.说明文写作方法与技巧Writing methods & strategies1. Illustration 举例法Illustration is the use of example to illustrate a point. It is the most common,精品.and often the most efficient, pattern of exposition.精品.♦Good examples help to clarify awriter’s thought by making the general specific, and the abstract concrete.♦Good examples also add interest and精品.help to persuade or convince the reader.精品. Strategies1. Establishing the writing purposeto informto persuade精品.2. writing a thesis statementThe thesis statement will help you develop and structure your essay.It should do one or more of the精品. following:精品.i)state the central point you will discussii) clarify the purpose of your essay iii) Present your perspective on the topic精品.Examples:✓Shanghai offers terrific vacation possibilities for people of all ages with activities that appeal to every taste.精品.✓Keeping your sense of humor can help you deal with almost any challenge or obstacle you will face during an ordinary day.精品.The thesis statement should clearly indicate why the examples are being introduced.精品.3. Developing the contenti) Examples should be related to the point being made, and they should be typical and representative of the type under discussion.精品.ii) The best examples are often taken from your own experience.Model essay: FriendshipFriendship is a very difficult thing. It is hard to handle. It creates many different problems. In fact I精品.would say that friendship is hard to handle as love is, or even marriage. Of course I am not talking about easy-come-easy-go friendship. I am talking about friends you can share almost everything with.精品. 精品.My friendship with Kathy was real friendship. She made me laugh. She made me feel wanted. She was never too busy to see me. We were sixteen when we met on the local technical college and we were both doing the精品.same course. I was very nervous the day I started and Kathy was the first person I talked to. As a result, I really enjoyed my year at the Tech. Like I say, she was fun, she was lively, she was sure of herself. And a little bit of her精品.character rubbed off on me.However, it was not a perfect friendship. There are two things I have to tell you about. Both of them together brought our friendship to an end.精品.I learned very soon in our friendship that Kathy was jealous. She did not like to think that I had she did not have. We would have fun going out shopping. However, if I bought , say, a dress for party, and she thought my精品.dress was better than hers, she would start to say slightly unkind things about it.精品. 精品.The other problem was my mother. She thought Kathy was common. She thought Kathy had a bad influence over me…Thanks to Kathy I had a wonderful year at the Tech. As a result I精品.looked forward to going out to work. Perhaps I foolishly imagined that wherever I went I would meet another Kathy. But at the end of that wonderful year two things happened that destroyed our friendship.精品.……2. 定义法DefinitionWhen there are some words or expressions unfamiliar or unclear to精品.readers, such as euphemism and typhus, you need explain these words or expressions to help the readers understand.精品.The purpose of providing definitions to develop essay content is to explain the meaning of a word or term in order to make a point.精品.Types of definition1. synonym✓ A dingy room means a dirty room.✓To be courteous means to be精品. polite.精品.2. function✓An agency is a place of business which usually provides a specified service.✓A toast is a call on other people to精品. drink to a person or thing精品.3. negation➢A good teacher does not just teach students knowledge, but teaches them how to behave.➢A library is not a place to spend精品.your leisure time but a place to acquire knowledge.精品.4. classificationA dictatorship is a form of government in which one person has absolute control over his or her subjects.精品.A mule is a kind of animal that is the offspring of an ass and a mare.3. 类比与对比法compare and contrast精品.♦Comparison and contrast are methods of developing ideas by pointing out similarities and differences between subjects.♦A comparison states how things are精品. similar.精品.A contrast states how things are different.We use comparison and contrast mainly for three purposes:精品.To show the similarities and/or differences of things for further evaluation精品.●To show the superiority of one thing to another●To explain the unfamiliar by comparing to the familiar精品.Writing techniques1. a dominant thesis statement✓state the topic of your comparison and contrast✓mention the points of comparison精品.and contrast you will discuss精品.✓explain whether you will focus on similarities or differences or bothExamples:⏹While both swimming and running精品.are excellent forms of exercise, each has advantages that a person planning a physical fitness program should consider.精品.College students in the sixties and seventies face many of the same pressures as today’s college students, but they are better equipped to withstand these pressures.精品.Writing techniques2. arranging detailsi) subject-to-subject arrangementpresent the complete information on one subject in the first half of your essay, then move on to the second精品.subject in the second half of the paper精品.This method works well with shorter essays.精品.ModelThe development of transportation and that of communication have much in common. Thanks to the industrial revolution, means of transportation makes a great精品. leap forward精品.. With the invention of the steam locomotive people can travel faster by trains, cars and ships. Nowadays people can travel even faster by airplanes and rocket planes. Transportation develops faster to meet people’s need for精品。