《英语修辞学》第三章.ppt

1.?Three levels of rhetorical operations 2. Choice of words 2. 1 Using suitable words 2. 2 Denotation and connotation 2. 3 General words and specific words 2. 4 Abstract words and concrete words 2. 5 Short words and long words Rhetoric consists of two basic aspects: a) Communicative rhetoric emphasizes the choice of words and phrases, and selection of sentence patterns, organizing paragraphs and whole pieces of writing in such a way that ideas are expressed more clearly, more accurately and more appropriately and the best results are achieved in communication. b) Aesthetic rhetoric stresses the vividness and gracefulness in expressing one’s ideas by artistic approaches like the use of figures of speech so as to increase the emotional appeal of one’s speech or writing. The difference between  grammar and rhetoric 1. Grammar will tell you such things as where words can go and where they cannot; It will distinguish an acceptable sentence from an unacceptable one. It deals with matters of right or wrong, whereas rhetoric speaks in terms of better or worse. 2. In the vast majority of cases, it is easy to judge whether a sentence is grammatical or not. It is far harder to say whether one version of a text is rhetorically superior to another. 3. Writing grammatically is of course a prerequisite, but it is only the first step. As an expert user of a language you must progress from mere grammatical competence to rhetorical competence. Read and comment upon the following paragraph 1. Before I went to school, I spent my time playing with my friends. When the weather was bad, I had to stay at home and my mother used to try to teach me to read and write. When I was five years old, I started my primary education. My family lived in a small town in Scotland. I used to go home when the bell rang for lunch. After I finished lunch, I quickly ran back to school. We used to play in the school playground before the aft