Sentence Skills

Part 7 Sentence Emphasis

Teaching Items Placement of important ideas Use of periodic sentences Climactic order Use of active voice Repetition of important words Use of balanced sentences Changes in sentence length Use of cleft sentences Inversion of sentence order

Placement of important ideas

Some foreign tourists say that Spain is more in

teresting than France in many ways.

Spain is more interesting than France in many

ways, some foreign tourists say.

Spain, some foreign tourists say, is in many w

ays more interesting than France.

Climactic Order

He said that he had lost interest in life, fame, position and money after that tragedy.

---He said that he had lost interest in money, position, fame and life after that tragedy.

A biologist once said that ant is a symbol of wisdom, industry and efficiency.

---A biologist once said that ant is a symbol of industry, efficiency and wisdom.

Use of Verbs instead of NounsUse of Active Voice instead of Passive

1. She made a decision that she would take the job.

She decided not to take the job.

2. Every means will be tried by the doctor to save

the patient.

The doctor will try every means to save the patient.

Repetition of Important Words

1. He was the first of his group to rush into a burning hou

se to rescue an old lady , and he was also the first to ju

mp into a river to save a drowning child.

2. Two days ago he gave reasons for supporting the plan,

and now he is giving reasons for opposing it. He alway

s has reasons.

Use of Balanced Sentences

The gentlemen values harmony, no uniformity; the small man values uniformity, not harmony.

A long journey tests a horse’s strength; a long acquaintance shows a man’s heart.

Changes in Sentence Length

The plot is confusing, the characters are very queer people, and the dialogue is hard to understand. A strange film.

The speaker asked the audience what they thought were the main problems the city government was facing, and how these problems should or could be solved, and he eagerly waited for answers. No answers came.

Key to Exercise 7(Page 81)

In sharp contrast was Dr. Grind, my English 101 instructor, who would enter the classroom briskly, wearing a plaid(  花格的 ) sports coat, white dress shirt( 礼服衬衫 ), neatly pressed slacks( 宽松裤 ) and Hush Puppy shoes. Upon reaching his podium （讲台） he would quickly check his seating charts （座次表） for absentees and then smiled as he greeted the class. Then he might read in the class, initiate a class discussion, give a pop quiz, discuss writing assignment: the route was so varied that we never know what he would do next. Sometimes he would pace the floor while waiting for an answer to a question; other times he would shake the hand of a student who had given him a correct answer. When looking at a book on the podium, Dr. Grind had a habit of shifting his spectacles up and down as he pondered what he would say next. Always fiddling( 坐立不安 ), twiddling （轻轻转动） ,moving around, Dr. Grind kept the class awake with his restless behavior. The same can not be said of Dr. Axe.

A professor’s mannerisms can either help or hinder communication in the classroom, and they can also show whether or not he is interested in the students or the subject. Consider the classroom behavior of Dr. Axe, my English 100 instructor. Unshaven, wearing a blue beach shirt, searsucker pants( 泡泡纱裤子 ), and a pair of sandals （便鞋） with no socks, Dr. Axe would habitually trudge （蹒跚地走） into the classroom late. After dragging himself to the center of the room and dropping his attache case on the desk, he would call the roll, never smiling, never saying good morning. He would collapse in his chair with a weary sigh and proceed to read an essay out loud to the class. Now and then, as if he were drifting off on a cloud to Venus, he would pause to gaze at the scuff-marked floor. Then he would continue reading, pausing every few minutes to entertain a reverie.