Chapter 20 2017.11.20

Expressions

...he has littered the path with obstacles: cheap slang, shoddy sentences, windy philosophizing.

Shoddy 劣质的、粗制滥造的

Windy 夸夸其谈的

If you’re smitten by the urge to try the breezy style, read what you’ve written aloud and...

Smitten

1. suddenly feeling that you love someone very much 突然爱上…的，突然迷上…的

As soon as he saw her, he was smitten.

他一见到她，就为她倾倒了。

[+ by/with ]

She was totally smitten with Steve.

她完全被史蒂夫迷住了。

2. smitten with/by sth

suddenly affected by an illness or a feeling 突然染上某种病/突然产生某种感情

Dan was smitten with remorse.

丹顿时悔恨不已。

The whole family were smitten with flu.

全家人都患上了流感。

Every art form has a core of verities that survive the fickleness of time.

Fickleness 变化无常

这里标粗的部分表达的应该是经历了时间的洗礼。

Time out of mind at this turn of the seasons when the hardy oak leaves rustle in the wind and...

time out of mind 自古以来

Turn 交替

自古以来，在这季节交替之际，当橡树的叶子在风中沙沙作响……

文字的画面感很强，这应该也是有文采的一种表现吧。

...we may humbly take heart of these blessings as we gather once again with solemn and festive rites to keep our Harvest Home.

Solemn 庄严的、郑重的

Rite 仪式、习俗、典礼

...and anesthetized by the speeches of most politicians and public officials who ply us with oratorical ruffles and flourishes?

Ply sb. With sth. 不断向某人提供

But ultimately eloquence runs on a deeper current.

Runs on a deeper current 有更深层次的含义

Summary

1. 不要让内容左右你的写作风格。无论主题是什么，发展出自己统一的风格很重要。轻松自然、朗朗上口的文章一般能受到大家的喜爱。但是轻松不代表随意和粗野。

2. 尊重语言的规则和美感，尊重读者，语气里不要有优越感。

3. 风格是个性的东西，好与不好是主观的，但是风格也是作者对待语言的态度。选词要注重新鲜和活力。选择有力的、准确的，能给读者带来意外之感的词汇。

4. 风格也许是各花入各眼，但是有品位的作者起码要去除文章里的陈腔滥调，才能不被扼杀活力，不显得油腻。

5. 我们可以通过研究和模仿好的风格，去提高自己的品味。

6. Zinsser以感恩节公告为例子想我们演示文采与夸大其词的区别：首先是之前讲到的品味。然后是用词，用简短而强烈的词去激活读者的感官。最后也是最重要的，是好的文采让读者有代入感，唤醒了读者的回忆和共鸣。所以在写作中，合理运用自己的经历，会更好地表达。