Our English teachers once told us to ‘write in simple sentences’, as it is easy to write in such a way, and we won’t make many mistakes. But I now feel that is not enough. How can I improve my writing?
我们的英语老师曾告诉我们要写“简单句”，因为这样写容易，并且不容易犯错误，但我现在感到这是不够的。我该如何提高我的写作呢?
What is a simple sentence? In grammatical terms, a simple sentence has only one finite verb. Here are a few simple sentences: I opened the door. I went into the room. I walked towards the window. I opened the window. I looked out. There were children in the street. They were playing. I watched them for a long time.
Your teacher was right. You can reduce the number of mistakes you might make by writing in this way, but as your English improves, you will want to express yourself in more complex ways. This means:
writing compound sentences, using and, but, not only ... but, or, etc.: I opened the door and went into the room. I walked towards the window and opened it. Then I looked out. etc.
writing complex sentences, using conjunctions like after, as soon as, when, etc: After I opened the door, I went into the room. It was dark inside the room, so I walked towards the window and opened it. I saw children who were playing in the street and watched them for a long time.
writing complex sentences, using participle constructions and infinitive constructions: After opening the door, I went into the room. It was dark inside the room, so I opened a window to let in some light. I saw children playing in the street, and stood at the window, watching them for a long time.
In the above examples, you can see how simple sentences can be re-expressed in more complex ways. The ideas are basically the same, but the way they are connected can vary in relation to your command of English. Use a book that approaches composition through texts. Avoid practice books that only practise single sentence examples.
什么是简单句呢?从语法意义上说，一个简单句只有一个限定动词。这里列举一些简单句：I opened the door. I went into the room. I walked towards the window. I opened the window. I looked out. There were children in the street. They were playing. I watched them for a long time.
你的老师说的是对的，那样做确实可以减少写作中所犯的错误。但随着你英语水平的提高，你自然想以一种更复杂的方式表达自己的思想。这就是说：
使用and, but, not only...but, or等连词写并列句：I opened the door and went into the room. I walked towards the window and opened it. Then I looked out.等等。
使用诸如after, as soon as, when等连词写复合句：
After I opened the door, I went into the room. It was dark inside the room, so I walked towards the window and opened it. I saw children who were playing in the street and watched them for a long time.
用分词结构或不定式结构写复合句：After opening the door, I went into the room. It was dark inside the room, so I opened a window to let in some light. I saw children playing in the street, and stood at the window, watching them for a long time.
从上述例子你可以看出简单句被改写成复合句的方式。它们意思基本相同，但句与句之间连接方式各异，这主要取决于你对英语的掌握程度。你可以使用一本通过课文教作文的书。不要使用讲述有关简单句型练习的参考书。
文：路易亚历山大 新概念英语作者