english-writing-course-correct-words

1、Think before you write;read before you think.,Welcome to Writing Class!,Don’t Forget to Bring to Class,A writing notebookPencil (or pen) with an eraserA dictionary,Electronic Dictionaries,Good for:Definitions of indi

2、vidual words onlyEase of useNot good for:Detailed explanations of word meaningsExamples of ordinary usage to understand true meaningExamples of expressions in which the meaning of the word may change,Recommended Dic

3、tionaries for Foreign Learners,Oxford’s Advanced Learners’ Dictionary of Current EnglishLongman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishMacMillan English Dictionary for Advanced LearnersCollins COBUILD Student’s Dictionary

4、,Why Have a Great Dictionary?,Understanding the exact meaning of a word is important to communicating exactly what you mean!,Important functions of a dictionary,Correct Pronounciation & Spelling Example: judgment/

5、judgement, aging/ageingStem of a word Example: [Fr. autocrate],Important functions of a dictionary,Correct explanation Example:I was very dangerous.I was in great danger.dangerous:adj. able to or likely to

6、cause danger: a dangerous drug/animal/criminal/It's dangerous to go too near the edge of the cliff. ~ly adv. He was driving dangerously./She is dangerous ill. --- Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English,Imp

7、ortant functions of a dictionary,Different styles of wordsnonstandard （不標準）slang （俚語）colloquial （口語）obsolete （過時）archaic （古老）dialectal （方言）informal （非正式）vulgar （粗俗）derogatory （貶義）,Consider a Bilingual Dictionary

8、,If you are not sure that you can understand an “advanced learner’s” dictionary, this is an excellent idea!,Unit 1. The Correct Word,,Focus of this Unit,1. Choosing the correct word to express an idea;2. Dealin

9、g with a very important grammatical feature--- subject-verb agreement;3. Writing a simple note.,I. Different Meanings of Words,(1) Denotative meaning: literal meaning; the meaning found in the dictionary.(2

10、) Connotative meaning: implied or suggested meaning.(3) Affective meaning: showing the attitude of the writer ---whether he/she thinks favorable or unfavorable of something.(4) Collocative meaning: referring t

11、o the meaning a word has in a set combination with other words.,,Words similar in denotative meanings can be diverse in connotative and affective meanings.Examples:(1) small, littleThey lived in a ____ town.I will ne

12、ver forget the ____ town where I spent my happy childhood.(2)modest, humble______ and hardworking, he made very quick progress at school.Clearly Gompers was overawed by Wilson. His face took on a servile look

13、; his voice was ______.,,(3) big, large, hugeWuhan is a very ______ city in Central China.The team has got a ______ man over two meters tall.(4) plump, portly, fatHere comes an elderly gentleman, large and ______.Th

14、ey are looking at the ______ goddesses of Renaissance paintings.,Classroom Activities (Page 3):,,Collocation,N.+prep.+n. a straw in the wind the apple of one's eye (li

15、ke) a fish out of water Prep.+n. in kind on the air at length with flying colorsV. +n. slip one's mind

16、 kill two birds with one stone go to the dogs,Your Topic Goes Here,As... as: as easy as pie as big as life as different as n

17、ight and day as poor as a church mousePairs of words: wear and tear high and dry touch and go in black and

18、whiteSayings: One man's meat is another man's poison. A stitch in time saves nine. Take it or leave it. Don't c

19、ount your chickens before they are hatched.,II. Grammar: Subject-Verb Agreement,3 Basic Principles:grammatical agreement 語法一致notional agreement 意義一致the principle of proximity 就近原則,（1）When

20、the subject is compound;,1) A compound subject with and takes a plural verb in most cases, but when it expresses a singular meaning or when each of the singular subjects is considered individually, it takes a singular v

21、erb.2) After a compound subject with or, nor, either...or, neither...nor, not...but, the verb agrees in number and person with the nearer part of the subject.3) Intervening phrases or clauses not introduced by coordi

22、nating conjunctions do not affect the number of a verb. Such phrases are normally introduced by prepsitions or prepsitional phrases such as as well as, as much as, rather than, along with, in addition to, together with,

23、with, plus, and including.,（2）When the subject expresses quantity;,1) Nominal phrases of time, money, weight and measurement normally take a singular verb.2) Some words or phrases, such as all, most, half, the last, the

24、 rest, take a singular or plural verb, depending on the meaning of the noun or pronoun that follows.3) Phrases like lots of, heaps of, loads of take singular or plural verbs depending on the form of the nouns that follo

25、w.4) In sentences with more than one or many a modifying the subject noun, the verb should take a singular form though it is plural in meaning.,,(3) When the subject is a relative pronoun, a what-clause, or in the there

26、-be structure;Translation:1) a. He was one of the candidates who were able to carry out their campaign pledges. b. He was only one of the candidates who was able to carry out his campaign pledges.Summary: After a

27、relative pronoun (who, which, that), the verb has the same person and number as the antecedent.,,2) a. What he wants is just a little love from his foster parents.b. What one thinks and says are not always the same.Sum

28、mary: After a what-clause, the verb is usually singular. But if the what-clause is in a compound structure plural in meaning, the verb is in plural form.,,3) a. There is a cherry tree and several orchid flowers in the ga

29、rden.b. There are hundreds of applicants on the waiting list for the job.Summary: In the there-be structure, the verb is singular or plural depending on the number of the subject. The singular there is may be used to i

30、ntroduce a compound subject when the first noun or nominal phrase is singular.,(4) Others,1) Indefinite pronouns such as anybody, anyone, each, everybody, nobody, no one, and somebody generally require a singular verb.2

31、) The pronouns any and none take either singular or plural verbs.3) The complement of the verb be does not affect its number.,,4) A collective noun takes a singular verb when the class it names is thought of as a unit,

32、but a plural verb when the members of the class are thought of as individuals.5) Titles of books, magazines, movies, newspapers, plays, and the like take a singular verb.6) Certain nouns which are plural in form but si

33、ngular in meaning generally take a singular verb. Some of these are physics, mechanics, news, statistics, and whereabouts.,III. Writing: Notes (I),1. Notes are the simplest, shortest but efficient form of written communi

34、cation and they are quick, easy and convenient.2. A note has three essential components:the addressee- the person to whom the note is writtenthe messagethe sender3. Characteristics: brevity, informality in styl

35、e, dedication to a single topic,Basic Format of a Note,Larry,I am writing to ............................................................................................................................................

36、..................................................Jack,Formal Format of a Note,DateDear Mr./Mrs....,I am writing to ....................................................................................................

37、..........................................................................................Yours truly,(Signature),Task,Write to your friend telling him/her why you missed yesterday's appointment and make another a