Tips for Better Writing--A Good Article

While I was surfing the Net for some information, I came across a good article about writing "Ten Tips for Better Writing."

http://www.accepted.com/college/tenwritingtips.aspx

All the tips in the article are important points I mentioned in class, except the 10th one, which seems to promote a book, and the 8th.

The following is a copy from the web page. I put some brief Chinese explanations for tips 1~9. They are not word-for-word translations; however.

 

Ten Tips for Better Writing  

1. Express yourself in positive language. Say what is, not what is not. (使用正面的語言表達)

 2. Use transitions between paragraphs. Transitions tie one paragraph to the next. (（段落與段落之間用連貫詞聯繫)

 A transition can be a word, like later, furthermore, additionally, or moreover; a phrase like After this incident...; or an entire sentence.

If you are writing about Topic A and now want to discuss Topic B, you can begin the new paragraph with a transition such as "Like (or unlike) Topic A, Topic B..."

 3. Vary your sentence structure. It's boring to see subject, verb, object all the time. Mix simple, complex, and compound sentences. (變化句型，交雜使用簡單句、合句及複句)

4. Understand the words you write. You write to communicate, not to impress the admissions staff with your vocabulary. When you choose a word that means something other than what you intend, you neither communicate nor impress. You do convey the wrong message or convince the admissions officer that you are inarticulate. (用自己真正懂得字；你是為了溝通而寫，並不是要讓改作文的老師對你的字彙能力留下深刻印象)

 5. Look up synonyms in a thesaurus when you use the same word repeatedly. After the DELETE key, the thesaurus is your best friend. As long as you follow Tip 4, using one will make your writing more interesting. (用同義字可避免重複用一樣的字)

 6. Be succinct. Compare: (要簡潔)

 . During tenth and eleventh grades, there was significant development of my maturity and markedly improved self-discipline towards homework.

 During my sophomore and junior years, I matured and my self-discipline improved tremendously.

 The first example takes many more words to give the same information. The admissions officers are swamped; they do not want to spend more time than necessary reading your essay. Say what you have to say in as few words as possible. Tips 7, 8, and 9 will help you to implement this suggestion. (把你必須表達的意念用盡可能少的字表達)

 7. Make every word count. Do not repeat yourself. Each sentence and every word should state something new. （讓每個字都重要；避免重複；每句話、每個字所說的都應該是新的東西)

 8. Avoid qualifiers such as rather, quite, somewhat, probably, possibly, etc. (避免一些不確定的限定語)

 You might improve your writing somewhat if you sometimes try to follow this suggestion.

 The example contains nonsense. Deleting unnecessary qualifiers will strengthen your writing 1000%. Equivocating reveals a lack of confidence. If you do not believe what you write, why should the admissions officer?

 9. Use the active voice. Compare: (使用主動語氣，比較精簡)

 The application was sent by the student. (Passive voice)

 The student sent the application. (Active voice)

 They both communicate the same information. The active voice, however, is more concise; it specifies who is performing the action and what is the object. The passive voice is wordier and frequently less clear.

 10. Read and reread Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White. Containing basic rules of grammar, punctuation, composition, and style, this indispensable classic is available in paperback and is only eighty-five pages long.