相信很多同学面对雅思写作都有这样的苦恼,背了大量的词汇,练习了无数的高分语法,但仍然写不出论据。于是大家开始学习各种论证方法(因果论证、假设论证、举例论证、对比类比论证等),最后发觉仍然跳不出5-5.5的怪圈。新东方在线谢爽老师通过考官范文教给大家几个雅思写作的万灵药。
事实上,许多同学面临的问题不是想不出论据,而是想出的论据并不是题目中所需要的,也就是常说的“跑题”。在审题的过程中通过圈词是可以部分防止跑题的情况出现的,但是如何让圈出的“关键词”在论述中发挥指导性的作用,引出有逻辑的论述,才是写出一篇高分雅思大作文的王道。这里不得不提一个经常被同学们忽视的论证方法了,即“下定义”。这是大作文中论述中的panacea。只不过今天谢爽老师所提到的“下定义”的论证方法并不是简单的“give a simple or direct definition”,而是要求大家要把题目中一些“关键词”根据题目中的其他相关信息给出适用于这道题的“关键词定义”。谢爽老师带大家做一下case study,看看考官们是怎么把下定义的论证方法用到出神入化的地步的:
首先咱们以剑桥真题8 Test1 为例:
Some people think that parents should teach children how to be a good member of society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
这道题应该画出的词是:
Some people think that parents should teachchildrenhow to bea good member of society. Others, however, believe that school is the place to learn this.
下面我们一起来看一下如何可以通过“下定义”的论证方法引导,写出论证充分、有逻辑、不跑题的高分段落。
对于“parents”最直接的定义应该是“father and mother”,但是这个定义对于这道题目没有任何论证作用。题目需要发表的论述是“一些人认为家长应该培养孩子成为一个好的社会成员。然而,另外一些人认为,学校才是完成这一项职责的地方。”首先我们可以判断出,这道题目是属于“教育类”的话题和“Education(教育)”相关,那么对于这道题而言“parents”的定义就应该和“家庭教育的责任承担者”有关,于是我们通过定义法就可以想与此题目相关的一些论据,比如“家长是孩子的第一任老师(the first educator)---->孩子最先接触的就是家庭教育(begin in home)---->行为和思想的形成家长有直接的责任(are thought have the responsibility to educate...) ”。而这里提到的“行为和思想”指的就是“to be a good member of society”,咱们现在继续用“下定义”的论证方法来为“a good member of society”下一个定义,好的社会成员就是”懂的遵守社会秩序,尊重他人、有礼貌、有合作意识等等“的人(obey the social rules、respect others、cooperate with peers)”。关于some people 的论证部分,剩下需要下定义的关键词只有“children”了,朗文词典中对于children的定义是通过“child”给出的“someone who is not yet an adult”——>缺少区分对与错的能力(fail to tell right from wrong),容易受到环境的影响(tend to be influenced by the surroundings)——>环境以及所接受的教育对其影响很重要。下面是考官的满分段落:
In order to be a good member of any society the individual must respect and obey the rules of their community and share their values. Educating children to understand the need to obey rules and respect others always begins in the home and is widely thought to be the responsibility of parents. They will certainly be the first to help children learn what is important in life, how they are expected to behave and what role they will play in their world.
红色部分均是通过“下定义“的论证方法分析出的论据。想要巩固这种“万灵药”的论述方式,大家可以用其他的题目多多尝试。