英语写作越来越受到英语学习者和网友的关注，不论是国际交流，商业和公私书函，求职简历以及应试考研或求知需求，都需要有写出流利纯正而洗练的书面文字的能力。英语写作能够全面的反映出一个人的英语功底与造诣。作者学习英语数十年，由于种种原因进步有限。改革开放以来重新拾起，多次在国外工作得到进一步得锻炼。近十余年来不断涉猎英语写作，逐渐悟透英语学习和运用的三个不同层次：第一层次是词汇有限，语法有误。

    第二层次是词汇扩大，语法正确。第三层次是语法正确并且用词准确恰当，所谓”Use the right word in the right place”，显然功力达到这一层次绝非一日之功。西方学者有一段意味深长的话：”Very handy for non-hardworking, non-disciplined people to think writers are born, not made…the talent is in the genes and just comes out. Most writers are made…from desire and need, from endless though not necessarily excruciating hard work”。

    我从中受到的启示是良好的文字写作不是天生的 而是来自反复的练习与模仿。很重要的是务求掌握英语的习惯用法，用西方人的语言和用字习惯去表达自己的观点，这才是“地道的”英语。语法是学习英语运用的框架，但语法正确的词句不一定就是地道的(Idiomatic)词句，这是人所共知的。作者多年来体会到要写出良好的书面英语，首先要有良好的中文根底，而在中/英语两种文字的转换中，有些姑且称为“潜规则”的经验体会可供参考，这些“规则”对于写出洗练的英语文字很有好处，我是个英语爱好者，虽然是“半瓶醋”，也有一得之见，现分次谈谈个人的体验，请高明的网友多批评指正。

1. 写作要保持观点目的清楚，把要说的话变成文字(Keep your viewpoint clearly in mind, write the way you talk): 要想英语写作好，首先中文写作要好，除了两种文字的转换外，首先要思考文章的目的，观点和内容，做到“言之有物”，然后再考虑用英语表达，在表达上力求简练而重点突出。一个容易犯的毛病是唯恐自己说不清楚，所以文字表达多趋于累赘，亢长生硬。此外，错译、句子结构头重脚轻或者头轻脚重、夹杂有时态、语态、单复数等语法错误，可说是屡见不鲜。例如：
(差) She did change herself, her attitudes and morals-all in one night-when the notion suddenly came to her that her behavior was inappropriate for the life she wanted.
(较好) She was determined to change her attitudes and morals once she realized she had been living in a way that could not possibly bring happiness.
（差）He went down himself to the emporium to purchase some food of his supper before the proprietors ran out of provisions or shuttered in the evening.
（较好）He hurried to the market to buy what he could for supper before the closing time.
2. 在一个段落或句子中不要重复应用同一个字（不论是名词，动词，形容词或副词）。（Do not use the same word more than once in a sentence or paragraph (despite noun, verb, adjective or adverb)：这样做的好处是文字鲜明有力，不繁琐沉闷，但要注意字句的多样性固然使文字色彩鲜明，但选用不同的字来表达同样的意思时，要注意各词之间的微细差别，稍有不慎就会引起误解甚至闹出笑话。台湾余光中先生就曾自己说过，在与一位外国朋友的夫人聊天时，误用了Intimate一词来表达这位夫人与另一个人的友好关系，造成夫人脸红的尴尬场面。另一个事例，一个人在表达“我自己一个人玩”的意思时，用了“I play with myself”，而这句话有“自慰“的含义，成了笑话。
（差）The government issued an edict that taxis could no longer park his car at roadside, but must be available at major streets to provide transportation for people who need to go to downtown..
（较好）The government issued an edict that taxis could no longer park at street side, but must be available at major streets for people who need to go to downtown.
(差) It is faithful for you to do so. 你这样做是忠实的。
（较好）You are faithful to do so.
(差) He is a man of talent and a man of guts. 他是一个有才干又有胆量的人。
(较好) He is a man of parts as well as a man of nerve.

3. 少写长句，尽可能使段落简短，不浪费空间。（Don’t waste space, instead of long sentences, run in short paragraphs when possible）: 把握英语文字的能力不够时，写长句子很易使句子结构混乱、语意累赘不淸、句子头重脚轻或头轻脚重，甚易引起误解或出现歧义，甚至与原意完全相反。
（差）It is dangerous that you put your head out of the window of the train when the train is moving. 火车在行驶中你把头伸出车窗外是危险的。
(较好) It is dangerous to put (your) head out of the window of the train when it is moving.
（差）The hour is noon on a perfect summer day in Beijing.
      On every street and avenue, new buildings are going up.
      Beneath the skeletal girders, construction workers sit, squat and sprawl, munching food, ****ing up coca, swilling beer.
（较好）The hour is noon on a perfect summer day in Beijing. On every street and avenue, new buildings are going up. Beneath the skeletal girders, construction workers sit, squat and sprawl, munching food, ****ing up coca, swilling beer.
(差) He negotiated with a male physician whether he should admit to the hospital for further treatment. 他与一位男医生商量他（是病人还是医生？）是否应当住院进一步治疗。
(较好) He negotiated with a male physician and asked if he should admit to the hospital for further treatment.
4. 变化句子的结构以避免过多面目相似的“名词－动词”或”形容词－名词”排句。（Vary sentence structure so as to avoid too many similar noun-verb or adjective-noun combs）： 这种像“乐队”似的句子排列出现，显得文字单调死板，使人不忍卒读，更谈不到文采飞扬了。
（差）She was twenty years old and so was her boy friend. She was Catholic and so was her boy friend. They make a congenial and attractive couple; they were relatively happy together. 她20岁，她男朋友也是20岁。她是天主教徒，她男朋友也是天主教徒。他们是意气相投令人称羡的一对，他们在一起挺很快乐的。
（较好）Both she and her boy friend were twenty and Catholic. A congenial, attractive couple, they were relatively happy together.
5. 保持前后时态一致。（Be aware of sticking to one tense in sentences）: 写作中最常见的失误之一就是段落中动词时态的不一致，引起混乱或误解。写作者必须搞清叙述中的人称、时态甚至语态等，搞清楚活动的时间、前后顺序。一般对已发生的事物用过去式、现在完成或过去完成式，将要发生的事物用将来式或用将来进行式，作者的结论或评论用现在式。这本来是人所共知的原则，然而在具体写作中，往往受所述事物的纠缠或中文的影响而发生困惑，拿不准时态。
（差）“So, in that case, you can’t go with me?” said Davis. “Yes, I can’t go to the movies tonight”
    “Why not?” John wants to know the cause.
（较好）”So, in that case, you can’t go with me?” says Davis. “No, I can’t go to the movies tonight”
        “Why not?” John wants to know the cause。