1126 TPS Verbalize Contest-Win Your NTD200 7-11/Starbucks Prize! 你能找出關鍵的動詞嗎?有機會獲得200元 7-11/星巴克咖啡禮券!

2012-11-26
The sentence below is missing a verb. However, the first letter of the verb is provided. Insert a word that starts with the given first letter and best fits the tenor of the sentence, and then defend your word choice in five or fewer words. The first TPS Fan to respond with the judge’s choice of verb—or the most effective alternate verb— will win a ¬¬¬NTD 200 Starbucks Gift Certificate. The name of the winner will be published tomorrow on this TPS Fans page. Good luck!
以下句子缺少動詞,請加入一個最符合句子意思且符合空格開頭字母的動詞,以及五個字以內的理由,我們將提供7-11/星巴克咖啡禮券兩百元,頒給第一位想出最佳解答或是最佳替代字的第1位粉絲。解答與獲獎粉絲姓名將在明天公布於本 TPS 專頁。請將答案寫在下方,幸運兒可能就是你!

題目Contest Sentence:

“Penelope felt p_______ when she opened the assignment folder and learned that the professor had completely rejected her premise.”

Last Update at 2012-11-30 PM 12:53 | 0 Comments

This is not academic writing 學術文章不是這麼寫的

2012-11-22
並非所有與學術議題相關的文章,就能稱之為「學術文章」。本篇專欄將節錄不同學術議題的內容,分析常見的寫作錯誤,並分享潤修與寫作的技巧。
Not all articles written on academic topics are written in proper academic English. This column examines short excerpts from academic texts to illustrate common writing errors and to explain how to correct them.

Unacceptable 不被認可的文章

“The seasonal change startled and transformed the scene. A lazy and warm day that persuaded the upper-level students to go outdoors and lounge on the grass with their books and some friends was chased away when a north breeze suddenly whipped through the trees and showered the lounging students with pine needles and maple leaves. Sleeveless shirts and blouses that had bared arms were covered up by coats and light sweaters against the breeze. The impulses to lounge and to daydream also were chilled by the breeze. Sober minds quickly doffed such frivolous thoughts and resolved to finish their assignments by nightfall by a wood stove.”

This glimpse of campus life on a pivotal autumn day is marred by failure to create a continuous thread of imagery, and by word choices that frequently are weak and clichéd. The first sentence says a seasonal change “startled” the scene. The meaning of that is difficult to grasp. Some words are overused—“lounge,” for example, and “breeze.” A sentence that rather awkwardly describes clothing “that had bared arms were covered up.” A simpler, smoother description would be that the skimpier clothes “disappeared under” coats. The tenses of some words—such as “sober”—were not quite correct. All in all, the passage describes an engaging scene, but does so less artfully than it might have had the writer reflected upon it more.
本段文章描述時序即將入秋時的校園生活一景,可惜不連貫的意像以及無力的陳詞濫調卻破壞了這幅景象。第一句提到季節的變換「startled」(驚嚇)了整個場景,文意不清,且像是「lounge」及「breeze」等詞也用了太多次。描寫衣著「that had bared arms were covered up」一句顯得相當拙劣,改為過少的衣著「disappear under coats」(消失在大衣之下)會更簡潔順暢。另外「sober」等字的時態也不太正確。總而言之,如果作者能描寫得當,這段文章所描述的景象應當更加引人入勝。

Acceptable 認可的文章

The seasonal change was startling and transforming. A lazy, warm day that enticed the upper-level students outdoors to lounge on the grass with books and friends was chased away when a northern breeze suddenly cut through the trees and pelted them with needles and leaves. Sleeveless shirts and blouses disappeared under coats and light sweaters. Chilled also were the impulses to dally and daydream. Sobered minds quickly tamped down such frivolous thoughts and fired up resolve to finish their assignments by nightfall around a wood-burning stove.”

Last Update at 2012-11-23 PM 2:04 | 0 Comments

1119 TPS Punctuation Mastery Contest-Answer and Explanation你是善用標點符號的高手嗎? 正確解答!

2012-11-20
Corrected sentence:

“What kind of a smart-aleck answer is that?” the annoyed classroom teacher asked the boy, then sat at his desk, and waited for a response. The room grew warm; the boy’s forehead glistened.

These three sentences contain six punctuation errors. The first one is a missing hyphen on the adjective form of smart aleck. The second error replaces the comma after “that” with a question mark. Another comma is needed after “boy,” and again after “desk,” because those phrases are part of a sequence—“asked,” “sat,” and “waited.” The question mark after “response” should be a period, the question mark having been properly placed at the end of the quote actually containing the question. Finally, a semi-colon is needed after “warm.” The need for the semi-colon is signaled by the lower-case “the” beginning the last sentence. Logic helps clean up work like this. For example, the impulse to form this sentence, “the boy then sat at his desk…,” clearly is wrong because “the” is not capitalized. Therefore, it can’t be a sentence-starter.
這三個句子共有六個標點符號錯誤。第一個錯誤是作形容詞用的smart aleck(自作聰明的)中間應該加上連字號;第二個錯誤則是在「that」後面應以問號取代逗點。在「boy」和「desk」後面也應該加上逗點,因為這些辭彙組成「asked」、「sat」、和「waited」這一連串的動作。文中的引用句實際上是個問句,句尾應改成問號,而「response」後面應該改為句點。最後,因為最後一句話的開頭為小寫的「the」,所以在「warm」後面應該加上分號。邏輯思考能幫助避免類似錯誤。譬如,「the boy then sat at his desk…..」這句的「the」是小寫,無法作為一個句子的開頭,所以顯然不能自成一個句子。

Last Update at 2012-11-20 AM 10:43 | 0 Comments

1119 TPS Punctuation Mastery Contest-Win Your NTD200 eslite Gift Certificate! 你是善用標點符號的高手嗎?有機會獲得200元誠品圖書商場購物禮卷!

2012-11-19
文字就像汽車,需要交通標誌與燈號才不會打結,標點符號可以釋放文字,讓字句能打動、指引、啟發讀者。以下範例可能標點符號不正確,或少了必需的標點符號。注意,句中可能不只有一個標點符號錯誤。最先改正錯誤,並寫出最佳解答的一位 TPS 粉絲,將能贏得兩百元誠品圖書商場購物禮卷。
Words, like motor vehicles, need signposts and signals to keep them from running together. Punctuation frees words to move readers, to instruct and inspire them. The following example of writing either contains inappropriate punctuation or lacks marks that are needed. Note: The example may contain more than one punctuation error. The first TPS Fan to correct the writing sample as we believe it should be corrected will win a NTD200 eslite bookstore and shopping mall Gift Certificate.

題目Contest Sentence:

“What kind of a smart aleck answer is that,” the annoyed classroom teacher asked the boy then sat at his desk and waited for a response? The room grew warm. the boy’s forehead glistened.

Last Update at 2012-11-20 AM 10:39 | 0 Comments

What does that mean? 你真的瞭解這個慣用語嗎?

2012-11-15
很多字詞並非表面所見的意思,字詞的組合會產生不同的解釋。這樣的慣用法,我們稱之為「比喻」。一個成功的比喻,作者本身必須相當瞭解字詞的源起。以下的句子為讀者介紹一個比喻及其來源。
Imagery buries itself in language and takes on new meaning. The transplanted and transformed word or set of words is called a “figure of speech.” For a figure of speech to be effective, however, a writer must first understand the original meaning of the word or phrase. The following sentence contains a common figure of speech. Its original meaning is explained.

“The black-and-white soccer ball ricocheted off the tree and hopscotched across the lawn like the half-dozen laughing children trailing it.”
「黑白相間的足球從樹上彈開,像是後面有半打孩子笑著追趕似的跳過草坪。」

Hopscotch is a game played by children in which a small object—a wood chip, a hat, a coin—is tossed into one of several linked spaces marked out on the ground or pavement, with the child hopping space by space through the maze to eventually retrieve the object. The hopping is on one foot or two, depending on the layout. The game is appealing to children because it is energetic, requires agility, is competitive, and can be enjoyed by one player or many. The game has been around for several hundred years at least and variations of it are played worldwide.
「跳房子」是一種兒童遊戲,把像是木片、帽子或硬幣的小物件拋在地上或人行道上畫出的相連格子上,然後一格一格地跳過格子圖,撿回物品。依照格子的設計,可以單腳或是雙腳跳。這個遊戲很吸引孩童,因為遊戲活潑,需要敏捷的動作,並且極具競爭性,能讓單一或是許多玩家參與。跳房子這個遊戲已經風行了至少有數百年之久,在世界各地也流傳各種不同的玩法。

When the writer writes that the ball “hopscotched” across the lawn, he joined several themes. First, its bouncing movement mirrored the bouncing of children playing hopscotch. Second, the word is almost solely used in a light-hearted way, which is the province of children. Third, the writer was able to tie together the ball and the children by indicating both of them were hopscotching, the ball from physics, the children from merriment. A weaker sentence would have said the ball bounded, or retreated, or something else less universally child-oriented.
提到足球「hopscotched」(跳過)草坪時,作者聯結了幾個主題。首先,足球彈跳的動作反映了孩童跳房子的意象。再者,這個詞也表現出輕鬆愉快的感覺,就如同孩童玩樂時展現出來的快樂喜悅。第三,作者將球和孩子的意象結合,暗示他們都像是在跳房子一樣,只不過球的彈跳是物理現象,而孩子跳房子則是歡樂嬉戲。普通的句子只會說球彈起、球彈回來,或是用一些大致上和孩子無關的詞語來形容。

Last Update at 2012-11-16 PM 12:53 | 0 Comments

1112 TPS One Word Away From Confusion Contest-Answer and Explanation你能找出混淆字嗎? 正確解答!

2012-11-13
Correct best answer: Replace “loosing” with “losing.”

“With the leaves slowly losing their chlorophyll and the green of summer succumbing to autumn, the leaves’ yellow and orange emerged to brighten the forest.”

This happens frequently because the words are confusingly similar in meaning and spelling. Yet they are not interchangeable. The primary definition of “loosing” is to be not securely attached, which is akin to the more often-used “loosening.” Only the secondary definition of “loosing” matches that of “losing,” which means to suffer loss. A leaf loses its color—it turns brown or yellow. The pigment is not just suspended, that is, loosed (loosened), to return again in leaves fallen to the ground in winter. This writing error happens from sloppy typing or inadequate proofing—but sometimes from misunderstanding the different primary meanings of the words. Primary definitions usually are preferable because they are more generally in use.
這類錯誤常發生在詞彙的意思和拼法相近、容易混淆,但不能混用的時候。「Loosing」最主要的意思是「鬆動」,意思接近「loosening」一詞,不過 loosening 比較常用。「Loosing」的第二個意思「失去」才接近「losing」的意思。葉子變棕或變黃時,其色素不僅是暫時消失或「鬆動」(loosed or loosened),而是就此「失去」(lose)。色素不會重新出現在冬天的落葉上。這種錯誤可能來自打字不小心或校對不仔細,有時也可能源於誤解了詞彙的主要意義。主要意義比較常用,選詞時應該優先考慮。

Last Update at 2012-11-13 AM 11:24 | 0 Comments

1112 TPS One Word Away From Confusion Contest-Win Your NTD200 7-11/Starbucks Prize! 你能找出混淆字嗎? 有機會獲得200元7-11/星巴克咖啡禮券!

2012-11-12
撰寫學術文章時,每字每句都需要謹慎著墨。改變幾個字就會使完整的一句話變得令人摸不著頭緒。下列的句子中,為使這句話能完整且有意義的表達,請選出你認為會令人感到困惑的字,我們將提供7-11/星巴克咖啡NTD200元禮券,給予挑出混淆字,並寫出最佳替代字的第1位粉絲,最適的解答與獲獎的粉絲姓名,將於明天公佈於本TPS的專頁。請將你的答案寫在下方,獲得免費購物禮券的幸運兒可能就是你哦!
Every word is important in a well-written academic paper. Changing just a word or two can turn a clear sentence into a confusing one. Tell us what word you would change in the following puzzling sentence to render it more meaningful. The first best answer will receive a NTD200 7-11/Starbucks Gift Certificate.

題目Contest Sentence:
“With the leaves slowly loosing their chlorophyll and the green of summer succumbing to autumn, the leaves’ yellow and orange emerged to brighten the forest.”

Last Update at 2012-11-13 AM 11:22 | 0 Comments

This is not academic writing 學術文章不是這麼寫的

2012-11-08
並非所有與學術議題相關的文章,就能稱之為「學術文章」。本篇專欄將節錄不同學術議題的內容,分析常見的寫作錯誤,並分享潤修與寫作的技巧。
Not all articles written on academic topics are written in proper academic English. This column examines short excerpts from academic texts to illustrate common writing errors and to explain how to correct them.

Unacceptable 不被認可的文章

“The biochemist felt like a popular celebrity. She was awkwardly asked for autographs by her peers and assistants, who should know better. She was greeted with wild applause whenever she entered any room. She was granted the authority that she had sought unsuccessfully for years to explore new ideas wherever she found them. These were the perquisites of her success in the volatile world of venture research with all its ups and downs. It is a place where science meets a commercial market and simply applying a clinical procedure can produce a wildly popular commercial product. But she was not charmed by the abrupt attention. She realized that she should use it to move ahead toward her secret professional goals.”

This writer addresses an interesting subject: how private research can culminate in public acclaim. It explores some of the dynamics of popularity. However, the writer clutters the writing with extra words and unneeded phrases. For example, a “popular celebrity” is mostly a redundant expression, though it is possible for a celebrity to be unpopular. She experiences “wild” applause, as opposed to tame applause. She had wanted to explore ideas “wherever she found them,” as opposed to them finding her, perhaps. The sentence that begins, “It is a place…” lacks parallel construction and is wordy. The writer also chose not to combine some sentences using commas, thus dragging the reader through additional words. Minutes taken to review, cull, and rewrite a passage generally produce a better piece of writing.
本文討論的主題很有趣,說明私人研究如何獲得公眾注目,並探討了一些名氣的作用。然而文中堆砌了太多詞句,例如「popular celebrity」(受歡迎的名人)這句基本上有點多餘,名人怎麼會不受歡迎呢?文中又說科學家獲得「wild」(狂野)的掌聲,掌聲應該沒有溫馴的吧?科學家又想探討「wherever she found them」的想法,難道想法會自己去找科學家?以「It is a place…」開頭的句子缺乏平行結構,顯得冗贅。另外有些句子未以逗號連接,也顯得冗長。花個幾分鐘檢查、刪減、修飾文章,往往能獲得更好的作品。

Acceptable 認可的文章

“The biochemist felt like a celebrity. She was awkwardly asked for autographs by peers and assistants, greeted with applause whenever she entered a room, and granted the leeway she had been denied for years to explore new ideas. These were the perks of success in the volatile world of venture research, where science meets a market and application of a clinical procedure can produce a popular commercial product. She was not charmed by the sudden attention, but realized that she should use it to advance her undisclosed professional goals.”

Last Update at 2012-11-09 PM 12:48 | 0 Comments

1105 TPS Finish the Sentence Contest-Answer and Explanation你是接龍的高手嗎? 正確解答!

2012-11-06
Answer: We believe the sentence is best completed this way:

“The commissioner found the sentiment expressed by the girl disagreeable, partly because the girl’s voice was as whiny as a molly in a cage.”

Public officials are not to be pitied. They generally do all right. But it is true that they must endure conversations with all kinds of people. In this instance, a commissioner admits that the unpleasantly stressed voice of a young woman is not helping her cause. In describing the voice as that of “a molly in a cage,” the writer compares it to a female cat that is loudly objecting to being in an enclosed container of some sort. The keening, incessant cries of a cat in such a situation indeed can be noisome, even though the animal may be a favorite and otherwise quite loveable. By the same token, the appeal of the young woman might be valid, but her presentation is not winning her points. The description is apt in explaining the commissioner’s reaction.
公務員不需要人憐憫,他們通常過得蠻不錯的;不過他們確實得和各式各樣的人打交道。這個句子中,一位長官承認年輕女子尖銳的聲音令人不舒服,無法幫她解決問題。本句以「a molly in a cage」形容女子的聲音,就像母貓被關起來而放聲大叫的聲音。儘管貓咪可能很討人喜歡,平常也很可愛,但如果被關起來,持續不斷尖叫也是很可怕的。同樣地,這位年輕女子儘管很有魅力,但她的表現卻不會為她加分。這句話恰如其分地解釋了長官的反應。

Last Update at 2012-11-06 AM 10:32 | 0 Comments

1105 TPS Finish the Sentence Contest-Win Your NTD200 Eslite Bookstore and Shopping Mall Gift Certificate! 你是接龍的高手嗎? 有機會獲得200元誠品圖書商場購物禮卷!

2012-11-05
怎麼寫出好句子沒有標準答案,不過起碼我們知道,優秀的句子每個環節都很完美。下面有一句未完成的句子,請用五個字以內完成句子接龍,寫出完整的句子。最先完成句子,並寫出最佳解答的一位TPS 粉絲,將獲得兩百元誠品圖書商場購物禮卷;另增設特別獎一名,頒給符合文意又別具創意的粉絲。接龍解答與獲獎粉絲姓名將在明天公布於本 TPS 專頁,敬請密切鎖定、先睹為快!
No formula exists for the writing of a superior sentence, but this much is known: The best sentence has no weak part. The following sentence is incomplete. In five or fewer words, complete the sentence in a way that strengthens the whole of it. The first TPS Fan to complete the sentence as we believe it is best completed will win a NTD200 Eslite Bookstore and Shopping Mall Gift Certificate. Another Eslite certificate will be awarded to the first Fan to complete it in an alternate way that, in our estimation, also is effective. The explanation and the names of the winners will be published tomorrow on this TPS Fans page.

題目Contest Sentence:

“The commissioner found the sentiment expressed by the young woman disagreeable, partly because her voice was as whiny as __ __ __ __ __.”

Last Update at 2012-11-06 AM 10:30 | 0 Comments