一、注意适量性
使用“较复杂结构或较高级词汇”应适量,并非去“创造词汇和句子结构”,并非追求通篇使用长句和各种新的词汇。所谓“使用复杂结构和较高级词汇”是在有把握的情况下适量使用,不要大量堆砌新词,过分追求“复杂”和“高级”。其实,一篇文章有一两个也就够了。同时注意用词的准确性,不能生造词汇。在英国,作文课老师常用下面这句话教诲自己的学生:Do not coin(创造) words and expressions that nobody can understand.如:He walked straightly towards me. 句中straightly是杜撰的词,因为straight的形容词和副词形式一致。
二、注意灵活性
常见词或结构也能表现不俗。使用“复杂结构或高级词汇”并非要同学们完全使用课文中没有学过的,让同学们在课外大量识记新词,增加学习负担。其实,常见词也能表现不俗。即使是简单的词汇也可造出“不俗”的句子,如:“他很忙”,若表达为:He is very busy. 就是简单的表达,但若说:He is as busy as a bee.就属于较高级表达了。再如:“我告诉过你多次了”,一般表达为:I’ve told you many times. 但若可表达为:I’ve told you a hundred times.表面上看似乎用词太具体了,其实a hundred times使用的是“夸张”的修辞手法,表达不俗。
三、注意得体性
并非句子越长越好。句子结构的复杂与长短也应视具体情况具体对待,并非越长越好,该长则长,该短则短。为增加句子的长度而随意增加成分或细节,有时会造成不必要的“赘言”,结果适得其反,影响表达。请看下面几个句子:
(1) He didn’t have enough experience, which is the reason why he didn’t do the work well.
(2)The captain was a tall, thin man with a big mustache. He was pacing the bridge with a look of importance.
(3) It was at 5 o’clock in the afternoon that the car accident took place. Five o’clock was the rush hour of the day’s traffic.
(4) He wants to make a tour of the People’s Square. It was a fine, open space in the center of the city.
以上这些句子虽然都比较复杂,使用了复合句,并列句等,但是完全可以简化:如下:
(1) He didn’t do the work well for lack of experience.
(2) The captain, a tall, thin man with a big mustache, was pacing the bridge with a look of importance.
(3)It was at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, the rush hour of the day’s traffic, that the car accident took place.
(4) He wants to make a tour of the People’s Square, a fine, open space in the center of the city.
因此,在写作中,我们应注意适时适量使用“较复杂结构或较高级词汇”,不要刻意追求“复杂”而忽视了“准确”和“得体”,而应在有把握的前提下适时运用。如能运用好,定能为自己的文章“锦上添花”,赢得阅卷老师的好评!