part has much to
do with one's reasoning ability as well as organizing ability.
Hen白， t可 to
choose the most important points and put them down for deeper elaboration
later.
c. Writing the first draft. Because many students of English do not realize that
good writing is usually the product of many revisions ,
they 訂e
explicitly told
that the first paragraph they write is only a draft whichneeds further editing. 21
In the course of writing first draft , pay special attention to the following
pomts:
(l)The topic sentence should bc interesting, attractive , and informative. A
good topic
sentenc活 should
capture the readers interest and explain what
閱讀與寫作與議王良基
the paragraph is about. Th e topic
senten臼 gives
289
the main idea of a para-
graph. It's often the first sentence in the paragraph and should express an
idea you can easily write about in one paragraph. Also a good topic sentence should have a clear focus. Th is means it should present a particular
idea, feeling or opinion about the topic.
(2)Developing the topic sentence by providing all the details concerning the
idea carried in the topic sentence. Al l the ideas should be reasonable and
to the point as well.
(3)Writing concluding sentences.
Most paragraphs should have concluding
sentences which may repeat the idea of the topic sentence in different
words or give a personal reaction to the topic of the paragraph. 22
d. Editing the writing. One of the most important skills for the students of English to master is the ability to edit their work. This section provides them
with paragraphs that contain
∞mmon
errors of form , grammar, spelling, punc-
tuation and capitalization. Try to eliminate them, if any, in order to priduce a
perfect piece of work. 23
e. Writing final draft. Only after students have had a chance to revise and edit
their compositions are they required to hand in neat1y written papers for the
teacher's evaluation.
Summary and Suggestions
Once finishing your work, look at the composition you wrote and check it
against the following elements
(l)Out 1ine. In the passage of writing, first you need a
ve可 firm
outline serving
as a guidance to lead toward further development. Put down the most important ideas related to the topic you explored and try to put them down in
240
師大學報第四十期
logical order.
(2)Content. Check your work against the following factors
(a)Did you support your opinion with good reasons and information?
你)Is your ∞mposition
interesting?
(c)Did you state your opinion clearly?
(d)Did you support your opinion with examples?
你)Did
you include predications?
(ηDid
you avoid
faulty 把部oning?
(g)Have you used details to make your writing more interesting and real?
(3)Organization. The following items are related to the organization of the
whole work. A solid form of composition should have a firm structure
which includes the following indispensible parts.
(a)lntroductory paragraph in which a topic sentence should be included. It
should not be too general but rather specific, thus making your basic
idea clearly indìcated.
Examples: My neighborhood is a nice
pla，臼 to
live.
(t∞ general)
My neighborhood is fascinating because people from many
∞untries
live in it. (be
spec血c)
24
(b )Developing paragraph. Al l the details in the paragraph should develop
the central idea carried in the topic sentence. Cross out the irrevant
ideas to the topic. Write as practically as possible by giving examples,
statisfical figures or other facts to make the work look or sound as a
vivid picture.
(c)Writing concluding paragraph. It should emphasize the idea of the topic
sentence by using different words or give personal reaction to the topic
閱讀與寫作與議王良基
241
of the work to leave a deeper impression on the readers' minds.
Al so notice the following points
(t)Does your concluding sentence tell something that generalizes the basic idea of the whole work?
(2)Have you avoided unimportant details and digressions?
(3)Have you used paragraph divisions to make the work clearer and
more interesting?
(4) Is the information organized in a logical order?
(5)Does it move from general to specific?
(d)Developing writing skills. Good writers connect ideas in their paragraphs
logica l1y and clearly. A paragraph with connected ideas has cohesion.
Good writers also use natural English phrases to make a paragraph easy
to read. A paragraph with natural English also has good style. It includes the following elements, such
as ∞πect
uses of verb tense forms ,
prepositional phrases, pronouns , articles , connectors, adjectives , adverbs ,
verbals (gerunds , infinitives , and participles)
spelling, punctuations,
capital泣ation，
mechanics of writing--
etc.
Features , such as transitional words, references, varied word order,
figures of speech, parallel constructions, quotations , proverbs , synonyms,
antonyms and structures that serve verious rhetorical purposes are quite
functiona l.
L2. Suggestions
a. Varying word order and
senten臼 patterns.
graph begin the same way as S
+
If most of the sentenses in a para-
V 十 O(C)，
it may sound boring and the
readers would lose much interest in reading it. 25
242
師大學報第四十期
b. Using descriptive words. If you use specific and
d叮叮iptive
words, you can
make your work more vivid , interesting as well as attractive. 26
c. Using transition words. Remember to use transition words to connect ideas
tightly in a paragraph. When you write a paragraph that lists information, you
must use transition words--words that cannect your ideas. If you fail to do so,
your paragraph will sound
Example: It is
"choppy" 一that
ve可 difficult
is , not cohesive.
to study abroad. In addition (A1so) it can be much
more expensive than studying in your own country. 27
d. Making use of quotations or proverbs. quotations and proverbs can be used to
support an argument more convincingly and economically. Famous people's
single statements are worth much more than an ordinary person's thousands of
words. We may add much flavor as well as splendor to our work by quoting
famous persons' sayings like Confucius, Shakespeare, etc. , because their intelligent statements have been handed down from generation to generation
deeply rootly in peoples' mind.
Proverbs 缸'e
refined words from
differentω1-
tures which represent the basic features of a certain people. quoting some
proverbs may also help your work radiate much Iight, heat and slendor.
IV. Conclusion.
Reading and writing are two sides of one body
they are cIosely and inseparately
related to each other. We may change the common proverb, "You are what you eat."
into "You write what you read." in terms of reading and writing. Reading is a sort of
"input", while writing is a kind of "output". How to integrate these two interrelated eIe-
閱讀與寫作勢議
ments into one solid work depends highly on daily
practi∞.
王良基
243
Therefore , in today's world
of knowledge explosion , we have to even quicken our pace in our daily cu 1tivation either in reading or in writing.
A. In reading, we have to be active in 甜itude trying our best to find out some impor-
tant , useful materials in the following areas , such as building vocabulary, good choice
of words , correct uses of grammar points , rhetorical devices , good sentence
structures; most important of all, try to collect logical ideas,
e.耳Jerien∞:5，
current in-
formation , statistical figures , facts , data as well as try to expand imagination power
to a further area by reading from
di旺erent
sources.
B. In writing, Be careful in the choice of words, correct uses of grammar points. A1s 0
t可 to
make good use of rhetorical device to enhance the level of writing. Mean-
while , by means of constant reading , try to imitate good expressions and
tence structures collected in the
∞urse
ni臼 sen­
of reading and try one's best to follow up the
good authors' writing style in every aspect as well as follow closely the logical steps
in designing a satisfactory piece of work.
In short, there is no end either to reaJing or to writing in one's whole life. The only
way for the learners of any foreign language is to
target language. Try as
ten 品 possible
hard 部 one
can to
t可 one's
best to expose himself to the
read 自 much 品 possible
and to
write 部 of­
daily. Cultivate a good habit of reading and writing and stick to it
s甘ict﹒
ly. Be active in attitude and perservere in practice in the course of learning to read
and write. Day by day, through the afore-mentioned displined attitude in daily training,
satisfactory resu 1t may be expected to arrive in the fields of both reading and writing.
244
師大學報第四十期
Notes
1. Elaine Ki rn/Pamela Hartmann, Interactions 1 (R) A Reading Skills Book , New York
McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. 1990, P.8
2. Elaine Ki rn/Pamela Hartmann, Interactions II (R) A Reading Skills Book , New York
McGraw-Uill Publishing Co. , 1990, P.5
3. 跆id.
PP. 22-3
4. Ibid. P. 23
5. Ibid. P. 125
6. Ibid. P. 83
7. 跆 id
P. 192
8. Robert G. Bander, American English
Rheto前，
New York
Holt, Ri ne hart and Win-
ston , 1978, P. 25
9. James T. Robbin , Practical Rh etoric and Composition , Taipei
Hsin Lu Book Com-
pany, 19937/e, P.25
10. Ib id P /31
11. Margaret Keenan SegaljCheryl Pavlik, Interactions 11 (W) A Writing Process Book ,
New York
McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., 1990, P.2 1
12. Ibid. P. 129
13. Elaine Ki rn/Pamela Hartmann, Interactions II (R) A Reading Skills Book , New York
:即kGraw-HiIl
14. 胎id.
Publishing Co. , P. 197-8
PP. 192-216-139-82
15. Margaret Keenan Segal/Cheryl Pavlik, Interactions II (W) A Writing
New York
M cG raw-Hill Publishing Co., 1990, p .5 6
Proc臼's
Book ,
閱讀與寫作與議玉良基
245
16. Ibid. P.93
17. Ibid. P.147
18. 跆id.
P.175
19. Li ang-Kee Wang, On Writing English Composition , "English Teaching Ouarterly "by
English Department, NTNU, No. 3, Vol. 14, 1989 P .20
20. Ib id. P .23
2 1. Margaret Keenan SegaljCheryl Pavlik, Interactions II (W) A Writing Process Book ,
New York
22. Ibid. P .25
23. Ibid. P. XVI
24. 跆id.
P. 23
25. Ibid. P. 27
26. Ib id. P. 21
27. Ibid. P. 8
McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., 1990, P.xVI
246
師大學報第四十期
References
1. Arnaud仗， Martin L., Paragraph Development, New York:RegentsjPrenti臼 Hall， 1990
2. Arnold , John , Advanced Writing Skills , New York: Lo ngman, 1978
3. Auerbach,
Barba悶，
Paragraph Pattems , Boston:Beth Synder, 1980
4. Clegg, John , Advanced Reading Skills , New York: Lo ngman, 1978
5.
E臨的 Philip，卉。c的 and
Practice ,
Chicago:Harper 臼lIins
Publishers 2je 1990
6. Hefferman, James A. W. , Writing: A College Handbook , New York:W.W. Norton &
Company, 1990
7. Horning, Al ice , Reading in Contemporary Culture , New York:McGraw-Hill Inc.. 1979
8. Jaramillo , Barbara La nsberg, University of Pittsburg Press, 1974 The Mechanics
01
Writing.
9. Johnston , Susan S. Keys to Composition , New York:Holt Rinehart Winston, 1985
10. Kane, Thomas
11. Kitao,
Ke吋 i，
丘，
Writing Prose , New York:Oxford University Press 1986
An American
Samp你注cquiring
Cultural Awareness & Reading Skills ,
Chicago:Addison-Wosley Publishing Co. 1984
12. La nnon , John
旺，
Th e U-何ting Proc臼's: A Concise Rh etaric , New York:Harper ColIi ns
Publishers Inc. , 1992
13. Lutz, William , Th e Critical 胎
R eade，
飢
F民:
Row Publishers, Inc. , 1990
14. Markstein , Li nda, Developing Reading Skills , Chicago:Heinle & Heinle, 1983
15. Meyer, Herberte , How to Write , New York:Storm Ki ng Press, 1986
16. Robertshaw, Suzanne D. , Reading Fir訝， Chicago:Heinle & Heinle PubIishers (a division of Wadsworth , Inc.) , 1990
閱讀與寫作與議
王良基
247
N ew
Y ork:
17. Scull, Sharon, Critical Reading and Writing for Advanced Esl students ,
Prentice-Hall Inc. , 1987
18. Smith, Brenda D. , Bridging the Gap:College Reading, Chicago:Harper Collins College
Publishers, 1993
19. Smith, Nila Banton, Speed Reading Made
Ei呵心 New
York:Warner Books (Prentice-
Hall Inc.)1963
20. Strunk William,
2 1. Stewart,
1頁e
Elements of Style , New York:Macmillan Publishers, Inc. , 1979
Ma可，卉。cιss
of Writing , Hong Kon喀g耳:Ma
缸
Cαml
1989
22. Stwatridge, Macmillan , Improve Your Reading, New York:Collins Publishers Ltd.
1980
23. Summerfield. Judith , Fram臼
of Mind:A
Course in Composition , New York:Random
House Inc. , 1986
24. Taylor, James, Ways to Reading, New York:Macmillan Publishers, 1993
25. Tibbetts, Charlene, Strategies , New
York:H叮per
Co llins, 1992
26. Wohl, Milton , Techniques For Writing Composition , New York:New Bury House , 1978
248
師大學報第四十期
閱讀與寫作努議
王民基
摘要
鑒於閱讀與寫作的密切互動關係'而一般中國同學在學習英文過程中
常常忽略上項關係之重要性，因此而引發作者撰寓本篇論文之動機。
英語文對中國同學而言是一種與中國語文截然不同的外國語文。無論
在語膏或語法方面均是大異其趣。如何從基本差異方面著手探討比較典磨
練研究是一種相當重要而艱鉅的工作。本論文基於以上觀點分段論述其研
究與學習途徑。
本論文共分四大章節。第一部分序論，簡述學習語文的重要管道~龍
、說、讀、寫--#]相互關靜、以及中英語文在語音及語法方面的差異。第二
部分詮釋閱讀技巧的訓練、閱讀的程序以及優良閱讀習慣的養成等。第三
部分寫作應行注意的事項，諸如如何搜集資料，累積經驗再透過文法修辭
等實際例證以反應到實際的寫作上。第四部分結論。閱讀與寫作是一體之
兩面，兩者相輔相成。有何進貨(閱讀所得)即有何產品(寫作成果)。
平時應過正確管道及技不倦勤讀苦唸、蒐集佳句妙語充實詞庫，勤加棋 {i主
練習，集思廣益，以期產生夠水準的作品有以致之。