writer-responsible vs. reader responsible
In Chinese, it is not the responsibility of the speaker to communicate his message in a clear and direct way. It is the responsibility of the listener or reader to understand what the speaker or writer intended. This apparently requires people to be able to read between the lines.
Scollon (2002) points out that the desire to write or speak clearly is an integral and historically long-standing part of English culture. 2) inductive vs. deductive
Difference: English writing is more preferable to the deductive way of thinking, while Chinese writing is more preferable to the inductive way of thinking.
Conclusion: Both English and Chinese writings have both ways of thinking, that is, inductive and deductive. We cannot say which one is better. However, if we want our writing to be more native-like, we should use more deductive way of thinking. 3) Randomness and Linearity (Unity and Coherence) ? ?
Conclusion:
English writing is linear, and more coherent; while the thoughts in Chinese
writing are often random, putting too many ideas in one paragraph. ?
English writing emphasizes “logic”; while Chinese writing emphasizes
“prospect”.
English is a noun-oriented language Predominance of prepositions
? Collocation is an important concept in both Chinese and English learning. 1. Objectives
1) to know what an essay means;
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2) to know the typical patterns of essay development; 3) to know the structure of an essay;
4) to know the important considerations in essay development. 2. What is an essay? An essay:
1) is a short collection of paragraphs
2) presents facts, opinions, and ideas on a topic. Features of an essay
1) length: usually three to ten paragraphs.
2) unity: each paragraph discusses one idea, often stated in the topic sentence of the paragraph. This idea is related to the topic of the whole essay. 3. Patterns of typical essay development
Traditionally, essay writing has been divided into the following patterns of development:
1) Description: a verbal picture of a person, place, or thing. 2) Narration: a story of something that happened.
3) Exposition: provide information about and explain a particular subject. a. Examples b. Process c. Cause and effect d. Comparison and contrast
e. Definition f. Division and classification
4) Argumentation: support a controversial point or defend a position on which there is a difference of opinion. 4. Structure of an essay 1) Introductory Paragraph
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a. hook: start with several sentences that attract the reader's interest.
b. thesis: advance the central idea, or thesis, that will be developed in the essay. The thesis often includes a plan of development—a preview of the major points that will support the thesis. These supporting points should be listed in the order in which they will appear in the essay. In some cases, the plan of development is presented in a sentence separate from the thesis; in other cases, it is omitted. c. connecting information: bridge the gap between hook and thesis. ? ? ?
The introductory paragraph serves as the “movie trailer” for the actual “film.” 2）Body: Supporting Paragraphs
Most essays have three supporting points, developed at length over three
separate paragraphs. (Some essays have two supporting points, others four or more.) Each of the supporting paragraphs should begin with a topic sentence that states the point to be detailed in that paragraph. ?
Just as a thesis provides a focus for an entire essay, a topic sentence
provides a focus for a supporting paragraph. 3） Concluding Paragraph ? ? ?
The concluding paragraphs
a. often summarizes the essay by briefly restating the thesis and, at times,
the main supporting points. ? ? ? ?
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b. often presents a concluding thought about the subject of the paper. 5. Important considerations in essay development Knowing your subject
Knowing your purpose and audience
英语写作复习
