Expository Writing 说明文.docVIP

[英文写作教程]第三课：说明文（Expository?Essay） 　　说明文是阐述或解释某一事物的发生、发展、结果、特徵、性质、状态、功能等的文体，主要用于介绍某些操作程序，解释抽象概念，说明客观事物的特点，或阐明自然现象等，能提供事物的 What, Why, How方面的知识，使读者明白事理。除了一般课堂作文外，多用于研究报告及实验结果的文章。说明可分为两种： （I）　　　　　　事物说明文：指说明的事物是具有形体的东西。 （II）　　　　　　事理说明文：指说明抽象的概念，或介绍事物的本质属性，或陈述事情的原因等。 说明文与其他文体的分别： （I）　　　　　　??说明与记叙：说明偏重于知识性、科学性，大多是为了解释说明某些客观事物，帮助读者了解客观世界；叙述则偏重于具体地反映事物的情况和变化过程，使人有所感知和感动。 （II）　　　　　　??说明与描写：说明要求以平实简洁的语言，将事物的状态、性质、功能、成因、过程等告诉读者；描写是对事物作生动的描绘，使读者有深刻的感受。 （III）　　　　　　说明与议论：说明是为了让读者了解情况、明白事理、知道真伪，一般不确立什么论点；议论是对事物或问题进行推断、论证、发表评论、提出作者的论点及主张。 说明的方法： （I）　　　　　　???? 定义说明法：对某种事物的本质特徵或概念作准确而简要的说明。 （i）简短定义 Short Definition：先陈述要解释的定义，再说明它所属的组别，最后说明它与其他组别不同之处。 “Pardon” is an action of a court or ruler forgiving a person for an illegal act and giving freedom from punishment. “Excuse”is the reason, whether true or untrue, given when asking to be forgiven for absence, wrong behavior, a fault, etc. ( Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English ) （ii）延伸定义 Extended Definition：有别于简短定义只用一两句来解释，延伸定义本身便可成一篇文章，而通常要下定义的语句较为复杂或抽象，而解释的方法包括： （1）??? 提供例子说明； （2）??? 列出其显着的特点和特徵； （3）??? 提出历史发展的实证； （4）??? 以比较及对比方式来解释； （5）??? 先分明别类，再逐一说明每类之差异； ? Example: One-upmanship One-upmanship is the art of impressing other people. You are “one up” on someone if you have said something impressive, something that makes the other person feel inferior. At the beginning of this year, I met three new students who all knew the art of one-upmanship. One said that his brother was a lieutenant in the Marine Corps. The other told me that he had been at a school that had its own fully equipped television studio. The third had just come from an exclusive prep school in New England. To play the game, I should have thought of an answer that would put me “one up” in turn. To the first, I should have replied that my uncle is the adjutant to the Commanding General of the Corps. To the second, I should have said that our school has an electronically operated language lab. To the third, I should have said that my father is a professor at Harva