英语专业八级 Mini Lecture 5

[00:27.11]In this section, you will hear a mini-lecture.

[00:32.14]You will hear the lecture ONCE ONLY.

[00:35.10]While listening, take notes on the important points.

[00:39.47]Your notes will not be marked,

[00:41.77]but you will need them to complete a gap-filling task after the mini-lecture.

[00:47.46]When the lecture is over, you’ll be given two minutes to check your notes,

[00:52.70]and another 10 minutes to complete the gap-filling task.

[00:56.97]Now listen to the mini-lecture.

[00:59.93]What is good writing?

[01:03.64]Different cultures using different languages may come up with very different answers to the question.

[01:09.34]Indeed, even different individuals may have different standards, tastes and expectations.

[01:14.80]However, as far as English is concerned, a set of basic characteristics,

[01:19.95]which is believed to be present in all good writing,

[01:22.57]has been promoted by educators in English-speaking countries.

[01:25.85]They are: unity, coherence, emphasis, development and clarity.

[01:31.32]While these good old values are still relevant,

[01:34.27]today’s discussion of good writing focuses on a different set of concepts.

[01:38.97]I’ll define good writing using different terms: good writing is good thinking;

[01:44.11]good writing involves thoughtful revision; good writing is directed toward an audience;

[01:49.91]good writing achieves a clear purpose; good writing expresses ideas clearly.

[01:55.06]Firstly, good writing is good thinking. Good thinking leads to good writing,

[02:01.40]and muddy thinking can only result in muddy writing.

[02:04.57]As simple as that. Writing is a thinking process; it is not making a big deal out of nothing.

[02:10.70]Good writing should be substantive, really having things to say.

[02:14.64]Not only having things to say, but also having insightful things to say about the topic.

[02:20.32]This concept is particularly important for you non-native speakers of English.

[02:25.25]You may tend to be overly concerned with being correct in grammar, spelling and mechanics.

[02:30.60]While good writing is expected to be free from grammatical and other errors,

[02:34.97]it is worth repeating here that good writing is not good grammar or vice versa.

[02:40.12]At the advanced level,

[02:42.19]you should be much more concerned with higher and more important issues of writing in English.

[02:46.90]If you were excited at all by a piece of writing,

[02:49.96]most likely, it was for one or a combination of the following reasons:

[02:54.78]1) because it enlightens you or sheds light on the subject;

[03:00.02]2) because you have felt something similar but in a rather vague and superficial way;

[03:05.60]3) because you have felt exactly the same,

[03:09.33]but have never been able to express yourself in such an effective and elegant manner.

[03:13.70]Secondly, good writing involves thoughtful revision.

[03:17.30]Although there are geniuses who are such inspired writers

[03:20.91]that they can produce great writings at the spur of the moment

[03:24.08]without having to revise as much as one word, such geniuses are few and far between.

[03:29.77]For the overwhelming majority of writers,

[03:32.73]good writing is ninety-nine percent hard work and one percent inspiration.

[03:37.98]Experienced writers subject their writings to numerous revisions before feeling satisfied.

[03:43.89]Lu Xun, the greatest modern Chinese writer, for example,

[03:48.04]talks about pacing pensively in the study for days searching for the right word.

[03:53.07]Thirdly, good writing is directed toward an audience.

[03:57.01]Notice the use of the word “audience” here:

[03:59.97]it usually refers to viewers and listeners, but now its reference has expanded to include readers, too,

[04:06.86]particularly in discussions of writing.

[04:09.48]You should remember that what is appropriate for one kind of audience may not be appropriate for another.

[04:15.60]The intended audience determines your choice of words,

[04:18.88]your sentence length and patterns, the overall tone,

[04:22.72]the details that would be included in your writing, etc.

[04:26.00]Fourthly, good writing achieves a clear purpose.

[04:29.50]Good writing must achieve your intended purpose.

[04:32.12]If you want to write about how to make Jiaozi, your reader, after reading your writing,

[04:37.37]should get everything he or she needs to know about how to make Jiaozi,

[04:41.31]from the necessary ingredients to step by step instructions.

[04:45.03]If your purpose is to convey the sublime and soul-awakening beauty of the morning sun

[04:51.15]bursting out of the horizon in the misty Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province,

[04:55.86]you should describe it in such a way that your readers should be able to visualize the scenery.

[05:01.00]If you want to propose that China adopt a legal drinking age,

[05:05.15]you should make it clear to the People’s Congress why such a law is necessary,

[05:09.64]what it should be, how to implement such a law, and so forth.

[05:13.68]Last but not least, good writing expresses ideas clearly.

[05:18.17]Good writing reflects good thinking,

[05:21.23]and good thinking needs to be put in precise, concise, and lucid prose.

[05:26.04]An important task for revision is to trim all the deadwood,

[05:30.31]pruning all the redundancies, wordiness,

[05:33.16]and confusing and misleading ambiguities.

[05:35.56]For non-native speakers,

[05:37.53]to express yourself clearly often involves making your writing more idiomatic,

[05:41.79]reducing the level of negative interference of your native language

[05:45.52]and to bring your writing closer to English-speaking readers.

[05:48.68]Only when you can write clearly can you begin to think of developing a distinctive style.

[05:53.94]What kind of style should you develop or use depends on your temperament,

[05:58.64]your need, and such controlling factors as the subject you are writing about,

[06:02.90]the audience you are writing to, and the purpose you want to achieve.

[06:06.73]One style may be appropriate for certain occasions but totally inappropriate for others.

[06:12.10]You would feel totally out of place

[06:14.39]if you go to a casual gathering of old friends dressed in expensive suit and tie,

[06:19.31]unless you want to appear snobbish and showy.

[06:22.04]How about going to a concert performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra

[06:26.86]in the elegant Grand Capital Arts Center in loosely fit T-shirt and jeans?

[06:32.00]So far, we have discussed five characteristics of good writing.

[06:36.37]In later lectures, you will learn in greater detail how to write to different audiences

[06:41.73]to achieve specific purposes in clear and effective styles.