Week 2 - Three Common Mistakes

苟思

对于英语是第二们语言的学生们,学术写作有几大常见的问题。

1. 句子要写长(错)---句子更注重意思的表达和清晰度,而不是长短

对比: The Theory of Planned Behavior (Azer 1991) is one of the most remarkable behavioral predictions and it captures a system of attitude, subject norm and perceived behavioral control predicting the intention. However, it is not pragmatic in some certain situations where the perceived behavioral control is lower than a certain level. In the case of prisoner, behavorial control is limited and therefore, it is plausible for prisoners to retain aggressive attitude and deviated social norm. Scientists cannot extrapolate the attitudinal or normative changes of prisoners by simply observing behaviors.

和The Theory of Planned Behavior (Azer 1991) is one of the most remarkable behavioral predictions capturing s a system of attitude, subject norm and perceived behavioral control predicting the intention, but it is not pragmatic in some certain situations where the perceived behavioral control is lower than a certain level, and in the case of prisoner, behavorial control is limited and therefore, it is plausible for prisoners to retain aggressive attitude and deviated social norm which results in scientists not being able to extrapolate the attitudinal or normative changes of prisoners by simply observing behaviors. 

 尽管两段问题不大,但是第二段很难理解。句子长度要适量。包含2-4个意思即可。比如你要表述:(1)为了保护社会公平性(a.减少不平等,b加大社会流动性),(2)政府需要支持小学教育(3)并因此要保障课堂人数限制

To reduce social inequality and increase intergenerational social mobility, the government should keep funding public schools in rural area and therefore it is important to pass a bill to ensure a lower and balanced class size. 

写作最核心的是清楚和有效的表达意思。句子不在于长短,而是能否完成这个目的。

2. Chinese English (用中文逻辑写英文)

我在教学中最常见的问题就是,“可是中文这样可以”。

英语的语序和习惯和中文不同,学习英语要像一张白纸。举几个大家用的例子

因为所以,because/so,虽然但是,although, but。。。这些都不可以拿在一起用

孩子们阅读的时候,要从0开始像一个白纸吸收英文。而不是带着中文语感去看英文。

3. 一句话必须只有一个谓语动词

英文中一句话只能有一个谓语动词。

什么是谓语动词?I have lunch. Have - 是谓语动词

下一动词出现时,需要使用连词,或者把动词变成非谓语动词。

连词:

If people keep burnin the carbon at current rate, there would be catastrophic consequences.

这里用if来连接了keep/be 为谓语动词的2个句子。

主语动名词

Burning the cardon at present rate would cause catastrophic consequnces

这个burning变成了名字做了主语

非谓语:

The carbon density showed a significant growth, increasing to 444ppm since the first industiral revolution.

非谓语有doing, to do, done 的3个主要用法。当一个句子有2个动作,不想用连词适当用非谓语动词。

Done一般是被。e.g. Compared with....

doing一般是主动的动词, increasing, hoping...

to do表示目的性。 To do..., it is recommended that ... should...

 

 

Reference

Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior.