英语作文常用文体的写作知识[1]

常用文体的写作知识

1．描写文（description）：描写文就是用生动、形象的语言把人物的状态和动作、景物的性质和特征具体地描绘出来，描写人时

则刻画人物的肖像、语言、行为、心理活动及生活细节。描写景物时则用时间与空间顺序的安排方式展开文章段落。描写文中每一段只能表达一种思想或主题的一部分。请读这段文章。（由于篇幅有限，每种类型的文章只取一个段落为例。）

It was noon. The hot sun above was bright. It made the temperature rise. On the road all was quite. There were few cars to be seen. There were even fewer people about. The shops alongside the road were wide open. Their bamboo shades were rolled down to keep out the blazing sun. There was no wind at all. The pavement way, though shady, was stuffy. Even the shopkeepers seemed affected by this mid –day heat and stuffiness. They looked bored and unwilling to serve the few occasional customers.

这是一段描写文。在读文章之前要求读者带着问题阅读：①段落的中心思想是什么？②段落是采用什么方法描写的？不难发现，段落的中心思想是描写某一天中午的高温、闷热的情景。作者采用由上到下、由远到近的空间顺序的方法描写。文章中用火热的太阳、道路安静、车辆稀少、为挡住阳光，商店的竹窗帘落下来、店主不愿接待顾客等情景的描写生动地衬托了段落的中心思想。2．记叙文(narration)：记叙文叙述过去发生的事情，着重写事或人。其要素是五“何”原则，即在写作中必须交待清楚五个方面的内容：何时、何地、何人、何事以及何如。记叙文主要是按时间顺序陈述事件，中心思想是通过陈述、举例、解释及细节来说明。文章段落的中心思想可能是段落的任何一个句子或暗示。请读下面题为“My 35 Years In China”记述文章的开头段落，并注意体会文章的开头方式和展开手法：

There is a saying in China that “Time flies like an arrow.” When I came to China the People’s Republic of China had just been born. Today, the new China has proudly celebrated her 35 th anniversary and now stands in full splendor and looks to the world with confidence. Meanwhile time has turned me from a strong 40-year-old into a gray-haired old man. This year marks 75 th birthday as well as 35 th year that I have been living and working in China. In that time I have lived in this fascinating land and shared joys and suffering with Chinese people, so that in my old age I can proudly say “the longer I live in China, the younger my heart become.”

这段文章的目的是通过时间顺序、举例对比的写作手法–––从中华人民共和国成立到如今中国面对全世界，骄傲地庆祝35周年纪念日；从一位四十岁的中年人变成了两鬓灰白的老人，感觉光阴似箭的心情。文章的中心思想是围绕着中国生活的35年时光过得很快而写成的。

又如：一九八八年六月全国四级统考的作文，题目是：An Early Morning Walk。这是一篇属于记叙文体裁的文章，要求学生写出“我”由起床开始到去公园以及在公园所见所闻的全过程。在第三段中，还要求写出自己的思想，对早上安静的环境的叙述以及对公园所见的情况给以具体的描述。见下面参考范文： An Early Morning Walk

One morning I got up early, and everything around was very quite. The sun had just risen, shining brilliantly. Everything seemed to be covered with a layer of golden silk, there were only some birds singing occasionally in the high trees. I tripped all the way toward the park, breathing the fresh air, feeling extremely happy.

When I arrived at the park, I found, to my surprise, there were so many people there. Men and women, boys and girls all enjoyed themselves by various activities. Some were doing morning exercises, some were playing badminton, some old people were having their tea while talking to each other cheerfully

Walking around the park, to my delight, I found a few middle school students were talking to each other in English in the southeast corner of the park, I went to them at once and spoke to them in English, we became friends right away. I was very glad to find another opportunity to practice my spoken English. On the way home, I thought early morning walk was really helpful. Taking an early walking makes a man healthy and wise.注：（打横线的句子为段首句和段尾句。）

3．说明文（exposition）：说明文就是用言简意骇的文字向读者介绍事物的过程，讲解思想和信念，把信息展现给读者。写说明文要掌握的要素是“什么（what）”和“为什么（why）”，即通过点明论点和阐明缘由或过程，说明事物的特点和性能，或阐明某种观念、原理或现象。说明文包括实体事物说明文、事理说明文和文艺说明文。请读下面一段题为“Read Good Books”的说明文章：From good reading we can derive pleasure, friendship, experience, and instruction. A good book may absorb our attention so completely that for the time being we forget our surrounding and even our existence. Reading good books is one of the greatest pleasures in life. It increases our contentment when we are cheerful, and lessens our troubles when we are sad. Whatever may be our main purpose in reading, our contact with good books should never fail to give us enjoyment and satisfaction.

这是一段事理说明文，要把事情理由讲清楚。段落的中心思想是段落的中间句Reading good books is one of the greatest pleasures in life.其它句子都是为了衬托中心思想，要说明读书是生活中最大乐趣之一的原因。要注意，说明文除了要掌握其空间顺序（从上到下，由外到内）、还要掌握其逻辑顺序（先因后果或先果后因）、认识顺序（由浅入深、由此及彼、由局部到整体、由现象到本质、由具体到抽象）。这段说明文就是用读书可以使人忘掉周围一切，可以使人愉快时心情更愉快，伤心时可以减少痛苦等现象说明其本质–––读书可以使我们获得享受和满足。

又如：一九九二年六月全国四级统考的作文题目是：How I Overcame My Difficulties in Learning English.段首句是：①在英语学习中存在的困难。

②我是怎样克服困难的。多数学生能根据所学知识较好地写出文章所给的提纲内容，从文章开头交待英语学习中有哪些困难，回答说明文what,到论及如何克服这些困难的过程，完成说明文的why 和how的阐释，内容较充实，解释清晰。但少数学生审题失误，全文只说明了英语学习的困难是什么，却疏漏了说明文最关键的一步，即没有扣住how 的阐明，而是表决心似的大喊“今后要努力学习