We now shift our focus from some traits of better writing to some of the different kinds of writing. Please understand there are many different kinds of writing styles and purposes. Here we will look at a few of the more common types, the kinds your teacher will likely assign you. This section has brief descriptions and explanations, plus real examples from Taiwan undergraduate university students’ essays, with some comments and suggestions.

現在我們把焦點從精進寫作的特點轉移到不同形式的寫作。其實寫作有各種風格和目的，以下我們會探討幾種常見的寫作形式，也就是你的老師常出的作文題目。以下這章包括簡短的描述和解釋，並以台灣的大學生所寫的作文為例，再加上一些評論和建議。

Description 描述文

In this style, you are describing someone or something. One trick here is to try to involve the five senses when you write. For instance, let’s say you wanted to write about a summer day. This is dull: “It was a very hot day so I sat outside and had a drink.”

這種風格是要求你描述某人或某物。其中一個技巧就是讓五種感官的感受融入文字裡。例如你要描寫夏天，只寫「這是個大熱天，所以我坐在屋外喝飲料。」就顯得很呆板。

Instead, try this: “It was a hot day--about 35℃, and my T-shirt was damp with sweat--so I found a shady spot under a banyan tree. It was like sitting under a gigantic green umbrella. I had just bought a milk tea, and the cup felt cool to my fingers. A slight breeze of fresh, country air stirred across my face. In the branches above, I heard a few birds chirping. Ah…life is good!”

你可以試著這樣寫：「這是個大熱天，約有攝氏35度，汗水浸濕了我的T恤，所以我在榕樹下找了一個遮蔭處，就好像坐在一把巨大的綠傘下。我剛買了杯奶茶，杯子的冰涼直透指尖。鄉間清新的微風吹拂過臉龐，頭上樹枝間傳來陣陣的鳥鳴聲。啊〜生命真是美好！」

Look at the senses you invoked:

細數一下你所喚起的感受：

Touch: damp T-shirt, cool cup, slight breeze across your face

Taste: delicious milk tea

Sound: birds chirping

Smell: fresh, country air

Sight: tree, like a green umbrella

觸覺：濕透的T恤、冰涼的杯子、吹拂過臉龐的微風

味覺：美味的奶茶

聽覺：鳥鳴聲

嗅覺：清新的鄉間氣息

視覺：像把綠傘的大樹

See, this short passage touches on all five senses!

看到了嗎，這短短的文字就觸發了所有的五種感官

Here is a passage, with my editing comments. Items I cut are marked through; items added are in blue. Explanatory comments are in the margin.

這篇文章有我的修訂和評語。刪除的部分畫刪除線，增添的部分以藍色字表示，解釋性的評語則置於旁邊空白處。