语法和写作的树木与森林

Ester

我们的写作班，一直是跟精读紧密结合的。很大一部分内容是给各种题材的文章写概括。（写概括为什么重要，这位美国英文教授在这里说的很清楚）。

这个技能的训练持续了相当一段时间，可以看到孩子们很大的进步，目前已经过渡到写标准的 one level outline。但是，有一个问题，如果是一个长叙事作品，或纽约时报的一篇长文，孩子们一般不能用十个句子概括出来，所以我容许他们开始用20个句子或者更多句子概括，但最终稿必须是在十个句子以内。这样的话，他们除了要学会取舍，另一个法子就是合并句子，这是我们炼句训练很重要的一部分。另外，我还要求他们将一句话意思不变，换另外两种方式写出来。问题就出在这里了。

孩子们并出来的句子总是有问题，一句话不变意思换几种方式说也弄的磕磕巴巴的。为此我试了很多方法，比如从基本句型开始做扩句练习，并句练习（做这种专门的并句练习没有问题，因为是有针对性的），Kilgalon 的仿句练习。。。。都不能让孩子们找到英文句子的感觉。

有一天我看一本英文语法书的时候，突然想明白了，这是因为孩子们对英文句子各部分的结构没有top-down的大局观。虽然他们学过不少语法，但是他们学的语法是从细节出发，bottom up 的一种知识构架，看到了每一棵树：时态，各类词法，五大基本句型，非谓语动词，从句。。。。，但错过了一片森林：从一个句子的角度，主谓宾，定状补这些东西是怎么排列组合到一起的，怎么在不违背语法规则的前提下使句子变化多样。。。。

Eureka!

重新开始。

从文章中挑出英文句子开始，第一步圈出所有的介词短语，看它们是做adjective还是做adverb？凡是做副词的介词短语在句子里换个地方，顿时，一句话不变意思就有了几种表达方法，可以非常生动的放在句首，
        With manes and tails flying, the wild ponies dispersed for thenight....
主语之后（主谓分割）
        The dancer, with a bouquet of flowers in her arms, stood on thestage and took a bow.

(顺便就把逗号的用法也搞明白了。。。。)

。。。。。。

总之，我教他们学会了，面对每个句子

• 找出所有phrases (prepositional, verbal and appositive)
• 找出所有Clause （independent and subordinate), 找出每个的主谓语
• 找出所有修饰词（除了Prep短语）
• 判断句子结构（simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex)

搞明白了之后，变化原句，将原句不变意思换另外的方式写。。。

然后，仿原句，同样意思不变，一句话换几种方式写。。。。（Opener, S-V split，closer）

这招儿很管用，他们写的句子顺畅的太多太多。连Steve（俺请的批改作文的美国同胞）都明显的感到他们的进步，哈哈。。。

同时，他们的阅读理解能力也上去一大步。过去，插入语，成分提前，或者语序倒装之类之类的把戏，总是会造成阅读障碍，现在，他们自己会玩这些把戏了，一眼就能明白句子的意思。

我们每次课，第一件事就是拿个句子出来溜溜。。。。

估计我下一步可以给他们教 sentence diagram，这样他们去私校念高中都磕绊不着，呵呵。。。。

[ 本帖最后由 Ester 于 2012-5-31 22:41 编辑 ]

瑜珈

想要学习楼主这种方法的，可以研究一下这个网站，KISS GRAMMAR

http://home.pct.edu/~evavra/KISS.htm

先放在这儿，也许以后再说了。grammar land 还没读完，关于语法的学习，下一步想用的方法正是这个。

[ 本帖最后由 瑜珈 于 2012-5-31 23:24 编辑 ]

榴琏

您也是老师吗? 我过来听课, 目前水平还不到您说的这一部.

瑜珈

The KISS Approach -- A Better Way

     When most people think of studying grammar, they think of rules (hundreds of), and exceptions (thousands of), and "drill-and-kill" exercises. That is, after all, the way that grammar is currently taught. But it need not be. Currently, too many terms and exceptions are taught, and the concepts for which they stand are not related to each other. The typical textbook, for example, explains subjects and verbs and then gives students twenty numbered sentences (which do not form a coherent text) in which the students are expected to identify the subjects and verbs. Then, in another section, the text explains clauses and gives students an exercise with twenty sentences in which the students are supposed to identify the clauses. Students are NOT expected to apply what they learned about subjects and verbs to their work on clauses.


Imagine working on a jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces with flat edges (probably border pieces) go into one pile. Light blue pieces (probably sky) go into another. The dark green (grass?) become another pile. Pieces that don't go into any of the above remain in a pile by themselves. In terms of the current teaching of grammar, we have now finished the puzzle. If that were how jigsaw puzzles actually worked, few people would find them either enjoyable or sensible, but the comparison accurately describes current instruction in English grammar. It doesn't make sense.


The purpose of the KISS Approach is to put the puzzle together. Instead of focussing on grammatical constructions, the KISS Approach focuses on texts. It uses grammatical concepts to explain how words in a sentence work together to create meaning. The students' objective is to understand how every piece (every word) fits. Suppose, for example, that a text consists of 100 words. In the average adult's writing, approximately 1/3 rd of the words are in prepositional phrases. Once students can identify and understand the functions of prepositional phrases, they have mastered 1/3 rd of the text -- they are 1/3 rd of the way to their goal. Adjectives and adverbs account for approximately an additional 20%. The words that function as subjects, verbs, and complements (predicate nouns, predicate adjectives, direct and indirect objects) 40%. The student who has mastered these constructions has thus mastered approximately 93% of the structure of ANY English sentence. Subordinate conjunctions account for another 1%, verbals (gerunds, gerundives, and infinitives) for 5%, and eight additional constructions are sufficient to explain the remaining 1%.

The problem with current instruction is not that students cannot remember the rules, but rather that they cannot apply the rules for the simple reason that instruction is so fragmented. The vast majority of current college graduates cannot IDENTIFY basic subjects and verbs, even though subjects and verbs are the core of English sentence structure. The KISS Approach, on the other hand, because it is text-based and cumulative, constantly reviews and builds on what was previously studied. The KISS Approach is also built on a model of how the human brain processes language -- a model that explains why many errors are errors, thereby providing students with solid reasons for avoiding those errors. Finally, as students progress through the levels of the KISS Approach, they can learn how to use their knowledge of grammar to improve the clarity and style of their writing, as well as to avoid errors.

[ 本帖最后由 瑜珈 于 2012-5-31 23:22 编辑 ]

无事生非

我一直很好奇，为什么每次上写作课，老师给我们讲的都是语法？

看到楼主的标题，语法和写作，忍不住就进来提问了。。。

是不是说，writing和creative writing，说的其实是两码事？

Ester

跟KISS有相同的地方，尤其是Prepositional Phrase，和各种phrase部分。不过我觉得Parts of Speech 还是得先明白才好讲，KISS不强调Parts of Speech。另外KISS还有些地方比较个别，比如对及物动词和不及物动词的处理这个问题上，等等。

还有一点，KISS 不包括usage和mechanics。

PS   您推荐的Grammar Land很好，我打印出来了。多谢。

[ 本帖最后由 Ester 于 2012-6-2 22:41 编辑 ]

Ester

我的理解是 writing 大致有 expository,  descriptive,  narrative，persuasive and creative 这几个大类。

其中creative是对天赋要求最高的，要么有，要么没有。其它几类都可以通过严格的训练达到一定水准。

语法对写作有没有帮助，甚至语法学习有没有用，是个有争议的话题 （不过在俺这里没有争议，俺们学最严密滴英文语法）。美国除了有个reading war 也有个 grammar war。

现代写作课一般都关注段落，全篇的写作，很少有专门炼句的，因此语法相对来说不被重视，有的话也是注重usage（易混词，主谓一致。。。） 和 mechanics（大小写，标点符号。。。） 部分。修辞语法（rhetoric grammar） 都是到大学才学的课程。

但在不久前的过去，句子写作训练是古典教育很重要的一部分。Francis Christensen 试图恢复这个传统（狗一下Francis Christensen就能找到很多文章），认为写作首先是句子层面的事情。在句子层面，语法的重要性就不言而喻了。

瑜伽提到的KISS 语法系统的创建人也是这个观点。

[ 本帖最后由 Ester 于 2012-6-2 22:55 编辑 ]

Ester

蒙古老师 （类比蒙古医生，呵呵）

lovecheesecake

我理解； Creative writing 一般来说指诗歌，小说类的，不同于学校的专业性写作(Professional, journalistic, academic). 因为Writing 下的academic writing在大一的时候是所有学生必修学科，creative writing是选修的。

楼主的文章太好了，期待更多更新。

瑜珈

能否请楼主说说您教孩子们用的是什么语法书呢？还是没有语法书，就是你自己学习掌握了，然后将那些内容随意安排在课堂里用的呢？

又看了一遍一楼，明白了楼主是在写作班上通过运用语法知识，训练句子的精炼。

[ 本帖最后由 瑜珈 于 2012-6-3 13:41 编辑 ]