【正文】 Writing Skills and PracticeContentsPart One Brief Introduction to College English Writing 2………7Part Two Methods of Developing Paragraphs 8………10Part Three Various Forms of Writing (from appreciation to production) 10……..21Part Four Selected Model Compositions 21…….30Part Five A List of Most Commonly Employed Sentence Patterns 30…….32Compiled by The First Section of Teaching and Research, Department of College English Teaching amp。 Studies, Qingdao UniversityPart One Brief Introduction to College English WritingI. Format and General Requirements of College English Writing 1. Format of College English Writing It is stipulated in College English Curriculum Requirements (《大學(xué)英語課程教學(xué)要求》) that college students should be able to write within 30 minutes a short position of 120 words on a general topic or an outline. The position should be basically plete in content, appropriate in diction and coherent in discourse. More often than not, college students are expected to write positions based on topic sentences, outlines given in Chinese, key words, visual aids or given situations. Accordingly, it is normally of great help to decide on what style (narration, exposition, description or argumentation) to be employed to develop the whole essay, and then to determine the controlling idea contained in each of the topic sentences/Chinese outlines, or to state the controlling idea at the very beginning of each paragraph in respect of writing based on key words, visual aids or given situations.2. General Requirements of College English Writing Unity（一致性）and coherence (連貫) are two important general requirements of college English writing. Unity is achieved by ascertaining that each sentence in the paragraph is relevant to the topic sentence, that is, each sentence should be a further development of the topic sentence. At the same time, the student writer must be positive that each of the 3 paragraphs is connected with each other in form as well as in meaning or content. Coherence is the logical connection of the sentences in a paragraph and the paragraphs in a position to each other. Coherence can be achieved through a variety of techniques, such as the employment of transitional words/link words/connectors（過渡詞語）, repetition of key words, consistent use of the same point of view, proper pronoun reference, logical organization of the information and arguments in a paragraph and between paragraphs. The student writer must be certain that there is appropriate transition from one sentence or one paragraph to the next. In order to make the paragraph more interesting and vivid, it is a good idea to use sentence variety. An effective way to do this is to vary the grammatical structures of sentences to avoid monotony. Different structures not only convey distinct shades of meaning, but also give a position an attractive atmosphere. II. Form of Good Writing It is generally assumed that a wellwritten paragraph contains a topic sentence, developing/supporting sentences and a concluding sentence if necessary. Below is an example to show the process of writing a paragraph. Suppose that you are required to write a paragraph on the topic “Riding a bicycle is better than riding a motorcycle”. It is advisable for you to go through the following procedures before writing the paragraph proper.Step 1. Determine the writing style — argumentationStep out the controlling idea — better Step some convincing facts about or arguments for the controlling idea — inexpensive to buy, easy maintenance , good for health, nonpolluting, safer, etc.Step details about some of the facts or arguments that will interest your audience, ., health — more exercises, less pollutionStep 5. Outline the paragraph. Topic sentence: Riding a bicycle is better than riding a motorcycle. Developing sentences: A. It is relatively inexpensive buy 2. to operate B. It is more healthful. exercises pollution C. It is personally satisfying.1. enjoy the scenery2. bee part of the natureStep the paragraph by using the details you have just listed. Riding a bicycle is better than riding a motorcycle. First of all, a bicycle is relatively inexpensive to buy and to maintain. While a motorcycle may cost thousands of Yuan to buy and hundreds of Yuan annually for maintenance, a good bicycle will only cost two hundred Yuan or so, and its annual maintenance cost is very small. Biking is also healthful. Not only does the cyclist get more physical exercises than the motorcyclist, but bicycles are nonpolluting, so they keep the environment clean. Finally, bicycling is, unlike motorcycling, personally satisfying. Instead of being a robot inside a machine, the biker pedals along, enjoying the scenery and being part of the nature. In one word, the bicycle is a pleasurable means of transportation. What is said above is true of a wellorganized essay, ., an idealized position is supposed to contain 3 paragraphs — a topic/introductory paragraph, a supporting paragraph and an ending paragraph. Let us take the following essay as an example.Staying Healthy Good health is the most valuable possession a person can have. There are three things that a person can do to stay in good health. One should eat the right foods, get enough rest, and exercise properly. (Topic/introductory paragraph)Proper nutrition is important for good health. Avoid food with lots of sugar and fat. Eat plenty of high protein foods, vegetables and fruits. But do not overeat because it is not healthful to be overweight. Getting the proper amount of sleep is also important. Without enough sleep, you are likely to feel tired and irritable. So allow yourself eight hours of sleep each night. Finally, get plenty of exercise since it improves your heart and lunges, and prevents you from gainin