很多同学在进行托福写作或者英语写作的时候都会发现自己语言不过关，一方面词汇量不够，表达不出来自己要表达的意思，另一方面，即使把意思表达出来了也觉得不够地道或者表达太low。那么我们如何来有效提升自己的语言水平呢？其实回想我们自己的中文写作，初高中的时候语文老师一般会要求我们看书然后做摘抄，每有好句好词我们都会记录下来以备下次写作的时候用。其实英文写作也是如此。作为一个输出型的section，写好英文作文的一个有效方式便是阅读经典美文演讲，并对此做摘抄。而通常摘抄我们可以从词、句或者句群来切入。以下面一篇文章节选为例：

Companionship of Books（以书为伴）

A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age.

Men often discover their affinity to each other by the mutual love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, “Love me, love my dog.” But there is more wisdom in this:“Love me, love my book.” The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them.

A good book is often the best urn of a life enshrining the best that life could think out; for the world of a man's life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters.

文章的中的词

在散文中，我们通常可以积累到一些虽不是很难却很地道的词语表达和用词方式。

1.

形容词的堆砌：cheerful and patient

动词堆砌：amusing and instructing; comforting and consoling

我们自己写文章的时候也可以用并列或者近义词来进行堆砌。

如表达累，我们可以说tired and exausted；有精神可以说refreshed and energetic.

2.常见的可替换表达

turn one's back upon: 背弃；  可根据语境替换give up；betray

in times of adversity or distress: 在困境中；替换when we meet difficulties

in youth；in age：替换when sb. is young/old

文章中的句子：

1.平行结构

a.Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author.

我们写作文的时候，也可以有效的用一排的动词表示全过程。比如认识朋友，我们可以说meet，talk and exchange feelings with others.

b.Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters.

此句是平行结构的典范，如 good words-golden thoughts；remembered-cherished；companions-comforters

2.比喻

A good book is often the best urn of a life enshrining the best that life could think out

urn表示器皿，宝器。enshrine是珍藏的意思。

这句我们可以整理成sth is the best urn enshrining...

如 Diary is the best urn enshrining the best memory that...

文章中的句群：

There is an old proverb, “Love me, love my dog.” But there is more wisdom in this:“Love me, love my book.”

这是一句名言引用。“Love me, love my dog.”是一句耳熟能详的俗语，如果直接说并不会成为亮点，但是作者巧妙改写俗语，中间用一句But there is more wisdom in this连接起来就会使得文章更加活泼生动了。我们自己写名言的时候，也可以用类似的改写方式将老的名言心用。比如 There is an old proverb, "you are what you eat.” But there is more wisdom in this：“you are what you experience”这样很多我们已有的老素材和资源又可以新用了！

当然，这只是很小的一部分分析，作文语言积累是一个长期的过程，我们每天花半小时的时间欣赏一篇美文，摘录一些好的词汇句子和用法，就会发现行文的时候更加地道和流畅！

长沙新东方出国留学部提供,感谢出国留学部老师提供原创稿件。