Superb 學習專欄

英文作文的主體段怎麼寫:主題句、證據、分析、小結四步

· 寫作

英文作文的主體段(body paragraph)是分數差距最大的地方。同樣有舉例,有的人拿高分,有的人只拿一半,差別通常在於:例子後面有沒有分析。

一個穩的主體段可以拆成四步:

  1. 主題句:這一段要證明什麼。
  2. 證據:事實、例子、數據或引用。
  3. 分析:說明這個證據為什麼能證明你的主題句。
  4. 小結:把這一段連回整篇文章的論點。

一段完整的範例

題目:Should secondary schools start later in the morning?

[主題句] Starting school later would help students learn more in their first classes of the day. [證據] During the teenage years, the body's sleep cycle naturally shifts later, so many students cannot fall asleep early even when they try. For this reason, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. [分析] When the first bell rings at 7:30, these students arrive having slept far less than they need, which means the first lesson is taught to tired minds that remember very little. A later start would not add any teaching time, but it would make the time that already exists far more effective. [小結] In short, changing the start time is less about student comfort than about getting real value from every morning lesson.

注意分析那兩句:它沒有重複證據,而是回答了「所以呢?」——睡不夠會怎樣、晚一點上課又能改變什麼。

三種常見的扣分寫法

1. 只有證據,沒有分析

Teenagers' sleep cycles shift later. Doctors recommend a later start. Many schools in other countries start at 9:00.

三句都是事實,但讀者不知道這些事實跟「學得更好」有什麼關係。寫完每個證據,都問自己一次「So what?」,答案就是你的分析句。

2. 一段塞兩個論點

如果同一段又講睡眠、又講交通、又講早餐,每一個都只能講一句,結果每個論點都很薄。一段只證明一件事,其他的論點另起一段。

3. 小結只是把主題句再說一次

Therefore, starting school later would help students learn more in their first classes.

這句跟主題句幾乎一樣,沒有往前推進。好的小結會說出這一段的意義,或接到下一段,例如:「既然睡眠影響學習,下一個問題就是學校能不能配合調整。」

寫完一段,用這張清單檢查

  • [ ] 第一句就看得出這段要證明什麼
  • [ ] 每個證據後面,至少有一句在解釋它
  • [ ] 整段只講一個論點
  • [ ] 最後一句有連回主要論點,或帶出下一段
  • [ ] 證據是具體的(有對象、有內容),不是「很多人都這樣認為」

這四步不只適用於議論文,說明文、比較文、因果文的主體段都可以用同一個骨架,只是證據的類型不同。

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