英文寫作基本上有四種常見的文體:(1) expository 說明文 (2) descriptive描寫文 (3) persuasive 議論文 (4) narrative 記敘文,確立寫作的目的可以用幾個客觀的問題來加速思考
Expository 說明文
I want to explain…
Key Points:
.Usually explains something in a process.
.Is often equipped with facts and figures.
.Is usually in a logical order and sequence.
When You Would Use Expository Writing:
.Textbook writing
.How-to articles
.Recipes
.News stories (not including opinion or editorial pieces)
.Business, technical, or scientific writing
Descriptive描寫文
I want to describe…
Key Points:
.It is often poetic in nature
.It describes places, people, events, situations, or locations in a highly-detailed manner.
.The author visualizes what he or she sees, hears, tastes, smells, and feels.
When You Would Use Descriptive Writing:
.Poetry
.Journal or diary writing
.Nature writing
.Descriptive passages in fiction
Persuasive議論文
I want to persuade…
Key Points:
.Persuasive writing is equipped with reasons, arguments, and justifications.
.In persuasive writing, the author takes a stand and asks you to agree with his or her point of view.
.It often asks for readers to do something about the situation (this is called a call-to-action).
When You Would Use Persuasive Writing:
.Opinion and editorial newspaper pieces
.Advertisements
.Reviews (of books, music, movie, restaurants, etc.)
.Letter of recommendation
.Letter of complaint
.Cover letters
Narrative記敘文
I want to tell a story about…
Key Points:
.A person tells a story or event.
.Has characters and dialogue.
.Has definite and logical beginnings, intervals, and endings.
.Often has situations like actions, motivational events, and disputes or conflicts with their eventual solutions.
When You Would Use Narrative Writing:
.Novels
.Short stories
.Novellas
.Poetry
.Autobiographies or biographies
.Anecdotes
.Oral histories
例如我想說服我的主管George明白到廣東做生意的重要性與必要性。
I want to persuade my supervisor George about the importance and necessity of doing business in Guangdong.
書信、企劃、寫作若要讓人感到不累,除了明確目標,還得喚起寫作熱情。你可以用兩個問題來檢核:
What am I passionate about in regards to_____ (topic)?
我對什麼感到熱情?
What makes my heart sing when I think about ______(topic)?
什麼事會讓我的心情感到滿足?
Q What am I passionate about in regards to doing business in Guangdong?
我對於到廣東做生意有什麼熱情?
A It's creating long-term, win-win business relationships with foreign companies in China.
Q What makes my heart sing when I think about doing business in Guangdong?
什麼事讓我想到廣東做生意是會開心滿足的?
A I get the opportunity to negotiate and lock in a good price for my company.
企劃/英語島編輯室
文/王妍筑、Jack Chu
本文收錄於英語島English Island 2017年8月號
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