New Oriental Gaokao English Writing and Error Correction

Author: Dai Yun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: To achieve high scores in English writing during the college entrance examination, candidates must make breakthroughs in the following aspects:
1. Accurate, idiomatic, and expressive word choice. Sometimes, the same meaning can be expressed using different words or phrases. Students should choose the most appropriate, idiomatic, and expressive one. Word selection should primarily consider factors such as the formality of the word, emphasis, emotional tone, collocation, and difficulty. For example, "Many people didn’t come to the meeting yesterday." can be expressed as "A number of people were absent from the meeting yesterday."
2. Correct and advanced grammar, with varied sentence structures. English learners have almost mastered all important grammatical knowledge in middle school, including various tenses, voices, and moods. Candidates must demonstrate their skills in writing. Candidates must understand that examiners judge solely based on the written essay, with no other reference. In other words, no matter how high your level is, if you don’t show it in the essay, you will only receive an average score. Of course, the richness and variety of sentence structures must not compromise the clarity of expression or coherence of the context. For example, "I will never tell you where he has gone." can be expressed as "In no case will I tell you where he has gone."
3. Fluent writing and coherent meaning. English places greater emphasis on fluency in writing, so many Chinese sentences, when directly translated into English, are incorrect and require appropriate connecting words. For example, "If you don’t eat, how can your body be healthy?" cannot be directly translated as "Don’t eat, the body can’t be healthy." Candidates should note that the actual meaning of the sentence is "If a person doesn’t eat, how can his body be healthy?" This can be expressed as "If a person doesn’t eat, how can he keep fit/enjoy good health?"
4. Comprehensive and accurate expression of key points. In college entrance examination English writing, the identification and expression of key points are crucial. This is not a focus in other writing exams. This book will provide detailed explanations on how to identify and accurately express all key points in college entrance examination English writing. Proofreading is also a frequently used type of question in local college entrance examination papers in China. This type of question is very challenging because it is highly comprehensive. It perfectly combines the examination of grammar and meaning. Candidates must not only identify errors but also correct them. This is a great test of a candidate’s abilities. This book conducts a thorough study and summary of college entrance examination English papers from all over the country, summarizes all key points, and provides solutions. If candidates train according to the information provided in this book, they will be able to solve problems effortlessly during the exam and achieve high scores.
In the study of any language, writing is highly comprehensive, creative, and challenging. It requires students not only to have a solid grasp of grammar and sufficient vocabulary but also to possess good discourse knowledge, including organization, word choice, sentence structure, style, and rhetoric. Of course, it also requires students to spell every word correctly, use punctuation appropriately, handle capitalization correctly, and write titles properly. Writing is a written form of communication that should express the author’s thoughts, so it requires students to have a certain level of creativity to express original and unique ideas, at least using fresh structures and language to convey their thoughts. For these reasons, writing is the most challenging among the four skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Only by mastering the correct methods and practicing diligently can one make significant progress in writing.
The difficulty of English writing is evident, especially for middle school students who rarely practice it. So, is there a way to help college entrance examination candidates quickly improve their English writing scores in a short time? Based on my years of research and teaching experience in English writing, the answer is yes. First, students must build a solid foundation in language, including sufficient vocabulary (according to higher standards, excellent high school graduates should master about 3,000 English words), good grammar, and a grasp of basic writing rules. Recognizing a word is not enough for writing. Candidates should also systematically learn about these words, including their spelling, common collocations, and usage characteristics. They should also know how to use them to construct sentences and paragraphs. These words form the foundation for future English learning and are core vocabulary in English. If candidates master these words, preparing for college English tests such as the CET-4 and CET-6, as well as overseas exams like TOEFL and IELTS, will become much easier. Candidates must also understand the five basic sentence structures and various subordinate clauses, subjunctive mood, inverted sentences, and emphatic sentences. Without a clear understanding of basic syntax, it is obviously impossible to achieve high scores in writing.
Next, students must familiarize themselves with the writing points of the four major genres (narrative, descriptive, expository, and argumentative) and remember the special formats of various application essays. College entrance examination English writing usually involves a combination of two or even three genres, requiring extra caution. Among these, narrative and letter/diary writing are key focus areas. This book will provide detailed explanations of various common application essays, along with ample examples and exercises for candidates to consolidate and improve.
Finally, to achieve high scores in college entrance examination English writing, candidates must make breakthroughs in the following aspects:
1. Accurate, idiomatic, and expressive word choice. Sometimes, the same meaning can be expressed using different words or phrases. Students should choose the most appropriate, idiomatic, and expressive one. Word selection should primarily consider factors such as the formality of the word, emphasis, emotional tone, collocation, and difficulty. For example, "Many people didn’t come to the meeting yesterday." can be expressed as "A number of people were absent from the meeting yesterday."
2. Correct and advanced grammar, with varied sentence structures. English learners have almost mastered all important grammatical knowledge in middle school, including various tenses, voices, and moods. Candidates must demonstrate their skills in writing. Candidates must understand that examiners judge solely based on the written essay, with no other reference. In other words, no matter how high your level is, if you don’t show it in the essay, you will only receive an average score. Of course, the richness and variety of sentence structures must not compromise the clarity of expression or coherence of the context. For example, "I will never tell you where he has gone." can be expressed as "In no case will I tell you where he has gone."
3. Fluent writing and coherent meaning. English places greater emphasis on fluency in writing, so many Chinese sentences, when directly translated into English, are incorrect and require appropriate connecting words. For example, "If you don’t eat, how can your body be healthy?" cannot be directly translated as "Don’t eat, the body can’t be healthy." Candidates should note that the actual meaning of the sentence is "If a person doesn’t eat, how can his body be healthy?" This can be expressed as "If a person doesn’t eat, how can he keep fit/enjoy good health?"
4. Comprehensive and accurate expression of key points. In college entrance examination English writing, the identification and expression of key points are crucial. This is not a focus in other writing exams. This book will provide detailed explanations on how to identify and accurately express all key points in college entrance examination English writing. Proofreading is also a frequently used type of question in local college entrance examination papers in China. This type of question is very challenging because it is highly comprehensive. It perfectly combines the examination of grammar and meaning. Candidates must not only identify errors but also correct them. This is a great test of a candidate’s abilities. This book conducts a thorough study and summary of college entrance examination English papers from all over the country, summarizes all key points, and provides solutions. If candidates train according to the information provided in this book, they will be able to solve problems effortlessly during the exam and achieve high scores.
At the end of the day, English proficiency is improved through continuous practice. Without a solid foundation, all techniques are just castles in the air. We all have our dreams, but not everyone can achieve them. Dear students, are you willing to strive for your dreams? In fact, success is simple—it’s just about doing a little better than others each time.
Finally, I share the following two sentences with everyone and wish you happiness in your studies and exams, and always happiness:
"You are the master of your own fate.
Be the best of yourself."