英语说明文写作研究探析

胡咏梅

(贵州大学 外国语学院,贵州 贵阳 550025)

英语说明文写作研究探析

胡咏梅

(贵州大学 外国语学院,贵州 贵阳 550025)

英语说明文是以“解释”为旨的文体,总的说来它是回答“怎么样”和“为什么”一类问题的。教师在说明文写作教学过程中,让学生掌握写作要领:抓住特点进行说明,根据需要安排说明顺序,引起读者的兴趣,恰当运用说明方法。这对提高学生的英语输出能力具有重大意义。

DocuScope;英语写作;说明文;体裁

英语写作能力是英语听、说、读、写四种基本能力之一,英语写作能有效地促进语言知识的内化。经常练习写作,可以巩固和发展听说能力,还可以促进阅读能力的提高,有助于提高使用语言的准确性。《大学英语课程教学要求》指出,大学阶段的英语教学中对书面表达能力的较高要求是,能用英语撰写所学专业的简短的报告和论文,能以书面形式比较自如地表达个人的观点,能在半小时内写出不少于200词的说明文或议论文,思想清楚,内容丰富,文章结构清晰,逻辑性强。

一、英语写作的体裁

英语写作的体裁大致包括四类:记叙文、说明文、描写文、议论文。不同的体裁有不同的语言特征。说明文是一种以说明为主要表达方式的文体。它是对客观事物的性状、特点、功能和用途,等等,做科学的说明。说明文通过说明客观事物,使人增长知识和技能。笔者对贵州大学经济081班的37名同学进行了英语说明文的写作训练和测试,要求他们写一篇他们感兴趣话题的说明文,告知读者某方面信息。作者通过卡内基·梅隆大学计算机技术DocuScope和Minitab软件来帮助学生练习英语说明文写作,得到及时的反馈,以达到提高学生英语输出能力的目的。通过操作DocuScope和Minitab得到的数据分析,谭同学的记叙文特征最明显,而安同学的文章最具说明文的特征。下面是两个同学的作文范例。

(1)The Spring Festival——By Tan Yingmei

The Spring Festival is one of the most important festivalin China.After have a lunch,everyone would be busy to prepare the dinner.Usually,men and boys are post the Spring Festival couplets which wrote by one who write well in the village.After those,men and boys will kill the chicken which feed by the family and fish.Women and girls begin cook the dinner,it would cost a long time to prepare for the dinner.At 5 clock p.m.,everything is finished,hold a memorial ceremony for their ancestors.Man will light the candles and firecrackers.About 6 p.m.,everything is finished,before eating,they drink some drinks or beer,they cheer and say some blessings each other.After dinner,father or grandfather will give money to the children,it is the most pleased thing for every child.

谭同学的作文具有明显的记叙文特征,有时间状语、对事件的陈述,等等。

(2)How to make a Chinese dish-By An Feiling

Now more and more foreigners are fondof Chinese food.It’s so delicious and special that attracted many people to come to China and many people would like to learn to how to make a Chinese dish.I was born in a traditional Chinese family,my mother is also a traditional Chinese woman who is very good at cooking Chinese food.In the summer vocation,I have learned a dish from my mother named Tangcu Fish.

Now let me introduce the making steps. the material you should prepared have:a fresh fish,some onion,some ginger,wet starch and other Seasoning.Firstly,kill a fresh fish,scale it,take outthe internal organs,dig both cheeks,wash it cleanly.Then chop the onion and ginger into pieces.Secondly,put some oil into the pan,let the oil very hot.Then put the cleaned fish into the oil to fried some minutes (now you should roll it over)till its meat turn to golden yellow.If you think the meat is ripe, you can scoop the fish up.Thirdly,put the wet starch in the pan which you used to fry the fish before.You should stir it many times. And now some tomatoes are allowed to put in the pan if you like.I think this way will let the fish taste more nature.About two minutes later,the juice will become so dense that smells very delicious.Then you can put some onion and ginger in the juice,at the same time some soy sauce,sugar,salt,a little vinegar and some other ingredients you like can put in.You also need to stir it evenly,then put the fried fish in the pan,let it absorb the juice fully mixed with juice.The last step,put the fish in a dish,you can also put some green vegetables to decorate it.This step can help you enjoying the delicious fish.Do you hungry?A Tangcu Fish is completed.Is it so easy?

China diet culture has had a long history already.Eating is very important to Chinese. Chinese food is a part of Chinese culture,make a Chinese dish may help you know china deeply.If you love China,you may be also like making Chinese food.

安同学的作文纵坐标上最高,最符合说明文文体的特点,同时,横坐标上,她的语言最靠近说明文语言的几大特征。语言的综述能引起读者的兴趣。

二、说明文写作要领和技巧

要写好说明文,必须注意以下几点:

第一,抓住特点进行说明。一般来说,事物大多数都是可触摸的。对它们相互比较、鉴别,就可以从中找出区别于其他事物而又常常被人们所忽视的某些特征。

第二,根据需要安排说明顺序。说明顺序是使说明内容条理化的必要条件。

第三,引起读者的兴趣。说明文不一定就是板起面孔来说话,未尝不可带一点风趣。

第四,恰当运用说明方法。采用恰当的说明方法能把事物说得更清楚明白,便于读者理解。

举例子(Exemplifying)。举出实际事例来说明事物,使所要说明的事物具体化,以便读者理解。

作比较(Comparing)。说明某些抽象的或者是人们比较陌生的事物,可以用具体的或者大家已经熟悉的事物与它比较,使读者通过比较得到具体而鲜明的印象。

作诠释(Supporting)。从一个侧面,就事物的某一个特点做些解释。

三、结语

说明文是以说明为主,兼用叙述、描写、议论等表达方式,介绍事物、解说事理的文体。一篇优秀说明文的语言必须简洁、准确、明白,同时趣味性强,能引起读者兴趣。在大学非英语专业的说明文写作教学过程中,让学生掌握写作要领,进行写作练习和反馈,对提高学生的英语输出能力具有重大意义。

Research about Information Writing for Non-English Majors

HU Yong-mei (College of International Studies,Guizhou University,Guiyang Guizhou550025)

In College English teaching,writing has gradually become a very important course.English majors and non-English majors must obtain the most basic writing skills training to express their ideas in a clear and complete way.As one of the four skills in English learning,English writing can be effective in promoting the knowledge internalization. Information writing is based on interpretation.In general,it is to answer“how”and“why”.In writing course,some students are found unknown about the different styles of English writing.

DocuScope;English writing;information writing;style

H315

A

1673-1395(2010)03-0242-02

2010-04-07

胡咏梅(1976—),女,贵州贵阳人,讲师,硕士,主要从事英语写作研究。

责任编辑 强 琛 E-mail:qiangchen42@163.com