如何撰寫令人印象深刻的recommendation letter
[明報專訊] 好多人寫personal essays或獎學金申請信,或替下屬寫reference時,喜歡整篇寫滿形容詞,什麼passionate呀,devoted呀,logically minded之類。其實這類字完全沒有impact,只係撻幾個形容詞,係人都識,有何難度?讀信的人,也是見慣。
要增加文字的感染力,讓人留下深刻印象,不如試下講故事:一些人無你有的小故事、小經驗,以突顯閣下希望market的特點。
最近英國演員Alan Rickman逝世,同演Harry Potter電影的「哈利仔」Daniel Radcliffe在其Google+ account寫了一篇悼文,在網上瘋傳。這篇文用字不深,造句不特別,但令人印象最深的是一兩三件小事,表現出Alan Rickman的特別性格。第一段他講Rickman對後輩如何supportive and encouraging:
He is also one of the loyalest and most supportive people I've ever met in the film industry. He was so encouraging of me both on set and in the years post-Potter. I'm pretty sure he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in London and New York. He didn't have to do that.
假如沒有寫he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in London and New York,而只用形容詞loyal、supportive同encouraging,就沒有原文的impact了。
然後再借別人的remark講Rickman是個有義氣、對朋友很好的人:
I know other people who've been friends with him for much much longer than I have and they all say "if you call Alan, it doesn't matter where in the world he is or how busy he is with what he's doing, he'll get back to you within a day".
同樣,這裡不用形容詞。一句quote已顯明突顯Rickman的性格。這個impact,不論你寫幾多helpful、friendly、kind、encouraging都不能達到。
下一次寫求學信或替人寫reference letter,不妨用心想想要寫什麼qualities,再想有什麼特別的經驗或故事可以講,可能效果更好。
蕭叔叔
同時也有1部Youtube影片,追蹤數超過7萬的網紅Uncle Siu,也在其Youtube影片中提到,上次同大家講到,要練好英文的文筆,就要多看優美的文字,不要把閱讀限於課本,或報紙,或雜誌。應該多找經典文字,讀莎士比亞可以,讀Charles Dickens可以,要像我們學中文讀古文一樣,多讀,多感受文字之美。只讀還不夠,有心的話,還應該背誦。上次蕭叔叔分享了蘇格蘭作家Andrew Lang寫的兒童...
within造句 在 喬的英文筆記 Joe's English Learning Notes Facebook 的最讚貼文
<八種常用寫作句型分享-3 >
喬今天又要分享八種常用寫作句型囉!各位同學可以試著自己用這些句型造句,日積月累的練習才能造就寫作的能力唷!一起來熟記這些用法吧!
accuse sb of Ving 控告;指責某人於某事
e.g. At present, plenty of parents accuse school teachers of their indifference to their children’s psychological development.
目前有很多家長指責學校老師對於他們小孩的心理發展漠不關心
be adjacent to 與…比鄰; 連接; 靠近; 貼近
e.g. The fancy hotel is within a walking distance to Time Square and is adjacent to the two major shopping malls in the city.
這個精緻的飯店距離時代廣場非常近,而且非常接近此城市的兩個大賣場
have an affinity for 對…有吸引力; 喜歡
e.g. The truth is that if you have an affinity for a person, you overlook most of his or her imperfections. That is why love is blind.
事實上就是如果你喜歡上一個人,你會忽略掉他/她大部份的不完美之處。這就是為什麼愛情是盲目的
be aggrieved at 因..感到焦慮; 對…感到悲傷
e.g. Caroline’s mother is rather aggrieved at her having been taking drugs since her high school.
凱瑞萊的母親對於她自從高中就開始吸食毒品感到非常悲傷
be allergic to 對…有過敏反應; 厭惡…
e.g. Suggestions and criticisms are usually unpleasant to people but do good to them in fact. Sadly to say, some are even allergic to them and thus make no progress.
建議與批評通常是帶給人不悅,但事實上對人們是有益處的。很難過地,有些人甚至厭惡它們,也因此無法進步。
come into antagonism with 與..鬧翻; 對抗
e.g. The two entrepreneurs came into antagonism with each other since their companies’ new products seem to be coincidentally identical in terms of function, leading to big loss in profits.
這兩位企業家與彼此鬧翻,因為就功能性而言,他們公司的新產品似乎巧妙地雷同,造成很大的利益損失。
be apt to 有…傾向; 很容易..; 有可能
e.g. The old are apt to make such mistakes as thinking the young should always be at their mercy because they are definitely more experienced in everything.
老年人很容易犯諸如此類的錯- 認為年輕人必須一直聽從他們,因為老年人在每件事都是非常有經驗的
aspire after/towards/for + N. ; aspire to V. 渴望; 嚮往; 追求; 有志於
e.g. Caroline aspires to become a successful businesswoman since she is obsessed with feminism.
凱瑞萊嚮往成為一個成功的女商人因為她沈溺於女權主義
within造句 在 Uncle Siu Youtube 的最讚貼文
上次同大家講到,要練好英文的文筆,就要多看優美的文字,不要把閱讀限於課本,或報紙,或雜誌。應該多找經典文字,讀莎士比亞可以,讀Charles Dickens可以,要像我們學中文讀古文一樣,多讀,多感受文字之美。只讀還不夠,有心的話,還應該背誦。上次蕭叔叔分享了蘇格蘭作家Andrew Lang寫的兒童讀物Tales of Troy and Greece裡面其中一段描寫戰爭的段落,文筆氣勢磅礡,讓蕭叔叔看的血脈沸騰。上回講到,希臘戰將Patroclus戰死沙場;今次這一段,是說之前因個人爭執而拒絕出戰的Achilles,要為好友Patroclus報仇。他說:I will not cease from fighting till I have given the Trojans their fill of war. 我不打到他們落花流水,誓不收兵。
Thrice Achilles shouted mightily, and thrice the horses of the Trojans shuddered for fear and turned back from the onslaught - and thrice the men of Troy were confounded and shaken with terror.
一落場,Achilles(蕭叔叔喜歡叫他「希臘呂布」,因為都是一樣萬夫莫敵。)大叫三聲,頗有三國張飛在長板橋喝倒曹軍戰馬的氣勢。留意作者把thrice一字放前,能加強氣勢:Thrice Achilles shouted mightily, and thrice… 這樣寫,比Achilles shouted thrice mightily強得多了。然後Achilles同敵將Hector大戰,Hector快輸了,他大叫:
“Let me not die without honour!” and drew his sword, and rushed at Achilles, who sprang to meet him, but before Hector could come within a sword-stroke Achilles had sent his spear clean through the neck of Hector.
Hector把長矛掉失了,只有靠手中短劍,但未埋身,就被Achilles的矛刺破喉嚨。留意這段的動詞,非常生動,drew,rushed,sprang,sent his spear clean through等等。
He fell in the dust and Achilles said, “Dogs and birds shall tear your flesh unburied.”
幾惡毒!我不會為你收屍,就讓你的屍體在戰場暴曬,讓野狗野鳥吃你的肉吧。Dogs and birds shall tear your flesh unburied. 好厲害,好簡單,好直接的文字。
With his dying breath Hector prayed him to take gold from Priam, and give back his body to be burned in Troy. But Achilles said, “Hound! would that I could bring myself to carve and eat thy raw flesh, but dogs shall devour it, even if thy father offered me thy weight in gold.”
Hector哀求Achilles,把我的屍身送回我城吧,我爹會給你黃金。Achilles說,狗賊!即使你爹給我跟你屍身一樣重的黃金,我都不會把你送回Troy城:even if thy father offered me thy weight in gold。這句,表現了什麼叫簡潔有力的文字。
大家可能會問,我平時有幾可會描述戰爭嘅場景呀?讀呢啲文章,又有乜用?咁睇就錯了,多讀文筆流麗的文字,不但能培養英語文字的節奏感,也能學習多變得用字和造句,以及靈活運用文字的spirit,這些都是多讀多背經典文字的好處。先背了吧,以後寫作時,文氣會不經不覺地「滲」出來。 Http://www.facebook.com/siuhoiyat
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