大学英语词汇与写作

ChapterIVocabularyandWritingBeCarefulaboutWordsEveryparenthopesthathischildwillturnoutadragon.BeCarefulaboutExpressions重男轻女。ManusedtobeheavierthanwomanintraditionalcultureinancientChina.ManusedtobesuperiortowomaninsocialpositionintraditionalcultureinancientChina.ContentPartI.LevelsofwordsPartI.ThemeaningofwordsSectionASynonymySectionBHyponymyPartIII.GeneralandSpecificWordsPartVI.TipstoavoidmonotonousrepetitionPartV.AccurateDictionandTheculturaldifferenceinEnglishandChinesePartILevelsofWordsWordsaregenerallyclassifiedintofourgroupsaccordingtodifferentlevelsofusageorformality:FormalStandardorcommonColloquialorinformalSlangThedegreeofformalityask→question→interrogatetime→age→epochrise→mount→ascendFormalWordsFormalEnglishisthelanguageofprofessionaljournals,formalspeeches,andmostseriouscollegewriting.“gentlemen”vs.“men”or“guys”.Readthefollowingpassage:Ifthehumanmindswerestrictlylogicaldevicelikeacalculatingmachine,itwoulddealwithwordssimplyasnamesofcategories,andwithcategoriesasessentialtoolsforimposingorderorsystemonauniversewhichotherwisepresentsitselfasanunsortedchaosofsenseofstimuli.Buthumanreactiontowords,likemuchotherhumanbehavior,isalsomotivatedbyirrationalimpulsessuchasthosewelabellove,hate,joy,sorrow,fear,awe,andsoforth;andwhenevertheusersofalangueevinceafairlyuniformemotionalresponsetoagivenword,thatresponsebecomepartoftheconnotation,thereforepartofthestandardmeaningofthewordinthatlanguage.Formal---Commonimpoverished;poverty-stricken---poorWealthy---rich;intelligent---clever(smart);automobile---car;Diligent---hard-working;penultimate---next-to-last;secondlast“onthepenultimatedayoftheweek-longmeeting”在历时一周的会议结束前一天StandardorCommonWordsStandardorcommonwordsarethoseusedbythewidestgroupofeducatedspeakersandwriters.Commonwordsarepopularincollegewriting,andareoftenemployedinnewspaper,textbooks,non-fiction,bestsellers,etc.CommonEnglishiseasytounderstand,andcomplieswellwiththewrittenlanguage.Afterworkingforatimewithhisfather,hebeganteachingspeechataboy’sschool.Hisfreetimewasspentinstudyingsound.Ashestudiedthehumanvoiceandvibrationsthatwenttomakeupsound,hefoundthatthevoicewasnotasimplething.Sohecontinuedhisstudiesandhisteachinguntiltheageoftwenty-threewhenhemovedwithhisfamilytoCanada.ExampleColloquialorInformalWordsColloquialorinformalwordsareusuallyshortwordsofoneortwosyllablesandmostofthemareofSaxonorigin.Colloquialorinformalwordsareoftenusedinspokenlanguageandinwritingaimedforaconversationaleffect.Example:Youhaveyourtension.Sometimesyoucomeclosetohavinganaccident,thatupsetsyou.Youjustescapemaybebyahairorso.Sometimesmaybeyougetadisgruntledpassengeronthere,andstartsabigargument.Traffic.Youhavesomeonewhocutsyouofforstopsinfrontofthebus.There’salotoftensionbehindthat.Yougottowatchallthetime.You’rewatchin’thedrivers,you’rewatchin’othercars.Mostofthetimeyouhavetodrivefortheotherdrivers,toavoidhittingthem.Soyoutakethetensionhomewithyou.Note:byahairorso:byalittlechanceonthere:therecutsyouoff:makeyousuddenlystopThere’s:Thereisgotto:mustYou’re:Youarewatchin’:watchingComparethefollowingitalicwords:Isawaghost,andIwasfrightenedtodeath.(colloquial)Isawanapparition,anditreducedmetoaconditionofmoralterror.(formal)Onhearingthathisfatherhadkickedthebucket,wewrotehimalettertoexpressoursympathies.(slang)SlangWordsSlangreferstonovelandcolorfulexpressionsthatreflectacertaingroup’sspecialexperiencesandsetthegroupofffromothersSlangisusedbyalmostallgroupsofpeople,frommusiciansandcomputerscientiststovegetariansandgolfers,oruneducatedspeaker.Slangdisplaysendlessinventiveness.Itmaybevividandinteresting,butisimpreciseforeffectivewriting,andisgenerallyinappropriateforcollegeorbusinesswriting.Example:I’llattendtothatmyselfinth’mornin’.I’lltakekeero’’im.Heain’tfromthiscountrynohow.I’llgodownthereinth’mornin’andsee’im.Lettin’youleaveyourbooksandgallivantalloverth’hills.Whatkindofaschoolisitnohow!Didn’tdothat,myson,whenI’salittleshaverinschool.Note:th’mornin’:themorningtakekeero’’im:takecareofhimsee’im:seehimLettin’:Letnohow:anyhowI’s:Iwasalittleshaver:alittleboyputoffpostponecoverupconcealcomeacrossencountertakepartinparticipatecutdownreducebreakupdisintegrateVerbalphrasesverbsRule1Verbalphrasestendtobecolloquial，verbstendtobeformal：makeacontributioncontributegiveconsiderationtoconsidertheapplicationofapplyadjectivephrasesverbsbeforgetfulofforgetbeenviousof(嫉妒)envybecontemptuousofcontempt(轻蔑)nounphrasesverbsRule2Nounphrasesandadjectivephrasesaremoreformalthantheircorrespondingverbs：Exerise1：Doyouknowthefollowingformalwords？AndwhataretheirAnglo-Saxonoriginals？profounddeepapproximatelyaboutaccommodationroominquireaskcautioncarecorporal*bodysufficientenoughcommencebeginidenticalsimilarExercise2：WhataretheformalequivalentsoftheseAnglo-Saxonoriginals？helpaidputplacewethumidchangetransforminnerinteriorcarryconveybuypurchasehavepossessuseemploy/utilizeExerise3：Hereisabeginningofanapplicationletter,whatdoyouthinkofitswording？I’msendingyouthisletterbecauseIwantyoutomeetwithmeandgivemesomeinfoaboutthejobyoudo.