换掉这些老词再写作
2017-08-13 20:00:48 | 编辑:无 | 有1846人参与 | 来自:匿名在托福写作中,结构和内容固然重要,但语言也不可小觑。好的语言、准确的表达,能够将我们的逻辑和内容更清晰地呈现给读者。因此为了让我们的文章在万千文章中stand out,尝试着替换一些低效的常用词,通过一些微小的用词上的改变,提升整篇文章的品质吧。
1.Good
High on any list of most used English words is “good.” While this word may appear to be the perfect adjective for nearly anything, that is precisely what makes it so vague. Try getting more specific. If something’s going well, try “superb,” “outstanding” or “exceptional.”
总用Good的作文,无法变得outstanding
只要是“好/有利”,大家第一个想到的应该就是Good吧~的确,这个词好用到,简直可以形容世界上的一切事物,有一种“一言以蔽之”的奇效!善良的(kind)、热心的(warm-hearted)、善解人意的(thoughtful)人全都可以说a good person。世界突然变得好单调啊有木有。
所以请大家慎用good,尝试使用更多准确的形容词进行修饰~ 如果想要表达“杰出的,相当相当好”,good就应该被替换为superb, outstanding, exceptional。
2.New
Another of the common words in English is “new.” “New” is an adjective that doesn’t always set off alarm bells, so it can be easy to forget about. Give your writing more punch by ditching “new” and using something like “latest” or “recent” instead.
一提到“最新的技术”,我们就会翻译成the newest technology,其实,除此之外还可以说latest, recent, updated来替代哦!还有一个词组:brand new表示“全新的,焕然一新的”也不错。
3.Long
Much like “new,” “long” is spent, yet it doesn’t always register as such while you’re writing. Instead of this cliché phrase, try describing exactly how long it is: “extended,” “lingering” or “endless,” for example.
比如for a long time就可以改为for an extended period of time
lingering = continuing to exist for longer than is usual desirable
endless = seems to continue forever 上一个只是更长,这一个是长到永恒了
除了文中推荐的这些词,还可以用:
long-lasting(常用来形容relationship,比如long-lasting friendship,请不要再说:We have a long friendship啦!So weird!)同义词还有enduring
prolonged(比预期时间要长,而且是使情况恶化,比如Pollution is a prolonged issue)
protracted(非常formal的表达,扩日持久的,连续好几天都很长,可以用来形容meeting, negotiation)
4.Old
“Old” is cer tainly one of those common words that means more to readers if you’re specific about how old a subject is. Is it “aged”, “ancient,” “fossilized(老顽固,明明应该改,但就是不肯改新思想),” “decaying(腐朽而没落)” or “decrepit(老而且旧,be in bad condition)”?除此之外,主页君还想要补充一个:称呼老年人为the old固然可以,但总是有一点不太尊重的意思,更推荐大家说the elderly哦
5.Right
“Right” is also among the common words that tends to slip through our writer filters. If somebody is correct, you could also say “exact” or “precise.” Don’t let habit words like “right” dampen your writing.
Right是非常口语化的表达,适当可以替换为exact, precise这样的说法!
6.Different
Here’s another adjective that falls a bit flat for readers, but can also easily be improved by getting more specific. Saying something is “odd” or “uncommon” is very different than saying it is “exotic” or “striking.”different真的是总会遇到
odd = different from what is normal and expected, especially in a way that you disapprove of or cannot understand 贬:古怪的(插播一句,approve/ disapprove后边一定要加of再接宾语哦!)
uncommon = rare or unsusal 中性:不常见的
exotic = unusual and interesting because it is related to a foreign country 褒:有异域风情的,非常不寻常而其诶有趣因为和外国有关
striking = attractive in an unusual way that is easy to notice 褒:异乎寻常,引人注目所有这些词大家在使用的时候请一定要注意语境(context)哦!
7.Small
“Small” is another adjective that is too generic for writing as good as yours. Use “microscopic,” “miniature” or “tiny” instead. Even using “cramped” or “compact” is more deive for your audience.
依然是在使用的时候请一定要注意单词的感情色彩!
microscopic=中性 需要用microscope来观察啦!
miniature=中性 微缩版 He is a miniature version of his father.
tiny =中性 相当小 extremely small,但是tiny的用法还是相当广泛的
a cramped apartment 贬:狭小的公寓(是真的很small!小到住不下 has no enough space for people in it)
The compact design of the machine allows it to be stored easily 褒:虽然小,但是并不会显得拥挤,是一种优势!(fits neatly into the space available)
8.Large
Just like relying too much on “small,” we tend to describe large things as, well, “large.” Specificity is a big help with this one too: could your subject be “substantial,” “immense,” “enormous” or “massive”?
这些表达都可以非常好的替换:“非常大”
substantial = large in amount and number 大量的
immense = enormous = extremely large
massive = very large, solid and heavy 除了大,还很重,而且有时还可以修饰程度usually large, powerful and damaging 比如:It has an infrastructure that gives it a massive competitive advantage over other centers.
9.Next
Whenever we describe something coming “next,” we run the risk of losing our readers. Good options to make your reading more powerful include “upcoming,” “following” or “closer.”
这段描述中有一个说法很值得学习呢:run the risk of doing sth.冒着……的危险。比如,为了警告年轻人不要总是熬夜,可以说:If you were to stay up late all the year around, you would definitely run the risk of dying prematurely. 想要描述将士们准备好拯救被困民众,可以说:Soldiers are ready to run the risk of losing their lives to rescue the people trapped in the disaster areas.
10.Young
Another case of being too generic(普通的) is what makes “young” a problematic adjective. If you want your writing to be more captivating(吸引人的), try switching “young” out for “youthful,” “naive” or “budding.”
替换的时候请务必注意单词的感情色彩:
youthful = typical of young people or seeming young 褒:年轻的,青春的,有青春活力的
naive = innocent = not having much experience of how complicated life is, so that you trust people too much and believe that good thigns will always happen 贬:幼稚的,无知的,容易轻信的
budding = someone who is just starting to paint, act, etc. and will probablybe successful at it 褒:崭露头角
关于young和old的替换,常被应用哦!
Question:
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? It is just as important for older people to study and learn new things as it is for younger people.
年轻人的其他说法:the young,young people,adolescent (青少年,就是初中-高中生这样) ,youngster(少年,儿童), young generation (年轻一代)
11.Never
“Never” is also among common words to use sparingly. Not only is it a common, stale deor, it’s also usually incorrect. For something to never happen, even one instance makes this word inaccurate. Try “rarely,” “scarcely” or “occasionally” instead.
这个词最大的问题在于过于绝对:
never的意思就是“从未”,即使有一个反例也不算never,表述过于绝对。这就好像,我们在做托福的阅读和听力题时,只要见到这种绝对词,就一定不选。
所以,用rarely, scarcely这种表示“几乎从未”的词来替代,就会显得严谨许多。
类似的还有:hardly, barely 请注意,这些都是否定词,如果用在句首,需要整个句子都半倒装哦!
例如:正常语序是:Icanhardly live without you.
半倒装语序是:Hardly canI live without you.
所谓半倒装,就是将助动词提前啦!如果是完全倒装的话,就是提前谓语动词~
12.Thing
“Things” is another repeat offender when it comes to worn out words. Another word where specificity is the key, try replacing “things” with “belongings” or “tools.”
其实,things最大的问题,就是不够具体。我们要尽量避免在描述中过多使用things。
比如:问Do you think students should travel around from time to time? 很多同学喜欢说: I agree with the statement because students can learn a lot of things during the trip.那么究竟学到了哪些东西呢?如果可以具体一点就更好啦!比如:你可以这样说:I agree with the statement because students can learn about the local culture of the destination, like its language, arts and cuisine.
13.All
Just like “never,” “all” is an encompassing, absolute term. Not only is “all” unoriginal, it’s not usually factual. Try using “each” and “copious” instead.
和never的问题一样,all也是过于绝对。
比如练习题目:了解意大利文化的最佳方式是什么?有同学说是:上烹饪课。在论证中提到:Food represents the culture of all countreis。这就有点绝对,并不是任何一个国家的文化都可以为美食所代表,我们倒是可以说:大部分国家如此。In a majority of countreis, local cuisine can be seen as a cultural symbol.
当然,如果大家是想要表强调的时候,是没有问题哒!比如:想要强调这些全都是我自己做的,那可以说:I have done it all by myself.
14.Feel
“Feel” is also in the company of common English words. Try using “sense,” or “discern” instead. You can also move your sentence into a more active tense: “I feel hungry” could become “I’m famished,” for example.
在换词的时候,我们要注意:的确,最常用的词是最不容易错的,feel几乎可以用在任何“感觉”的句子中,但sense和discern则要因context来决定是否合适:
feel = experience a particular physical feeling or emotion 感知(通过五官的感受,或情绪的感受)
sense = feel that it exists or is true without being told or having proof 这种感受很微妙,有点第六感的感觉,比如:I could sense that something was wrong.
discern = to notice or understand something by thinking about it carefully(formal的表达)觉察出,是经过深思熟虑之后才觉察到的
15.Seem
“Seem” is bad habit word we are all guilty of using. Regardless of how well you think your sentence is constructed, try switching “seem” out for “shows signs of.” “Comes across as” is another good option to give your writing more power.
这组替换,主页君只想说:为了提升B格的成分比较多。类似的,我们在写作中可以把about换成concerning/ regarding,会把very important改成of great importance,把pursue改成in pursuit of 确实会B格满满~
16.Almost
Another easy adjective to let slip by, “almost” is a wasted opportunity to engage your readers. “Almost” is more interesting if you say “practically,” “nearly” or “verging on” instead.
汉语考试有一道题难到了一批外国人:要倒还没倒,没倒正要倒,到底倒没倒?差点摔倒了和差点没摔倒,哪个真倒了?其实,almost也是类似会让读者感到表意不清的说法,almost = nearly, but not completely or not quite从这个英英翻译中,我们不难看出,nearly其实是比almost表达了更确切的可能性的副词。
另外两词:
practically = virtually = very nearly 别看这个词看着蛮正式的,当“几乎,差不多”这个意思讲的时候,它可是相当口语化而表达哦!尽量不要用到写作中。
verging 常用的说法是:be verging on,Many of his activities are verging on the illegal. 他的很多行为都近乎违法的。
17.Just
“Just mak ing” it or “just barely” affording something isn’t very deive. To truly grab a reader, we must do better. Try “narrowly,” “simply” or “hardly” to give your phrasing more weight.
为了抓住读者,我们可以尝试把just换成一些更具有描述性质的词类似的改变就是昨天的Good啦~ 我们来温习 + 再补充一些更棒的转述Good:
杰出的:excellent, outstanding, exceptional, incomparable, first-rate, fantastic, fantabulous, splendid(壮丽的,辉煌的hall, reputation), magnificent(宏伟的palace, cathedral), phenomenal(非凡的), extraordinary(非比寻常的)
不可思议的:marvelous, unbelievable, unimaginable, fabulous,
吸引人的:appealing, attractive, enchanting, mesmerizing, engaging, absorbing,
令人满意的:decent, gorgeous
令人愉快的:agreeable, pleasant
精髓的:quintessential
高档的:fancy, high-quality
有利的:beneficial