關於費曼學習法,在英語上的運用前面講過一個小方法,也就是解釋單個英文詞彙的含義。英文寫作熱身訓練
現在我們可以拉長解釋的範圍,把解釋對象變成一段文字。
首先看記敘性的文字,比如在一個日記或一段小故事,或者是一篇小說裡面摘取一段,將它敘述出來。不用和原文一模一樣,而是用自己的話把原文講的事情給講出來。
下面舉一個例子。
"I'll race you to the corner, Ellen!" Annemarie adjusted the thick leather pack on her back so that her schoolbooks balanced evenly. "Ready?" She looked at her best friend.
Ellen made a face. "No," she said, laughing. "You know I can't beat you -—my legs aren't as long. Can't we just walk, like civilized people?" She was a stocky ten-year-old, unlike lanky Annemarie.
"We have to practice for the athletic meet on Friday—I know I'm going to win the girls' race this week. I was second last week, but I've been practicing every day. Come on, Ellen," Annemarie pleaded, eyeing the distance to the next corner of the Copenhagen street. "Please?"
Ellen hesitated, then nodded and shifted her own rucksack of books against her shoulders. "Oh, all right. Ready,"she said.
——Number the Stars
以上這段文字,選自《數星星》的開頭,我們很多語者的學員都讀過這本小說,現在就拿這段文字練一下敘述。
這段文字傳遞了什麼信息呢?首先兩人在對話,Annemarie想和Ellen賽跑,因為Annemarie想獲得賽跑比賽的第1名,Ellen不擅長賽跑,但在Annemarie的請求之下就同意了。
現在把它用英文敘述一下,可以這樣寫:
Annemarie wanted to race with Ellen because she was going to win the girls' race this week. As a stocky ten-year-old, Ellen was not good at racing. Her legs weren't as long as Annemarie's. Annemarie pleaded with her, and Ellen nodded.
我們通過簡單的敘述,把原文傳遞的信息表達了出來。這個過程你會不自覺地複習到原文的一些表達,同時也會激活以前積累的語言內容,比如某個單詞,短語,或者某種句型。
更重要的是,這樣的練習隨時可以操作,時間不用太長,頻率可以高一些,慢慢會培養我們的寫作自信,在心態上不會覺得寫作是一件苦差事。
按這種方式,可以把一本小說的很多部分都進行「敘述練習」。這樣的寫作練習要比單純地自己空想簡單很多,不失為一種寫作入門的好方法。