Words
1. Consider all the prepositions that are draped onto verbs that don't need any help.
drape - vt | (用帷、帘、打褶的布或其他织物)悬挂在…上,披在…上,披着,包,裹,裹住;遮盖,覆盖,盖着;装饰(in,with)
pictures draped with ribbons. 饰以缎带的照片
drape - vi | (衣服、饰帷、窗帘等)成褶皱状挂着、垂下或披着;呈褶状;褶状垂挂
This silk drapes well. 这块丝绸成褶状垂挂得很好。
* 还可作名词表示褶状垂挂织物,(尤指)帷幕,(窗)帘,褶裥【复数】。
2. He blunts the painful edge of truth.
blunt - vt | to make the point of a pencil or the edge of a knife less sharp.把〔铅笔尖或刀刃〕弄钝
blunt 后还可接虚拟的东西:something blunts an emotion, a feeling or a need, it weakens it. 使减弱
The constant repetition of violence has blunted the human response to it.
3. As for any worries that the public might harbor, his message was "leave it to Al"
harbor - vt | 包含;藏有;窝藏,包庇〔罪犯〕;怀有,心存〔不好的想法、恐惧或希望〕
She began to harbor doubts over the wisdom of their journey. 她开始对他们的旅行是否明智产生了怀疑。
Thoughts
Beware, then, of the long word that's no better than the short word.
Don't dialogue with someone you can talk to. Don't interface with anybody.
刚开始读到这一段的时候,虽然可以理解作者想让大家用简明的英语,但是却似乎和现实生活中人们对英语的要求有点出入。大部分人都认为要显得更“professional & smart”,往往会选择用“smart words”或者所谓的高级词汇(哈哈,恰恰是作者文中列举出的)。看了群里eric和vincent的讨论才明了,这本书并不是可以直接当做写作指南用,也不是写给我们这样的english language learner看的。不能直接就照搬作者所有的方法论到自己的写作上。不妨用中文写作的角度来理解作者,我们也会不爱辞藻堆砌,言之无物的文章不是吗?
以下内容来源于
作者:Amy_佳
链接:http://www.jianshu.com/p/224ec6d7d875
來源:简书
1. 检查有没有冗余可以从这几方面入手:
①unnecessary preposition
②the adverb that carries the same meaning as the verb
③the adjective that states a known fact
④repeted sentence
每个人的习惯不一样,容易冗余的的地方也不一样,要多审查自己,和他人互评。
2. If you aren't allowed to use "i ", at least think "i" while you write, or write the first draft in the first person and then take the " i"s out. it will warm uo your impersonal style.