Writing Skills and Practice
C o n t e n t s
Part One Brief Introduction to College English Writing 2 (7)
Part Two Methods of Developing Paragraphs
8 (10)
Part Three Various Forms of Writing
(from appreciation to production) 10 (21)
Part Four Selected Model Compositions 21 (30)
Part Five A List of Most Commonly Employed
Sentence Patterns
30 (3)
2
Compiled by The First Section of Teaching and Research, Department of College English Teaching &
Studies, Qingdao University
Part One Brief Introduction to College English Writing I. Format and General Requirements of College English Writing
1.Format of College English Writing
It is stipulated in College English Curriculum Requirements(《大学英语课程教学要求》) that college students should be able to write
within 30 minutes a short composition of 120 words on a general topic or an outline. The composition should be basically complete in content, appropriate in diction and coherent in discourse.
More often than not, college students are expected to write compositions based on topic sentences, outlines given in Chinese, key words, visual aids or given situations. Accordingly, it is normally of great help to decide on what style (narration, exposition, description or argumentation) to be employed to develop the whole essay, and then to determine the controlling idea contained in each of the topic sentences/Chinese outlines, or to state the controlling idea at the very beginning of each paragraph in respect of writing based on key words, visual aids or given situations.
2.General Requirements of College English Writing
Unity（一致性）and coherence (连贯) are two important
general requirements of college English writing.
Unity is achieved by ascertaining that each sentence in the paragraph is relevant to the topic sentence, that is, each sentence should be a further development of the topic sentence. At the same time, the student writer must be positive that each of the 3 paragraphs is connected with each other in form as well as in meaning or content.
Coherence is the logical connection of the sentences in a paragraph and the paragraphs in a composition to each other. Coherence can be achieved through a variety of techniques, such as the employment of transitional words/link words/connectors（过渡词语）, repetition of key words, consistent use of the same point of view, proper pronoun reference, logical organization of the information and arguments in a paragraph and between paragraphs. The student writer must be certain that there is appropriate transition from one sentence or one
paragraph to the next.
In order to make the paragraph more interesting and vivid, it is a good idea to use sentence variety. An effective way to do this is to vary the grammatical structures of sentences to avoid monotony. Different structures not only convey distinct shades of meaning, but also give a composition an attractive atmosphere.
II. Form of Good Writing
It is generally assumed that a well-written paragraph contains a topic sentence, developing/supporting sentences and a concluding sentence if necessary.
Below is an example to show the process of writing a paragraph. Suppose that you are required to write a paragraph on the topic “Riding a bicycle is better than riding a motorcycle”. It is advisable for you to go through the following procedures before writing the paragraph
proper.
Step 1. Determine the writing style — argumentation Step 2.Seek out the controlling idea — better Step 3.Collect some convincing facts about or arguments for the controlling idea —
inexpensive to buy, easy maintenance , good
for health, nonpolluting, safer, etc.
Step 4.List details about some of the facts or arguments that will interest your audience,
e.g., health —more exercises, less
pollution
Step 5. Outline the paragraph.
Step 6.Write the paragraph by using the details you have just listed.
Riding a bicycle is better than riding a motorcycle. First of all, a bicycle is relatively inexpensive to buy and to maintain. While a motorcycle may cost thousands of Yuan to buy and hundreds of Yuan annually for maintenance, a good bicycle will only cost two hundred Yuan or so, and its annual maintenance cost is very small. Biking is also
英语作文四级范文 1 Succeeds Without a Strong Will There is an old saying: where there is a will, there is a way. It tells us that a strong will is the most essential quality that anyone who wants to achieve success. It can contribute a lot to one’s success. Alth ough “All roads lead to Rome”, none of them is completely smooth. Our life is filled with obstacles which may make us feel so hopeless that we may choose to give up. At the crucial moment, strong will helps a lot. As a matter of fact, the ability to work through difficult situation and unfortunate events with strong will can make one stronger and more capable. In other words, if we want to realize life’s goal, we must keep forging ahead with strong consciousness. From what has been discussed above, we can see that the establishment of tough determination is of great importance to everyone. With a strong will, including our knowledge, we will be able to deal with any situation in our life. Whatever we do, as long as we stick to and do not give up easily, we will realize the goal at last. 2Commercialization of Campus Music In recent years, campus music has been commercialized gradually. More and more enterprises are
英语作文万能句子精选 （一）段首句 1. 关于……人们有不同的观点。一些人认为…… There are different opinions among people as to ____ .Some people suggest that ____. 2. 俗话说（常言道）……，它是我们前辈的经历，但是，即使在今天，它在许多场合仍然 适用。 There is an old saying______. It"s the experience of our forefathers，however，it is correc t in many cases even today. 3. 现在，……，它们给我们的日常生活带来了许多危害。首先，……；其次，……。更为糟糕的是……。 · 4. 现在，……很普遍，许多人喜欢……，因为……，另外（而且）……。 Nowadays，it is common to ______. Many people like ______ because ______. Besides，_ _____. 5. 任何事物都是有两面性，……也不例外。它既有有利的一面，也有不利的一面。 Everything has two sides and ______ is not an exception，it has both advantages and disa dvantages. 6. 关于……人们的观点各不相同，一些人认为（说）……，在他们看来，…… opinions about ______ vary from person to person. Some people say that ______. People’s To them,_____. 7. 人类正面临着一个严重的问题……，这个问题变得越来越严重。 Man is now facing a big problem ______ which is becoming more and more serious. 8. ……已成为人的关注的热门话题，特别是在年青人当中，将引发激烈的辩论。
1.Weak men wait for opportunity, but the strong men make it. 弱者等待机会，强者创造机 会。 2.Opportunity meets the prepared mind, as the old saying goes. 正如俗话所说，机遇只属于那些有心理准备的人。 3.Perseverance is failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth. 十九次失败，到第二十次获得成功，这就叫坚持。 4.He tried hard to learn, and to be a good boy, and he succeeded fairly well. 他用心学 习，又很听话，因此一切倒还顺利。 5.In fact, there 'asn old Chinese saying which goes, “Hew ho hasn'bt een to the Great Wall is not a true man. 实际上”，中国有句古谚语说：“不到长城非好汉。” 6. A man is not old as long as he is seeking something. －John Barrymore 只要一个人还有所 追求 , 她就没有老。── 约翰·巴里莫尔 (美国艺术家 ) 7.To take advantage of them, you can 't let yourself be destroyed by a defeat, or let others set the limits on your ability to achieve. 利用它们 , 你就不会被一次失败击倒 , 也不会让别人来限制住你成功的能力。 8.Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly ever acquire the skill to do difficult things easily. 只有有耐心圆满完成简单工作的人才能够轻而易举地完成困难的事。 9.The most important thing in life is to have a beautiful dream and good ways to realize it. 人生最重要的是要有美梦，并有好的方法去实现它。 10.We must carry on till success in spite of the extremely difficult conditions. 尽管条件极端困难 , 我们必须坚持下去 , 直到成功。 11.This belief in equal opportunity has produced a spirit of compet ition. It 's like a race to the top of the success ladder. 这种机会均等的信念造就了一种竞争的精神 , 它就像一场通往成功之梯顶端的比赛一样。 12.Success is dangerous. One begins to copy oneself, and to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others. It leads to sterility. － Picasso (1881-1973), Spanish artist 成 功是危险的。一个成功的人开始模仿自己，而模仿自己比模仿别人更加危险。因为这样做将毫无结果。── 毕加索 (1881－ 1973), 西班牙画家 13.But failure also taught me that life is a road with unpredictable forks and unexpected tomorrows. 但是, 失败还使我懂得 , 生活的道路充满了无法预测的岔路口和无法预料的明天。 14.The common idea that success spoils people by making them vain, egotistic, and self-complacent is erroneous; on the contrary, it makes them, for the most part, humble, tolerant, and kind. Failure makes people cruel and bitter. －W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), British author 人们普遍认为成功使人变得虚荣、自以为是、自满 , 从而毁了他们 , 但这种看法是错误的；恰恰相反 , 成功在很大程度上使人变得谦恭、宽容、善良。失败则使人变得残忍、怨愤。── W·萨默塞特·莫姆 (1874－1965), 英国作家 15.Against all the odds she achieved her dream of becoming an actress. 她冲破重重困难，实现了当演员的梦想。 16.He is too smart not to jump at the chance. 他这个人很精明，不会错过这个机会的。 17.I'm not sure if I 'll succeed, but I certainly hope 是so否. 成功我没有把握 , 不过我当然希望会成功 18.I wish you every success. 祝你万事如意！ 19.He seems to be successful in anything he tries. 他好像不论做什么事都能成功。 20.Experience shows that success is due less to ability than to zeal. 经验告诉我们，成功与其
英语作文范文 英语四级写作范文 Directions：In this section you are required to write a letter in reply to a friend’s inquiry about applying for admission to your college or university. You should write at least 120 words and base your composition on the outline given in Chinese below： 1.建议报考的专业及理由； 2.报考该专业的基本条件； 3.应当如何备考。 A Letter of Reply to a Friend December 27, 2003 Dear When it comes to which major you should choose, I propose that you apply for the major of English. To begin with, English is the most popular language in the world, which is widely used in all fields such as teaching, translation, foreign trade and so on. What’s more, it goes without saying that English majors are more likely to find a good job in the
作文1 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic Online Games. You should write at least 120 words, and base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below: 1)现在有一些大学生沉迷于网络游戏，家长和学校对此忧心忡忡 2)但有人认为网络游戏并不是一无是处 3)你对此的看法是…… 【思路点拨】 本题属于提纲式文字命题。提纲第1点指出对于某问题的一种反面看法，提纲第2点指出对于该问题的正面看法，提纲第3点要求谈谈“我”对该问题的看法，由此可判断本文应为对比选择型作文。 根据所给提纲，本文应包含如下内容：指出大学生沉迷于网络游戏的问题，阐述家长和老师对该问题的否定态度和他们的担忧；指出一些人对待网络游戏的肯定态度，并阐述网络游戏的好处；表明“我”对网络游戏的看法。 【参考范文】 Online Games As a product of modern computer and the Internet, online games have become very popular among college students. Many students have enjoyed great pleasure and satisfaction from these games. But as we see, some students lacking self-discipline are too much indulged in these games so that their health and academic performances are affected. This phenomenon has caused much worry from the teachers and parents。 However, some others argue that online games are not always harmful. They can train the ability of youngsters to respond to things quickly. Moreover, they can stimulate their imagination and their interest in computer science. More importantly, it does bring college students much pleasure and release their pressure greatly。 From my point of view, online games are a wonderful entertainment if you play them in a clever way. When they interfere too much with your study, it is better for you to give them up at once. But if you have enough self-control over them, you can certainly obtain real pleasure and benefit a lot from them。 作文2 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic Machine Translation and Human Translation. You should write at least 120 words, and base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below: 1)现在诸多的电子辞典及相关翻译软件被开发出来，人们不再需要翻阅厚重的字典 2)有人认为以后机器翻译会完全取代人工翻译 3)你是否同意这种观点，为什么？ 【思路点拨】 本题属于提纲式文字命题。提纲第1点指出一种新兴事物，提纲第2点针对该事物提出一种有争议的观点，提纲第3点要求表明“我”是否同意这种观点，由此可判断本文应为对比选择型作文。 根据所给提纲，本文应包含如下内容：描述电子辞典和翻译软件的使用现状，引出机器翻译会代替人工翻译的观点；表明“我”对这一观点的态度并说明理由；总结“我”的观点，提出建议。
英语四级作文万能模板 一、提纲式作文 1．对立观点式 A．有人认为X 是好事，赞成X，为什么？B．有人认为X 是坏事，反对X，为什么？C．我的看法。 Some people are in favor of the idea of doing X. They point out the fact that 支持X 的第一个原因。They also argue that 支持X 的另一个原因。 However, other people stand on a different ground. They consider it harmful to do X. They firmly point out that 反对X 的第一个理由。An example can give the details of this argument: 一个例子。 There is some truth in both arguments. But I think the advantages of X overweigh the disadvantages. In addition to the above-mentioned negative effects it might bring about, X also may X 的有一个坏处。 二、批驳观点式 A．一个错误观点。B．我不同意。 Many people argue that 错误观点。By saying that, they mean 对这个观点的进一步解释。An example they have presented is that 一个例子。（According to a survey performed by X on a group of Y, almost 80% of them 赞成这个错误观点或者受到这个错误观点的影响）。There might be some element of truth in these people’s belief. But if we consider it in depth, we will feel no reservation to conclude that 与错误观点相反的观点。There are a number of reasons behind my belief. (以下参照辩论文的议论文写法)。 三、社会问题（现象）式 A．一个社会问题或者现象。 B．产生的原因 C．对社会和我们生活的影响 D．如何杜绝。（如果是问题的话） E．前景的预测。 Nowadays, there exists an increasingly serious social/economic/environmental problem. (X has increasingly become a common concern of the public). According to a survey, 调查内容说明这种现象的情况。（或者是一个例子）。 There are a couple of reasons booming this problem/phenomenon. 下面参照辩论式议论文的写法。 X has caused substantial impact on the society and our daily life, which has been articulated（表达）in the following aspects. 参照辩论式议论文的写法。 A dozen of measures are supposed to take to prevent X from bringing us more harm. 参照辩论式议论文的写法。 Based on the above discussions, I can easily forecast that more and more people will …….. 图表式作文 It is obvious in the graph/table that the rate/number/amount of Y has undergone dramatic changes. It has gone up/grown/fallen/dropped considerably in recent years (as X varies). At the point of （接近）X1, Y reaches its peak value of …(多少).
四级写作范文必背经典 大学英语四级范文背诵(01) COLLEGE STUDENTS SHOULD ATTEND PHYSICAL EXERCISE Physical exercise is a necessary part of college life. However, still some college students do not like to attend sports activities, they think those activities waste their time and influence their study. Indeed, it is very unwise for college students to keep distance from physical exercise because physical exercise is not harmful but good to them. College students can benefit a lot from physical exercise. First of all, attending physical sports can help students build a strong body, and keep abounding energy. Moreover, physical exercise is an effective way to relief pressure and keep a pleasant move. Besides, by attending physical activities, students can have chances to contact and communicate with others which can help them improve their social skills. Nowadays, all colleges and universities have provided many sports facilities for students to do physical exercises, students can chose freely according to their interests and needs. As for me, I am keen on all kinds of ball games, especially football and basketball. From these games, I have gained a lot, and enjoined great pleasure. To conclude, physical exercise is beneficial to every college students, and therefore do not hesitate to attend sports activities. 大学英语四级范文背诵(02) Online games As a product of modern computer and the Internet, online games have become very popular among college students. Many students have enjoyed great pleasure and satisfaction from these games. But as we see, some students lacking self discipline on too much indulge in these games. So that their health and academic performances are affected. This phenomenon has caused much worry from the teachers and parents. However, some others argue that online games are not always harmful. They can train their ability of youngsters to respond to things quickly. Moreover, they can stimulate their imagination and their interest in computer science. More importantly, it does bring college students much pleasure and release their pressure greatly. Form my point of view, online games are wonderful entertainment if you play them in a clever way. When they interfere too much with your study, it is better for you to give them up at once, but if you have enough self control over them, you can certainly obtain real pleasure and benefit a lot from them. 大学英语四级范文背诵(03) Certificates Craze on Campus In recent years, to get a certificate has become a new craze among college students. Just randomly, ask a student on campus what he or she is busy doing, quite possibly, you may get the answer that he or she is preparing for a certificate of some kind. Why does this craze appear? There are two mainly reasons behind this phenomenon. First, it is the employments pressure that forces college students to get more certificates. With the admission expansion of
大学英语作文四级万能模板 开头万能公式 1．开头万能公式一：名人名言 有人问了，“我没有记住名言，怎么办？尤其是英语名言？”，很好办：编！ 原理：我们看到的东西很多都是创造出来的，包括我们欣赏的文章也是，所以尽管编，但是一定要听起来很有道理呦！而且没准将来我们就是名人呢！对吧？ 经典句型： A proverb says, “ You are only young once.” （适用于已记住的名言） It goes without saying that we cannot be young forever. （适用于自编名言） 更多经典句型： As everyone knows, No one can deny that… 开头万能公式一：数字统计 原理：要想更有说服力，就应该用实际的数字来说明。 原则上在议论文当中十不应该出现虚假数字的，可是在考试的时候哪管那三七二十一，但编无妨，只要我有东西写就万事大吉了。所以不妨试用下面的句型： According to a recent survey, about 78.9% of the college students wanted to further their study after their graduation. 看起来这个数字文邹邹的，其实都是编造出来的，下面随便几个题目我们都可以这样编造： Honesty：根据最近的一项统计调查显示，大学生向老师请假的理由当中78%都是假的。 Travel by Bike：根据最近的一项统计调查显示，85%的人在近距离旅行的时候首选的交通工具是自行车。 Youth：根据最近的一项统计调查显示，在某个大学，学生的课余时间的70%都是在休闲娱乐。 Five-day Work Week Better than Six-day Work?：根据最近的一项统计调查显示，98%的人同意每周五天工作日。 更多句型： A recent statistics shows that … 结尾万能公式 1．结尾万能公式一：如此结论 说完了，毕竟要归纳一番，相信各位都有这样的经历，领导长篇大论，到最后终于冒出个“总而言之”之类的话，我们马上停止开小差，等待领导说结束语。也就是说，开头很好，也必然要有一个精彩的结尾，让读者眼前一亮，这样，你就可以拿高分了！比如下面的例子： Obviously（此为过渡短语）, we can draw the conclusion that good manners arise from politeness and respect for others. 如果读者很难“显而见之”，但说无妨，就当读者的眼光太浅罢了！ 更多过渡短语： to sum up, in conclusion, in brief, on account of this, thus 更多句型： Thu s, it can be concluded that…, Therefore, we can find that… 如此建议 如果说“如此结论”是结尾最没用的废话，那么“如此建议”应该是最有价值的废
作文经典套句 一、~~~ the + ~ est + 名词+ (that) + 主词+ have ever + seen ( known/heard/had/read, etc) - ~~~ the most + 形容词+ 名词+ (that) + 主词+ have ever + seen ( known/heard/had/read, etc) - 例句：Helen is the most beautiful girl that I have ever seen. - 海伦是我所看过最美丽的女孩。- Mr. Chang is the kindest teacher that I have ever had. - 张老师是我曾经遇到最仁慈的教师。- - 二、Nothing is + ~~~ er than to + V Nothing is + more + 形容词 + than to + V - 例句：Nothing is more important than to receive education. - 没有比接受教育更重要的事。- - 三、~~~ cannot emphasize the importance of ~~~ too much.（再怎么强调...的重要性也不为过。）- 例句：We cannot emphasize the importance of protecting our eyes too much. - 我们再怎么强调保护眼睛的重要性也不为过。- - 四、There is no denying that + S + V ...（不可否认的...）- 例句：There is no denying that the qualities of our living have gone from bad to worse. - 不可否认的，我们的生活品质已经每况愈下。- - 五、It is universally acknowledged that + 句子~~ （全世界都知道...）- 例句：It is universally acknowledged that trees are indispensable to us. - 全世界都知道树木对我们是不可或缺的。- -
四级英语作文范文 范文：Healthy Life 1、健康的生活方式包括合理膳食、有规律的起居、锻炼等。2、不好的生活方式包括抽烟、饮酒、暴饮暴食等。3、好的习惯使身体健康，不良习惯引发多种疾病。Healthy life style involves keeping a balanced diet，living a routine life，and undertaking regular physical exercises. A balanced diet means eating a variety of foods and allowing for an adequate intake of them every day. Living a routine life refers to getting up and going to bed at a fixed time, and maintaining 8-hour sleep each day. Doing physical exercisesregularly is also the key to staying healthy. Choose a suitable type of exercise depending on your own interests and physical conditions and keep to it. Unhealthy life style includes smoking, drinking and overeating. Smoking would cause bronchitis and lung cancer. According to a recent survey, four million people die each year from diseases linked to smoking. Drinking would result in health and social problems. Drunk driving is a deadly hazard both to the person himself and to other people. Overeating would lead to obesity, diabetes, and other health-related diseases. It has been an undisputable fact that good life style will make people healthy, and bad one will result in many diseases. To keep fit, we should develop good living habits, , eating a balanced diet, living a routine life, and doing physical exercises regularly. 范文：Grammar Learning 1、在很长一段时间，中国的英语教学非常重视语法教学。2、近年来，有人提出在英语教学中要取消语法教学，因为死背语法规则的确不是有效的学习方法。3、但语法学习也有其必要性，关键在于如何将语法学习与语言应用相结合。In the past, grammar was the focus of the English language teaching and learning in China. The English class had been dominated by teachers’explaining grammar rules and sentence structures. Students were busy taking notse and they were given no time to practice using English for munication. Consequently, while having acquired a sufficient amount of grammar knowledge, students did not know how to express themselves in simple English. In recent years, it has been argued that we should stop teaching grammar in class, as memorizing grammar rules is not the proper way to learn English. It is suggested that more emphasis should be laid
大学四级英语作文范文（5篇） 【篇一】 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the topic College Students’Job Hunting. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below. 1. 近几年出现了大学生就业难的现象 2. 产生这种现象的原因（如大学生追求的目标过高，专业不对口等） 3. 如何解决这一问题（改变就业观念，大学生再培训等） College Students’Job Hunting In recent years, college students find it increasingly difficult to get a job. It sounds strange since young college students are usually intelligent, well-educated phenomenon, aspirant and eager to bring their talent into full play. Then what underlies the strange phenomenon? There are several reasons for this. To begin with, nowadays college students aim too high. All they want are “good”jobs which could offer good salary, comfortable working conditions, high social status among others. Consequently, most college students are unwilling to accept vacant jobs they consider not “good”enough. Another reason is that there is a big gap between the majors some students study in school and the demands of vacant jobs. So companies think some students are not fit for the jobs. Solution to the problem requires efforts on both the society and the students. The companies should value the students, talent and knowledge while the latter should not merely aim at material gains. They should be down-to–earth in building up their career. Furthermore, they should face their weak points so as to improve themselves and be more competent. 点评：本范例题为社会热点话题。近年来大学生就业难日益成为各级政府及社会各方面关注的焦点，媒体也广泛报道了大学生就业形势严峻，呼吁全社会共同努力；此外，该范例题也与大学生就业密切相关，也是四级作文选题重点之一。 【篇二】 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay on the topic of traffic jam. You should write at least 120 words following the outline given below. １．在现代社会，城市交通问题变得越来越严重 ２．城市交通问题的表现以及对人们生活的影响 ３．解决的方法与措施 Traffic Jam There is no doubt that traffic congestion becomes a growing worry for the residents of most urban areas. Some major roads are regularly choked with traffic in rush hours. The limited transport capacity contributes largely to the vexing problem. How to solve the headache?. The existing solutions to traffic jam mainly aim at creating metro bus systems and broadening major roads. Widening the existing roads can solve traffic snarls on some level. Soaring car ownership compounds the chronic annoying problem, so we