Whether we 're composing a blog or a business letter, an email or an essay, our usual goal is to respond clearly and directly to the needs and interests of our readers. These 10 tips should help us sharpen our writing whenever we set out to inform or persuade.

無論我們是寫博客，還是寫商業(yè)信函，發(fā)電子郵件還是寫文章，通常我們的目標都是明確且直接地回應讀者的需求和興趣。這10個提示可以幫助我們提高寫作水平，不管是我們是想通知事情還是試圖說服別人。

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1. Lead with your main idea.

以主題句開頭。


As a general rule, state the main idea of a paragraph in the first sentence--the topic sentence. Don't keep your readers guessing.

一般規(guī)則是這樣的，用段落的第一句話——也就是主題句，來陳述整個段落的中心思想。不要讓你的讀者看了文章一頭霧水。

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2. Vary the length of your sentences.

句子長度要多樣化。


In general, use short sentences to emphasize ideas. Use longer sentences to explain, define, or illustrate ideas.

一般來說，用短句強調想法。用較長的句子解釋、下定義或者闡述想法。

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3. Put key words and ideas at the beginning or end of a sentence.

把關鍵詞和想法放在句子的開頭或結尾上。

Don't bury the main point in the middle of a long sentence. To emphasize keywords, place them at the beginning or (better yet) at the end.

不要把重點放在長句的中間。想要強調關鍵詞的話，把它們放在開頭或結尾（放結尾比放開頭效果還要好）。

4. Vary sentence types and structures.

句型和結構要多樣化。


Vary sentence types by including occasional questions and commands. Vary sentence structures by blending simple, compound, and complex sentences.

可以通過時不時寫點問句和命令式來豐富句型。想要改變句子結構的話，可以混用簡單句、復合句還有復雜句。

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5. Use active verbs.

使用主動動詞。

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Don't overwork the passive voice or forms of the verb "to be." Instead, use dynamic verbs in the active voice.

不要過度使用被動語態(tài)或者“to be”形式的動詞，應該使用主動語態(tài)和動態(tài)動詞。

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6. Use specific nouns and verbs.

使用特定的名詞和動詞。


T

o convey your message clearly and keep your readers engaged, use concrete and specific words that show what you mean.

為了清楚地傳達信息并且讓讀者們參與進來，我們需要使用具體而且明確的詞語來表達意思。

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7. Cut the clutter.

刪去混亂的詞句。


When revising your work, eliminate unnecessary words.

在修改文稿的時候，應當去掉不必要的詞。

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8. Read aloud when you revise.

修改文稿時大聲朗讀。


When revising, you may hear problems (of tone, emphasis, word choice, and syntax) that you can't see. So listen up!

修改文稿的時候，你可能會“聽”到一些你“看”不到的問題（語氣、重音、單詞的選擇和句法）。所以要仔細聽！

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9. Actively edit and proofread.

積極主動地編輯和校對。


It's easy to overlook errors when merely looking over your work. So be on the lookout for common trouble spots when studying your final draft.

只是簡單看看稿子會很容易忽略里面的錯誤。所以在研究最后一版草稿時，要留心經常容易犯錯的地方。

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10. Use a dictionary.

使用字典。


When proofreading, don't trust your spellchecker: it can tell you only if a word is a word, not if it's the right word.

在校對的時候，不要過于信任自動拼寫檢查工具：它只能告訴你你用的這個詞是否存在，而不能告訴這個詞你用得對不對。

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We'll close with a cautionary note borrowed from George Orwell's Rules for Writers: "Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous."

借用喬治奧威爾《作家的準則》中一句警示語來結束本文：“文章不可能完全按照規(guī)則來，有時候不得不打破規(guī)則來更好地寫作?！?/div>

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翻譯：Andrea安寧