英语写作的六条建议(2)

　　4 Write for readers, not yourself

　　4 写给读者看而不是自己

　　Your aim in writing is to communicate ideas and information to other people, and you must keep that in mind with every word and sentence you write. Because you have a clear idea about what and why you are writing, it is easy to get carried away and include information that is important to you only—and nobody else. If you write it you could well be wasting your time and other people’s.

　　写作的目的是要向他人传递思想与信息，写一词一句你都要牢记这一点。你了解自己写作的内容和原因，因此，很容易跑偏，写的信息只对自己有用而对他人毫无用处。这样不仅浪费自己的时间，也浪费他人的时间。

　　5 Guide readers through what you write

　　5 引导读者阅读

　　Your task is to help readers understand your message quickly and precisely. To do this, it is necessary to show them clearly how the different parts relate to each other. Each sentence, each paragraph should be relevant to what comes before and what comes after. You should use words and phrases that connect or contrast to show these connections, for example, as a result, in this way, in contrast. Informative headings also help readers follow your train of thought, so don’t be afraid to use them.

　　写作过程中你的任务是帮助读者快速准确地理解你的思想。为此，有必要向读者清晰地展示各个部分如何衔接。每个句子、每个段落都应与上下文有关。你应使用互相联系或互相转折的单词或短语来衔接，如：as a result(结果是), in this way(这样), in contrast(相反)。小标题也能帮助读者跟上你的思路，可以试着用一用。

　　6 Use passive verbs appropriately

　　6 适度使用被动语态

　　In certain types of writing, such as scientific contexts, passive verbs are appropriate and widely used. But in more general writing people often use them inappropriately, or overuse them. The problem is that they can make writing sound impersonal when it needs to be personal because they highlight the action rather than the person performing it. But very often who is performing the action is a crucial part of the message.

　　在有关科技等的文章中被动语被使用较频繁，也适合使用被动态，但在普通文章中被动态常被误用与滥用。主要问题是使用被动态会使本应该具有主观性的文章变得客观，因为被动态强调动作而非动作的执行者。但是往往谁做了这件事本身就是一个很重要的信息。