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Suggested answer: “After he entered the classroom building, the instructor strode the hallway like a captain patrolling a lower deck.”

To “stride” is to take long steps, a physical act that conveys confidence and authority. A less confident person might take mincing steps. In terms of “s” words, a casual visitor might “stroll” the hallway, a young, happy person “skip” along the hallway, a furtive one “slip” through it. But an instructor is a person of authority in a classroom building and walks its hallways in the manner of a ship’s captain visiting a lower deck—with commanding presence. A well-chosen verb will accurately convey the character of a sentence.
“ Stride” 是指邁大步前進，這個動作傳達出自信與權威。缺乏自信的人步伐可能較小且破碎。說到其他 “S” 開頭的動詞，悠閒的人可能 “stroll”（漫步）過走廊，快樂的年青人可能 “ skip” （繃繃跳跳）過走廊，鬼鬼祟祟的人可能 “slip”（溜）過走廊。不過老師是學校裡的權威人物，走在走廊上，就像船長走在下甲板，有股威風凜凜的氣勢。動詞選得好，就能準確傳達出句子的特徵。

Dear TPS Fans,

Happy New Year! Here is our first puzzle of 2012. Everyone is welcome to join in and try your luck!"

The sentence below is missing a verb that begins with the letter “s.” Insert a word starting with “s” that best fits the tenor of the sentence, and then defend your word choice in five or fewer words. The first TPS Fan to respond with what the judge considers the most effective verb choice will win a ¬¬¬NT$200 7-11/Starbucks Gift Certificate. The name of the winner will be published tomorrow on this TPS Fans page. Please post your answers below. Good luck!
以下句子缺少一個以 “S” 開頭的動詞，請加入一個最符合句子意思的 “S” 開頭動詞，以及五個字以內的理由，我們將提供7-11／星巴克咖啡禮券兩百元，頒給第一位想出最佳解答的粉絲。解答與獲獎粉絲姓名將在明天公布於本 TPS 專頁。請將答案寫在下方，幸運兒可能就是你！

題目Contest Sentence:

“After he entered the classroom building, the instructor s______ the hallway like a captain patrolling a lower deck.”

很多字詞並非表面所見的意思，字詞的組合會產生不同的解釋。這樣的慣用法，我們稱之為「比喻」。一個成功的比喻，作者本身必須相當瞭解字詞的源起。以下的句子為讀者介紹一個比喻及其來源。
Imagery buries itself in language and takes on new meaning. The transplanted and transformed sets of words are called “figures of speech.” For a figure of speech to be effective, however, a writer must first understand the original meaning of the phrase. The following sentence contains a common figure of speech. Its original meaning is explained.

“The student was undaunted by the scope of the work and turned in a groundbreaking paper on 19th-century Polynesian authors.”
「這位學生並未因研究範圍廣泛而卻步，最後交出一篇開創性的論文，探討十九世紀波里尼西亞的作家。」

Some figures of speech are so tightly interwoven into the language that they almost have lost their original meaning. “Groundbreaking” is such a word. It originated in the rural parts of the world and referred to the opening of sodded pasture to cultivation via plowing—that is, the breaking apart of the rooted soil and burying of existing plant growth so that a sower or implanter of seed can introduce a new crop. A plowed, or broken-apart, field is transformed. It is changed in character from a static condition to a growth condition with a whole new future.
有些經常使用的修辭手法與日常語言已密不可分，幾乎已經偏離了原本的意義，“Groundbreaking”（開創的）就是一個例子。這個詞原本出自農業社會，指犁田翻土以供耕作，讓底層的土壤崩解，使生長的植物埋入土中，用來播種、耕植新的作物。土地經過墾殖而分解，就像是從原本靜止的狀態，轉換為生氣勃勃的新生狀態。

In the given sentence, “groundbreaking” has nothing to do with the soil. Rather, it uses the word to describe the change wrought by an academic paper. New scholarly “ground” was broken. The paper introduced new thinking or new information to a cadre of literary thinkers. It dramatically departed from previous scholarship in a way that demonstrated fresh thinking or an innovative approach. By so doing, the writer changed the static character of scholarly understanding of a pantheon of writers and opened the way for a future reordering of the literary constellation.
例句中，“groundbreaking” 與土壤無關，而是用來形容論文造就了變革。原本的學術土壤崩解，論文為文學圈主要學者帶來新的思考方向和新資訊，與過去的學識想法極為不同，想法極富新意，研究模式極為創新。也就是說，作者一改學術界過去對偉大作家僵化的偏見，為日後的才子俊秀開創嶄新的研究先河。

Answer: We believe the sentence is best completed this way:

“Riffling the pages of a calendar makes my heart race, with the days and weeks and months flowing past my eyes so fast that panic blurs my perspective.”

The four words resonate with meaning that is faithful to the rest of the sentence. The writer admits to feeling panicky by the swift passage of time, albeit a figurative passage. The feeling is so strong that it overcomes the writer’s perspective, with the writer wisely using “blurs” instead of “overcomes.” The word “blurs” fits perfectly with “riffling,” to a heart that is racing, and to pages that are moving “so fast.” Furthermore, the word “perspective” has double meaning. It alludes to “eyes” and also to the calendar, a device that lets us “see” time. The combination of these four words completes the sentence and the thought.
這四個字忠實呼應句子其他部分。作者以比喻的文字，坦承他對時光飛逝感到惶恐，感覺非常強烈，甚至掩蓋了作者的視線。此處作者很巧妙地用 “blurs”（模糊不清）取代 “overcomes”（掩蓋），一來 “blurs” 和 “riffling”（急速翻過）搭配正好，也和加速的心跳、快速翻飛的日曆互相呼應。此外，“perspective”（視線）也有兩種意思，除了讓人聯想到眼睛，也暗指讓我們「看到」時間的日曆。這四個字結合在一起，讓句子的意義更加完整。

No formula exists for the writing of a superior sentence, but this much is known: The best sentence has no weak part. The following sentence is incomplete. In 5 or fewer words, complete the sentence in a way that strengthens the whole of it. The first TPS Fan to complete the sentence as we believe it is best completed will win a NTD200 7-11 / Starbucks Gift Certificate. Another Starbucks certificate will be awarded to the first Fan to complete it in an alternate way that, in our estimation, also is effective. The explanation and the names of the winners will be published tomorrow on this TPS Fans page.
怎麼寫出好句子沒有標準答案，不過起碼我們知道，優秀的句子每個環節都很完美。下面有一句未完成的句子，請用五個字以內完成句子接龍，寫出完整的句子。最先完成句子，並寫出最佳解答的一位TPS 粉絲，將獲得兩百元統一超商／星巴克禮券；另增設特別獎一名，頒給符合文意又別具創意的粉絲。接龍解答與獲獎粉絲姓名將在明天公布於本 TPS 專頁，敬請密切鎖定、先睹為快！

題目Contest Sentence:

“Riffling the pages of a calendar makes my heart race, with the days and weeks and months flowing past my eyes so fast that ___ ___ ___ ___ ___.”

並非所有與學術議題相關的文章，就能稱之為「學術文章」。本篇專欄將節錄不同學術議題的內容，分析常見的寫作錯誤，並分享潤修與寫作的技巧。
Not all articles written on academic topics are written in proper academic English. In this "This is not academic writing" column we examine short excerpts from academic texts to illustrate common writing errors and explain how to correct them.

Unacceptable 不被認可的文章

“Reusing abandoned structures by using them for other uses is a practice that was popular many thousand years before zoning was introduced. Obviously, the same good brains that gave early societies the idea to construct shelters for living, trading, or meeting also produced the idea of using the structures for something else entirely when the mix of needs changed. This is perfectly clear to everyone in archaeological digs, which uncover different kinds of artifacts at different levels of digging at a site. While modern regulations preclude willy-nilly reuse of structures in a municipal system, the controlled practice of re-using buildings continues, with warehouses becoming houses and homes turning into shops.”

This paper excerpt suffers from wordiness, a casual tone, and misleading grammar, among other weaknesses. The first sentence manages to incorporate “reusing,” “using” and “uses” in the first 10 words, which is overuse of a root word. The balance of the sentence is notable for oblique, general, and passive components. The second sentence begins with an “obvious” overstatement and contains a superfluous “entirely.” The third sentence insinuates universal clarity, which always is presumptuous. Then the writer misrepresents archaeological excavations: The use of a comma and “which” implies all “digs” uncover different artifacts at different levels, rather than it being true of only some of them. What other word problems do you see?
這段文章有許多缺點，例如文字冗贅、太過口語，造成誤解的文法等等。第一個句子中，開頭前十個字就擠入太多相同字根的字，包括 “reusing,”、“using”、“uses”，句子拐彎抹角、空泛，而且被動語態太多。以 “obvious” 開頭的第二個句子言過其實，而且 “entirely” 是多餘的。第三個句子則妄自揣度，以為所有人都清楚句子描述的事，接著對考古遺址的說法也有誤，在 “which” 前加了一個逗號，表示所有 “digs”（坑洞）都在不同地層找到不同的人工物，但實際上只有部分遺址有這種發現。你是否還看到其他錯誤？

Acceptable 認可的文章

“Reusing abandoned structures by adapting them to other uses is an urban practice that predates zoning by several millennia. The same human mental capacity that led early societies to construct shelters for living, trading, or meeting sparked in them the idea of repurposing the structures when the mix of needs changed. This is clear in archaeological excavations that uncover different kinds of artifacts at different periods of a structure’s occupation. While modern urban regulations preclude random reuse of structures, the controlled practice of re-adaptation continues, with warehouses becoming houses and homes becoming shops.”

Answer: “begun” should be “began”

“The outer edge of the monsoon arrived onshore and the light fixture on the balcony began to sway as the wind whistled through the balustrade.”

Error: The writer began well but “begun” ended that. The sentence fragment should read… “the light fixture on the balcony began to sway…” The begin-began-begun tenses can cause problems, mostly between the latter two choices, began and begun. Simply put, the past tense word “began” stands alone, while the past participle “begun” needs another verb, such as has or have. In this sentence, “began to sway” is in grammatical harmony with “the monsoon arrived.” Had the first part of the sentence contained this phrase, “the monsoon had arrived,” the second part of the sentence might have correctly read, “and the light fixture… begun to sway…,” with the second “had” being assumed. An error such as this can spoil an otherwise fine paper.
句子開頭寫得不錯，但是 “begun” 一出現就壞了句子。這部分的句子應該改成 “the light fixture on the balcony began to sway…”（陽台上的燈具開始搖晃）。Begin-began-begun 的動詞變化常讓人出錯，尤其是過去式 began 和過去分詞 begun。簡單來說，began可以單獨使用，而 begun 需要和另一個動詞一起出現，例如 has 或 have。本句中，“began to sway” 與 “the monsoon arrived”（雨季來臨）時態一致；如果句子前半寫的是 “the monsoon had arrived”，後半部就可以寫 “and the light fixture… begun to sway…”，因為 had 前面出現過，後面可以省略。這類錯誤會破壞一篇好論文，應小心避免。

下列的句子中，包含了一個錯誤，可能是文法、拼法或是標點符號的錯誤。我們將提供統一超商/星巴克咖啡NTD200元的購物禮券，給予今天前三名挑出正確錯誤、寫出正確答案的粉絲。正確的解答與獲獎的粉絲姓名，將於明天公佈於本TPS的專頁。請將你的答案寫在下方，獲得免費購物禮券的幸運兒可能就是你哦!
The sentence below contains 1 grammatical, spelling and/or punctuation error. The first three (3) TPS Fans to respond with the corrected sentence will win a NTD200 7-11/Starbucks Gift Certificate. The corrected sentence and the names of the winners will be published tomorrow on this TPS Fans page. Please post your answers below. Good luck!

題目Contest Sentence:

“The outer edge of the monsoon arrived onshore and the light fixture on the balcony begun to sway as the wind whistled through the balustrade.”

很多字詞並非表面所見的意思，字詞的組合會產生不同的解釋。這樣的慣用法，我們稱之為「比喻」。一個成功的比喻，作者本身必須相當瞭解字詞的源起。以下的句子為讀者介紹一個比喻及其來源。
Imagery buries itself in language and takes on new meaning. The transplanted and transformed sets of words are called “figures of speech.” For a figure of speech to be effective, however, a writer must first understand the original meaning of the phrase. The following sentence contains a common figure of speech. Its original meaning is explained.

“Double Ten Day is awash with lion dances, fireworks displays, and the natal feeling that the Republic’s heritage is as noble as its future is challenging.”
「雙十節時，舞獅、煙火表演一波波湧起，以及值此誕辰的體認，感受中華民國的傳統命脈不僅珍貴輝煌，同時也未來艱鉅。」

“Awash” is a condition of total immersion, as when a wave breaks across a ship’s deck and completely covers it with water, though shallowly. It describes a relatively brief moment of immersion, with a surface quickly reemerging, not yet dry but no long submerged. This contrasts with a situation in which an object is submerged for a relatively long time, or permanently, a condition known as sinking. Sunken items are not expected to rise from their immersion, whereas objects that are awash are not presumed to be in danger of sinking.
“Awash” 是指物體完全沒入水中，就像海浪沖過船的甲板，完全被水覆蓋，不過水並不深，浸入水中的時間不長，物體表面很快又露出水面，還未風乾，但也不再位於水中。相較之下，“sinking” 則指物體浸入水中一段長時間，甚至永遠浸在水裡。一般推測，物體浸在水中表示不會再露出水面，但物體被湧起的水覆蓋，表示不會一直沉沒在水裡。

In saying that Taiwan on Double Ten Day is “awash” with celebrations, the writer infers that the activities of that day will not continue for days and weeks and months. Rather, they are a brief, if annual, flurry of activity, a short dunking of the Republic in celebrations and gala events. In the context of the Republic’s history, the use of the word “awash” also connotes buoyancy and permanency. The word choice might further allude to the Republic’s maritime situation and to its political seaworthiness in rough seas or smooth.
本句形容台灣過雙十節時，“awash”（湧起）一波波的慶祝活動，作者推斷國慶日的活動不會持續好幾天，甚至幾周或幾個月，相反的，只在每年一小段時間舉行一波熱鬧的活動，只是一時沉醉在儀式與慶祝大會中。從中華民國的歷史來看，用 “awash” （湧起）這個字也隱含了國家的浮沉，可能進一步暗指中華民國海上的處境，以及在波濤洶湧或風平浪靜時的政治航程。

Answer: We believe the sentence is best completed this way:

“The transference of feelings toward his psychologist was strong because of her physical likeness to his mother, and he listened raptly each session like an adoring man-child.”

Those three words complete the picture of a man caught between love for his mother and affection for his psychologist. In describing the man as “adoring,” the writer built upon the stated observations that his doctor looked like his mother and that he listened to the doctor “raptly.” Had the man hated his mother, the attention paid the doctor would have been described differently, perhaps as “coldly.” And rather than describe the man simply as an adoring “son,” the writer chose instead “man-child,” which conflates the man’s feelings as an adult for his doctor and as a child for his mother. Picking words carefully is so crucial to good writing.
填上這三個字使語意更完整，形容男子陷在對母親的愛慕與對心理醫生的感情間。根據描述，心理醫生長得像母親，所以文章說男子“adoring”（充滿孺慕之情），且 “raptly”（全神貫注）地聽醫生說話。如果男子討厭母親，文章描述他對醫生的態度就會不同，或許是“coldly”（冷淡地）。文章不僅將男子形容為充滿仰慕之情的 “son”（兒子），而是選擇形容他為 “man-child”（長不大的男人），同時描寫了男子兩種感覺，既像成人依賴醫生，也像兒童依附母親。想寫出好文章，一定要注意遣詞用字。