作文高分秘訣

這裡要談的英文作文主要是以美語為主。英文作文 (Essay) 分成四種文體：說明文 (Expository Essay)、論說文 (Argumentative Essay)、抒情文 (Descriptive Essay)、記敘文 (Narrative Essay)。比較常考的是Expository Essay及Argumentative Essay，這裡就分享這兩種文體的寫作方法。

Expository Essay是用事實來說明或解釋某個主題；Argumentative Essay則是要對某個議題採取贊成或反對的立場，你必須選擇一個堅定的立場去論述你的想法及觀點，以說服讀者。只要文章架構正確，對自己陳述的論點言之有物，再注意文法及用字，基本上就已掌握了成功關鍵。

書寫以前

1. 為自己想好的標題命名，寫在紙張的正中央上方，簡短貼切為原則。

2. 腦力激盪：看到文章標題或主題，你的腦袋瓜會出現什麼? 花一分鐘的時間思考，想到什麼就把關鍵字或片語寫在空白紙上。

3. 寫大綱

4. 正式書寫

文章架構

1. 每一段開頭都要先空兩格，才開始寫字，段落之間要有空一行的間距

2. 第一段 (Introductory Paragraph) 直接清楚地介紹你要在這篇文章談論的話題及綱要。開始的第一句話要寫topic sentence點出標題目的，而最後一句話要寫thesis statement 陳述接下來要談的重點。

3. 第2~4段為Evidentiary Body Paragraphs, 提供證據或有力的事實來支持你的thesis statement。

(1) 第二段 (Body Paragraph One) 詳述第一個事實，不要離題。

(2) 第三段 (Body Paragraph Two) 詳述第二個事實。

(3) 第四段 (Body Paragraph Three) 詳述第三個事實。

4. 最後一段為結論 (Conclusion)：除了總結整篇文章，也可以補充一些資訊讓讀者有更多省思，你可以把文章結束的很漂亮，表現出「以上我所說的一切頭頭是道」的那種概念。

連貫流暢

除了架構正確，還要留意段落之間或上下句之間是否有連貫、合邏輯、連接的是否流暢，使用適當的連接詞、轉折語、副詞等就能增加連貫與流暢的功能，以下面一段為例，斜體字的部分就是扮演該段連貫流暢功能的詞彙：

Why I Don't Make My Bed

Ever since I moved into my own apartment last fall, I have gotten out of the habit of making my bed--except on Fridays, of course, when I change the sheets. Although some people may think that I am a slob, I have some sound reasons for breaking the bed-making habit. In the first place, I am not concerned about maintaining a tidy bedroom because no one except me ever ventures in there. If there is ever a fire inspection or a surprise date, I suppose I can dash in there to fluff up the pillow and slap on a spread. Otherwise, I am not bothered. In addition, I find nothing uncomfortable about crawling into a rumpled mass of sheets and blankets. On the contrary, I enjoy poking out a cozy space for myself before drifting off to sleep. Also, I think that a tightly made bed is downright uncomfortable: entering one makes me feel like a loaf of bread being wrapped and sealed. Finally, and most importantly, I think bed-making is an awful way to waste time in the morning. I would rather spend those precious minutes checking my email or feeding the cat than tucking in corners or snapping the spread.

用字選擇

千萬別賣弄文字、使用艱深難懂或不普遍的文字，有些學生以為多寫些艱深的英文字可以證明自己高超的英文字彙程度，而得高分，那就大錯特錯了。說明文主要的目標是要將內容解釋清楚，論說文則要呈現你的論點言之有物、令人信服，讓讀者看懂才是最重要的，所以必須把握許多用字原則

1.  簡單易懂，讀者一目瞭然。

2.  美語人士習慣用的字彙：這個就要靠平常大量閱讀專業美語人士寫的報章雜誌、教科書、文章…等，才能體會，需要長時間經驗累積，自然能知道用哪些字較妥當，這個真的就不是一下子能學的來的東西了。

3.  盡量不要重複使用相同的字

4.  使用字彙的深度或習慣要盡量一致。

道地美語

學會用美語思考，才能寫出道地美語的口氣，有些人寫的文章，看起來就是台式英語，是先用中文思考再直翻成英文的寫法，常出現台式英語的狀況。常常看一篇文章，很容易可以看出來是否美語人士寫的，這是一種美語文化及環境歷練的結果，很難用三言兩語來形容，除了大量閱讀美語人士的文章(較有文學、語言教學、或教育背景的美語人士)來體會，最好向接觸美國環境較久的中籍老師或有英語教學背景的美籍教師學習美語寫作，這是很嚴謹的話題，寫作老師必須本科系畢，不是美籍人士就可以教導作文，一般美國人的文法是很差的，除非是英文系或英語教學系畢業。

修改

最好在考試結束前10分鐘就書寫完畢，利用10分鐘反覆閱讀，並修改錯誤，最後大功告成。

範文參考: Expository Essay

我的狗，羅密歐 Paragraph 1: The Introduction Topic Sentence (Main Idea for your paper) Example Sentence #1 (Subtopic) Example Sentence #2 (Subtopic) Example Sentence #3 (Subtopic) Concluding Sentence that repeats the Main Idea Paragraph 2: Example #1 Topic Sentence Example #1 (from the Introduction) 3 Examples sentences that prove your Topic Sentence Concluding Sentence that repeats Example #1 Paragraph 3: Example Paragraph #2 Topic Sentence Example # 2 (from the Introduction) 3 Examples that prove your Topic Sentence Concluding Sentence that repeats Example #2 Paragraph 4: Example Paragraph #3 Topic Sentence Example #3 (from the Introduction) 3 Examples that prove your Topic Sentence Concluding Sentence that repeats Example #3 Paragraph 5: Conclusion Topic Sentence (Main Idea for your paper) Example Sentence #1 (Subtopic) Example Sentence #2 (Subtopic) Example Sentence #3 (Subtopic) Concluding Sentence that repeats the Main Idea

My Dog, Romeo  My dog, Romeo, is the best pet anyone could have. He is beautiful and easy to care for. Playing with him is lots of fun. He always takes care of me. There isn't a better pet anywhere.   Romeo is a beautiful tricolor Sheltie. He is mostly black with white and a bit of brown. Caring for him is easy because I simply have to make sure he has fresh water and food every day. I exercise him by throwing his toys. Romeo is a good pet because he is nice looking and doesn't require much care.   Romeo is lots of fun to play with. He loves to play catch. He follows me around the house with a toy and drops it on my foot so that I will kick it. He can catch just about anything, but his favorite is chasing a Frisbee. I really have fun playing with Romeo.   Romeo takes care of me. He always follows me when I leave a room. When I sit on the couch, he plops down right beside me. When we are outside in the woods, he always makes sure that I keep up with the rest of the family. He always watches out for me.   As you can see, Romeo is a great pet. I am proud of him and he doesn't require much care. Playing with him is always enjoyable. He watches over me and keeps me safe. Romeo is absolutely the best pet anyone could even have!

範文參考: Argumentative Essay

Health and Healing at Your Fingertips

輕而易舉的保健與醫療

  Throw out the bottles and boxes of drugs in your house. A new theory suggests that medicine could be bad for your health, which should at least come as good news to people who cannot afford to buy expensive medicine. However, it is a blow to the medicine industry, and an even bigger blow to our confidence in the progress of science. This new theory argues that healing is at our fingertips: we can be healthy by doing Reiki on a regular basis.

  Supporters of medical treatment argue that medicine should be trusted since it is effective and scientifically proven. They say that there is no need for spiritual methods such as Reiki, Yoga, and Tai Chi. These methods waste our time, something which is quite precious in our material world. There is medicine that can kill our pain, x-rays that show us our fractured bones, or MRI that scans our brain for tumors. We must admit that these methods are very effective in the examples that they provide. However, there are some “every day complaints” such as back pains, headaches, and insomnia, which are treated currently with medicine. When you have a headache, you take an Aspirin or Vermidon. When you cannot sleep, you take Xanax without thinking of the side effects of these. When you use these pills for a long period, you become addicted to them; you cannot sleep without them. We pay huge amounts of money and become addicted instead of getting better. How about a safer and more economical way of healing? When doing Reiki to yourself, you do not need anything except your energy, so it is very economical. As for its history, it was discovered in Japan in the early 1900s and its popularity has spread particularly throughout America and Western Europe. In quantum physics, energy is recognized as the fundamental substance of which the universe is composed. Reiki depends on the energy within our bodies. It is a simple and effective way of restoring the energy flow. There are no side effects and it is scientifically explained.

  Opponents of alternative healing methods also claim that serious illnesses such as HIV/AIDS and cancer cannot be treated without drugs. They think so because these patients spend the rest of their lives in the hospital taking medicine. How can Reiki make these people healthy again? It is very unfortunate that these patients have to live in the hospital losing their hair because of chemotherapy and losing weight because of the side effects of the medicine they take. Actually, it is a common knowledge that except for when the cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, drugs also cannot treat AIDS or cancer. Most of the medicine these patients use are to ease their pain and their sufferings because of the medical treatment they undergo. Instead of drugs which are expensive and have many side effects, you can use your energy to overcome the hardships of life, find an emotional balance, leave the stress of everyday life, and let go of the everyday worries. Most of the chronic conditions such as eczema or migraine are known to have causes such as poor diet and stress. Deep-rooted anger or other strong emotions can contribute to viral infections as well. Since balancing our emotions and controlling our thoughts are very important for our well-being, we should definitely start learning Reiki and avoid illnesses before it is too late.

  Some people may still maintain that in our material world, everything depends on time. It is even “lacking time” that causes much of the stress that leads to the illnesses we mentioned. How would it be possible to find time to do Reiki to ourselves and find the people around us when we cannot even find time to go to the theater? This is one good thing about Reiki; it does not require more than 15 minutes of our time. There is no need for changing clothes or special equipment. It is a wonderfully simple healing art, an effective method of relaxation and stress-relief. Most important of all, it is less time consuming than medicine if we think of all the time we spend taking medicine for some complaints and taking some more for the side effects as well.

  Having said these, resistance to Reiki would be quite illogical. Reiki is natural and drug-free. What is more, it is easy to learn by anyone, regardless of age and experience. It can be used anywhere, anytime. It also enhances physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being, and the benefits last a lifetime. It is definitely high time to get away from the drug boxes we store in our drug cabinet!

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