Ｔｈｅ Ｓｉｘ Ｃｈａｒａｃｔｅｒｉｓｔｉｃｓ ｏｆ Ｇｏｏｄ Ｗｒｉｔｉｎｇ Ｖ：Ｖｏｉｃｅ

無論使用何種語言、通過何種方式，我們都應同等重視意義的準確傳送和情感的貼切表達。本系列之二“Word Choice”曾講過如何準確達意，本期“Voice”便來教大家如何貼切傳情。

\"Don't speak to me in that tone of voice!\" If someone yells this at you， it probably means you have chosen words or a style of speaking that makes you sound rude or haughty1) or irritable2) or angry or condescending3).

The way we talk and the words we choose convey our moods， our opinions， and our personalities.

Voice: Tone of the Writing

Voice is an important concept in writing; it allows writers to reach out to different audiences by using the appropriate tone. In writing， voice is the way your writing \"sounds.\" It is the sum of the words you choose， the opinions you express， the observations you make， and the type of sentences you create. Just as you can speak in a tone of voice， you can also write in a tone of voice. Your writing can sound angry or cheeky4) or professional or personal. For example， let's try writing the same command in four different voices.

* Angry: GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW， YOU SCUM5)!

* Cheeky: Take a hike6)， buddy7)!

* Professional: Please vacate the premises8)， sir.

* Personal: Look， I know how it goes， but I think it might be best for you to take off9).

Different Occasions， Different Voices

It's essential to adjust your writing voice for different occasions. For example， if you are writing an academic research paper， you'll want to choose an academic or professional voice. However， if you are writing an article for a popular magazine or an email to a friend， you might choose a cheeky or personal voice.

Writing in different voices requires choosing words and information carefully. When writing in an academic or professional voice， you want to avoid slang words， personal opinions， or exclamations10). However， when you write in a personal voice， you can let your personality shine through. If you use slang when you talk， you should also use slang when you're writing in a personal voice. And you needn't shy away from11) personal opinions; when you write in a personal voice you can share your opinions， feelings， and ideas.

I use a professional voice when writing business letters， school reports， or proposals for TV show ideas， but I use a personal voice when I blog， write personal narratives， or respond to readers' letters. My professional voice shows business people， teachers， and producers that I am capable of sophisticated12) thought. My personal voice helps me connect with people and gain new friends and readers. (Hopefully my friends and readers also believe that I am capable of sophisticated thought!) Developing your ability to switch from a professional voice to a personal voice or from a positive voice to a negative voice will allow you to effectively use writing as a tool to forge13) new connections and opportunities.

Different Words， Different Voices

Stating opinions and feelings directly creates voice， but you also share opinions through your word choice. You can change the tone of your personal voice by choosing from a nearly endless selection of words. Just as you can choose to talk in a sarcastic14)， critical， or excited tone of voice， you can also choose to write in different tones. You can choose to write in a positive tone or a negative tone. For example， the following two sentences have the same essential meaning， but very different tones of voice.

Alexis was a scrawny15) girl with a beaky16) nose and an imperious17) attitude.

Alexis was a slender18) girl with an aquiline19) nose and a confident demeanor20).

Can you tell which sentence is written in a critical voice and which sentence is written in a positive voice? If you guessed that the second sentence is positive， you are correct.

Learning to understand and master the nuances21) of words is an important part of becoming fluent in a language， and it's an equally important stepping stone to becoming an accomplished writer or a success in almost any field.

鑒于上文提到的四種語態中，同學們最常使用的是Personal Voice，所以下文會就這一語態進行詳盡的講解。

Personal Voice

So what is the point of writing in a personal voice? For one thing， personal writing tends to be more entertaining， spicier， and more accessible22) to casual readers. Most people don't read academic research papers or business letters during their leisure time， but they do read blogs， editorials， and memoirs23). This is because bloggers， editorial writers， and memoirists connect with their readers by writing in a personal voice. Readers feel that they know the writer who writes in a personal voice， and they will continue reading in order to find out more. Let's compare the following paragraphs:

Paragraph 1: We sat down in a row of seats. My sister put on her headphones so she could listen to music. My mother and I watched the movie. Then we had lunch.

Paragraph 2: We were soon crammed24) into a narrow slot25) of seats. It seems to me that airplane seats get smaller and smaller each year. I know I'm getting bigger， but my mom says the same thing and I don't think she's grown any. My sister immediately put on headphones and effectively disappeared for the rest of the flight， so I was left to my own devices. I was hopeful about the possible movie， but it turned out to be a gross26) romance about a simpering27) ballerina28). The mealy29) lukewarm30) lunch did nothing to improve my mood. Have I mentioned that I don't like flying?

The first paragraph is written in a neutral31) voice. The second paragraph is written in a personal voice. The first paragraph doesn't tell you anything about the writer; the second paragraph lets you know that I am grumpy32)， opinionated33)， and maybe (I hope) a little funny. When you write in your own voice， you share what you thought about something， or what you think about something. You explain your likes and dislikes. You explain the things that make you mad， happy， hopeful， sad， annoyed， or disgusted34). This can be a lot of fun.

Writing in a personal voice has one great advantage over merely speaking. When you are talking， words spill35) out. Sometimes you don't sound the way you want to sound. When you write， you can craft36) your personal voice carefully. You can choose the impression you want to convey to the world. A personal voice doesn't have to be chatty. A personal voice can be polished or grumpy or cool or funny or all of these things at once.

一起寫故事

親愛的讀者朋友們，你是否也曾遭遇過“詞不達意”或“意長詞窮”的窘境呢？是否也曾因為使用了不甚恰當的詞句而造成了不必要的尷尬或誤解呢？趕緊來試試Adora支的招，將你最能準確“傳情達意”的一篇英語寫作呈現給讀者一起分享吧！請將你的英文作品于4月20號之前發至：teens@staff.neworiental.org或北京市海淀區海淀中街6號新東方大廈750室《新東方英語·中學生》編輯部(郵編：100080)。

隔期Adora會對大家的寫作進行點評，本刊將擇優刊登，獲選文章作者將收到價值19.8元的《美語脫口秀》一本。趕快來參與吧！

Vocabulary

1.haughty [5hC:tI] adj. 倨傲不遜的，傲慢的，神氣活現的

2.irritable [5IrItEbl] adj. 易怒的，急躁的

3.condescending

[7kRndI5sendIN] adj. 有優越感的；抱恩賜態度的

4.cheeky [5tFi:kI] adj. <口>厚顏無恥的；無禮的，放肆的，莽撞的

5.scum [skQm] n. <口>卑賤的人；<喻>渣滓

6.take a hike: <俚>哪兒涼快去哪兒。

7.buddy [5bQdI] n. <口>老兄，老弟

8.vacate the premises: 從屋內搬走

9.take off: 走掉，出發；匆匆離開

10.exclamation [7eksklE5meIFEn] n. (表示抗議、責難等的)激烈言詞

11.shy away from: (由于羞怯或恐懼)躲開，避開；回避

12.sophisticated [sE5fIstIkeItId] adj. 老練的，富有經驗的；精通的

13.forge [fC:dV] vt. 使形成

14.sarcastic [sB:5kAstIk] adj. 諷刺的，嘲笑的，挖苦的

15.scrawny [5skrC:nI] adj. <口> (人、獸等)骨瘦如柴的，皮包骨的

16.beaky [5bi:kI] adj. (人的)鼻子尖(像鉤狀鼻)的

17.imperious [Im5pIErIEs] adj. 專橫的；傲慢的

18.slender [5slendE(r)] adj. 苗條的；修長的；纖細的；細長的

19.aquiline [5AkwIlaIn] adj. 鉤狀的，鷹嘴似的

20.demeanor [dI5mi:nE(r)] n. <美> = demeanour 行為；舉動

21.nuance [nju:5B:ns] n. (意義、感情、意見、顏色、音調等的)細微差別

22.accessible [Ek5sesEbl] adj. 可以理解的，易懂的

23.memoir [5memwB:(r)] n. 回憶錄；[~s]自傳

24.cram [krAm] vt. 把……塞進

25.slot [slCt] n. 狹窄的通道；狹窄的空間

26.gross [^rEus] adj. 一眼就清楚的，明顯的

27.simper [5sImpE(r)] vi. 傻笑；假笑

28.ballerina [7bAlE5ri:nE] n. (尤指演主角或獨舞的)芭蕾舞女演員

29.mealy [5mi:lI] adj. 粗粉狀的；(煮熟的馬鈴薯)粉狀的

30.lukewarm [5lu:kwC:m] adj. (液體)不冷不熱的，溫熱的；微溫的

31.neutral [5nju:trEl] adj. 不引起(或不反映)變化的

32.grumpy [5^rQmpI] adj. 脾氣壞的；含怒的；生氣的

33.opinionated [E5pInjEneItId] adj. 固執己見的，武斷的

34.disgusted [dIs5^QstId] adj. 厭惡的，憎惡的；憤慨的

35.spill [spIl] vt. <口> 泄漏，說出(秘密等)

36.craft [krB:ft] vt. <美> 精心制作