I often have some ideas and want to write them down. But I cannot express my meaning well. How can I improve my writing?
我经常有些想法，想把它们写下来，但我却不能把我的意思表达清楚。我该如何提高写作呢?
While we’re at school or university, most of our writing tasks are set by others. Because of this, we often find it difficult to know what to say. In real life, however, we write for a purpose. We may have to write reports, letters, etc. Writing for a purpose gives us something to say and is highly motivating. However, we have to learn how to write. The essence of writing is the ability to join ideas. To do this in English, we have to master simple sentences (that is, sentences with one main verb); compound sentences (that is, sentences joined by and, but, both ... and, etc.) and complex sentences (that is, sentences joined by when, as soon as, while, although, even if, participles (Finding that ...), to infinitives, etc.) In order to write well, we have to master sentence structure, so look for textbooks that provide you with this kind of practice. And remember: the more you read, the better you will write. When you read, you have a constant writing model in front of you. Writing a summary of something you have read is excellent practice. You can compare what you have written with the original.
我们在上中学或大学时，大多数的写作作业是由别人布置的。因此，我们会很难知道该说些什么。然而在现实生活中，我们却是有目的地练习写作。我们可能得写报告、信件，等等。有目的的写作能给我们提供想表达思想的素材，因此，它具有很强的主动性。尽管如此，我们还是必须学会如何写作。写作的要旨就是把思想联系起来的能力。想要用英语做到这一切，我们必须掌握简单句(即只含一个主要动词的句子)；并列句(即用and, but, both...and等连接的句子)；复合句(即用when, as soon as, while, although, even if，分词〈finding that...〉，to不定式等连接的句子)。要写好文章，我们必须掌握句子结构，所以你可以查找一些能够为你提供这方面练习的教材。请记住：你读得越多，你写得也就越好。当你读书的时候，你的眼前就会有一个范文。给你读的文章写摘要是一种很好的训练。你可以把你写的摘要与原文作个比较。
文：路易亚历山大 新概念英语作者