提高英文写作的六本必读书

从大学申请essay到求职cover letter，从演讲稿到博客文章，英文写作日益重要起来。如果你想提高英文写作，好的工具书是必不可少的。

提到读书，我觉得大部分书借阅就可以了，但一定要拥有几本好的写作书。下面就是我个人认为最值得拥有，并反复翻阅学习的六本提高英文写作必读书：

The Elements of Style

By William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White

The Elements of Style, 中文译为《风格的要素》，最早出版于1918年，至今仍是关于英文写作的经典书。它是一本小册子，正文只有不到一百页。全书没有赘言或枯燥的理论，都是要点和例子。从语法的使用（如parenthesis, quotations等的使用）到如何写出生动简明的句子（如write with nouns and verbs, do not overwrite）, 可谓面面俱到。

它的每一章都言简意赅，例子用得恰到好处。比如在Put statements in Positive Form一章中，作者说写作时应该“avoid tame, colorless, hesitating noncommittal language." 如下面的例子：

“She did not think that studying Latin was a sensible way to use one’s time.” 显得累赘，繁琐，可以改为“She thought the study of Latin was a waste of time. ”

这是一本写作常备工具书。正像资深广播/电视评论家Charles Osgood评论的的—"small enough and important enough to carry in your pocket, as I carry mine."

On Writing Well

By William Zinsser

The Elements of Style出版后，一直没有哪本其他写作书能与它媲美，直到近六十年后（1976年）On Writing Well的诞生。这本经典书比起它的前辈，有着更详尽的分析指导，更进一步的例子讲解，而且集中论述了大多数人最关心的写作内容—非小说类文学作品（non-fiction）。

如果你最想学的是如何正确使用语法句式，这本书恐怕不能完全满足你的需要（虽然有的章节会涉及到这些方面，如Chapter 10 “Bits & Pieces”）。但如果你关心的是如何写出你的风格，和你的读者有心灵对话，这绝对是一本必读书。

比如在Chapter 14 “Writing about Yourself,” 作者写到“What we’re all looking for—what we want to see pop out of your papers—is individuality. We are looking for whatever it is that makes you unique.”

“One secret of the art is detail. Any kind of detail will work – a sound or a smell or a song title—as long as it played a shaping role in the portion of your life your chosen to distill.”

100 Ways to Improve Your Writing: Proven Professional Techniques for Writing with Style and Power

By Gary Provost

这是一本被我视为英文写作百宝箱的书，出自美国最具影响力的写作指导大师Gary Provost之手。每个章节都很短小，讲解一个方法，语言不浮华，却非常生动，浅显易懂, 读起不觉枯燥。

比如100种方法之一“Varying Sentence Length”：

"This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety.

Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the rollof the drums, the crash of the cymbals—sounds that say listen to this, it is important.

So write with a combination of short, medium, and long sentences. Create a sound that pleases the reader’s ear. Don’t just write words. Write music."

写作如同谱曲，句子长短结合，时而欢快急促，时而舒缓悠长。人们常常把音乐和美感联系起来，却很少去在意语言的使用和它所带来的美感。Provost告诉我们"Don’t just write words. Write music."

Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer

By Roy Peter Clark

这也是一本将写作技巧拆成单元来讲解的书。虽然书名叫做写作工具，我觉得它的每个章节都更像围绕某一个技巧而设计的workshop。

全书分为四大主题：nuts and bolts (词，句，段的技巧)； special effects (让文章简练，清晰，独特，有说服力的技巧)；blueprints (文章整体构思，结构)； useful habits （如何养成写作的好习惯)。

作者Roy Peter Clark是有着丰富教学经验的作家，很多讲述的例子都来自他的亲身经历。

Stein On Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies

By Sol Stein

作者Sol Stein是无数畅销书作家的编辑，这本书是他从编辑的角度教我们 "how to fix writing that is flawed, how to improve writing that is good, and how to create interesting writing in the first place."

相比之前提到的几本书，这本书稍微难读些，内容有些深度，不少例子来自作者曾编辑过的小说或其他文章，更适合有些写作经验的读者。

我很喜欢"How to show instead of tell”一章。Stein写到“ What character sees, hears, smells, touches, and tastes can be shown through actions rather than described."

下面是将tell变成show的例子：

She boiled water (tells)

She put the kettle on the stove (begins to show).

She filled the kettle from the faucet and hummed till the kettle’s whistle cut her humming short (shows)

She boiled water in a lidless pot so she could watch the bubbles perk and dance.

最好的修改是将描述具体化。

Writing Your Life: Putting Your Past on Paper

By Lou Willett Stanek

这本书不是很出名，却是我个人非常喜爱的。作者用亲切的语气告诉我们该如何记录和讲述自己的故事，将自己经历的点点滴滴都生动地描述于纸上，比如childhood memories, regrets, missed opportunities, 等。

每章后都有小练习，帮读者对该章内容进一步思考，理解，和吸收。

比如一章“Keeping a notebook”里的练习包括make a list of movies or stars that were your favorites as a teenager, describe your case of unrequited love, 等二十多练习题目。

无论你是想让自己日常的实用文更简洁流畅，还是让英文写作成为业余爱好，或是想成为专栏作家，相信这些工具书都会有对你有所启迪，有所帮助。