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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.

“Good business centers in hotels produce copied and faxed material, wireless Internet conversations, and steepled fingers in the lounge as executives look back on their day.”
「飯店內完善的商務中心提供影印、傳真、無線網路服務，高階主管在休息室裡指尖相搭，回顧當日的行程。」

The “steepling” of fingers is a physical gesture in which a person presses the tips of his fingers together, or meshes them up to about the second joint. Sometimes the fingers are meshed and rounded with only the index fingers jutting upward, their tips touching. This is called steepling because the pointed or meshed fingers resemble a church steeple or the sloping upper architecture of a similarly large building. Body language specialists have concluded from their observations that such steepling is an indicator of personal confidence in personal interactions.
“Steepling of fingers” 是兩掌指尖搭在一起，或手指在第二指關節處交疊的姿勢，有時候所有手指都交疊，只有食指朝上，指尖相觸。這種姿勢之所以叫 “steepling”，是因為相搭或交疊的手指很像教堂的尖頂 (steeple)，或類似大型建築物的斜頂。研究身體語言的人觀察後認為，如果一個人擺出這個姿勢，表示在人際互動上很有自信。

The author of the sentence wove this allusion to a confident businessperson into a description of hotel business centers. This was accomplished by listing, along with the center’s hardware and software, the “steepled fingers in the lounge” of evidently satisfied businesspeople. This use of imagery—the body language of the executives—begins the reader’s transition from business center talk to description of the hotel’s dining and entertainment facilities. Thus, alluding to a human characteristic seamlessly returns the focus of the article to the hotel’s human guests.
作者描述飯店商務中心時，除了列出商務中心的軟硬體，還寫出洋溢自信的商務人士 “steepled fingers in the lounge”（在休息室裡指尖相搭），將他們充滿自信的形象穿插在句中。藉由使用意象，也就是高階主管的身體語言，讓讀者從商務中心轉而注意飯店的餐飲與娛樂設施。文章以暗喻的方式提到旅客的特性，將重點自然轉回旅客身上。

TPS的編輯教授在此歡迎關於學術文章的所有詢問，當然，其實他並沒有足夠的時間給你。他擁有終身教職的教授身份，也是著名的學術巨作作者。即便如此，他仍大方地接受你們的詢問。將關於學術方面的詢問寫在下方，你將獲得教授的親自指導，陶冶對學術的探索與啟發。
The professor awaits your query on academic writing, though in all honesty, he doesn’t have a lot of time for you. He is a tenured full professor and working on yet another magnificent academic tome. Even so, he has graciously consented to entertain your question. Submit it and prepare to be edified.

QUESTION: I generally enjoy writing papers assigned by my professor, regardless of the subject. But sometimes I get so hung up on a word or a section that I can’t go on. What is the best way to overcome writer’s block or whatever you want to call a sudden inability to write?
不管是什麼題目，我通常都很喜歡寫教授指派的論文，但是有時候我會因為一個詞或一段句子卡住，寫不下去。如果我突然寫不出東西，要怎麼克服這個寫作障礙？

Most writer’s block is easily overcome by momentarily quitting. It’s that simple. Of course, professional writers on deadline—and students who have procrastinated working on an assignment—can’t step away from a writing project for long. Yet giving the right side of the brain some rest now and then tends to revive it. Straighten up the room or wash dishes instead, go jogging, watch a Lady Gaga music video. Let your thoughts wander down less disciplined lanes. Then sit again at your desk and see if your brain hasn’t regained its capacity to breach a barrier.
多數的寫作障礙只要先暫時停止寫作，很容易就可以克服，就這麼容易。當然，職業作家面臨截稿，或是學生拖拖拉拉作業寫不完時，也不能暫停太久，不過偶爾讓大腦休息一下可以讓思緒恢復活力。起來收收房間、洗碗、慢跑，或是看看女神卡卡的音樂錄影帶，放鬆思緒、任其漫遊，然後再回到座位上，看看大腦是不是已經跨越障礙，重拾寫作能力。

If the micro-vacation hasn’t recharged you, stronger measures are required. A first one is to determine if the fault lies with your brain or with the material it is being called upon to process. If you are trying to communicate a murky thought in writing that is so turgid that your brain can’t follow it, this tells you all you need to know: Start over. Clarity of thought and clarity of expression work in tandem. When an argument is clear in your mind, writing it clearly is easy. While subsequent word choices still may be difficult, they shouldn’t block the way
如果稍事休息還是沒辦法讓大腦重振活力，就得採取更有力的做法。首先要確定問題是出在你身上，還是你要處理的句子上。如果你想說的事很模糊，表達起來複雜難懂，讓你的腦袋轉不過來，這表示你該做的只有一件事：重寫。思想清晰才能表達清晰，如果腦海中的論點很清楚，要寫清楚就很容易了。即使之後遣詞用字要費點腦筋，你還是能順利寫下去。

One other impediment to the flow of copy onto a page is plain old stubbornness. A writer sometimes will fall in love with a word, or a phrase, sometimes with an entire idea, and refuse to relinquish it even though it leads nowhere. The word or phrase or idea might, in fact, be a perfectly beautiful one. Yet if it interrupts or entirely blocks the writing process, it clearly is the wrong word or phrase or idea for that moment. Eliminate it. Delete as far back as necessary to get a clean start on another word or phrase or idea. It is the only way to get moving ahead.
阻礙寫作另一項常見的原因，就是執迷不悟。作者有時會著迷於某個字詞或語句，有時候會對某個想法抓著不放，即使無法繼續發展，也不願意放棄。這些詞句或想法或許很出色，但是如果干擾寫作或使寫作無法持續，此時該詞句或想法顯然就不適合。刪掉吧，按住刪除鍵不放，直到可以重新來過，發展出另一個詞句或想法。想順利寫下去，這是唯一的辦法。

Answer: We believe the best revision is… “By the end of the session, it was clear the speaker was fanatical about neo-socialism and unlikely to cool his ardor any time soon.”

This suggested revision reduces the word count to 24 from 27. It does so by addressing two sets of redundant phrases. One is “radical fanatic.” Every fanatic is, by definition, radical inasmuch as fanaticism is characterized by extreme enthusiasm and intense emotions. These are not middling conditions. They do not describe, in this case, a moderate neo-socialist. Therefore, by dropping “a radical” and turning the noun “fanatic” into the adjective “fanatical,” the sentence is slimmed and strengthened.
依照建議修改，處理兩組多餘的詞句後，句子的字數從 27 降至 24 個字。一個多餘的詞組是 “radical fanatic”（激進的狂熱分子）。狂熱就是極端的熱情與強烈的情緒，沒有中庸之道，所以每個狂熱分子原本就是激進份子，在此不會有「溫和」的新社會主義。因此，刪去 “a radical”，將名詞 “fanatic” 改成形容詞 “fanatical”，能讓句子更加簡潔有力。

The sentence contains a second redundancy in the phrase “cool down.” The word “cool” originally referred to temperature, not social status. When temperatures drop, they cool. The direction of the change—down—is understood. By the same token, one does not “heat up” the water; heating it down is impossible. Therefore, it can be said the speaker was not expected to “cool his ardor.” Eliminating “down” not only reduces the word count, it raises the reader’s regard for the writer.
第二個多餘的詞句是 “cool down”，“cool” 這個字原本與社會地位無關，而是表示溫度冷卻，單 “cool” 一字就能表現溫度是下降的。同理，將水加溫時不說 “heat up” 而說 “heat”，因為加熱不可能還讓溫度下降。因此，寫成 “cool his ardor”（熱情冷卻）就可以了，刪去 “down” 不僅能減少字數，讀者也更能看出作者的文筆。

We get caught up in redundancies in our conversations and colloquial writing. That’s because casual communication permits more emotional content. Academic writers are supposed to be disciplined in their formal expression. They are expected to avoid use of redundant clichés like “past experience” and such regrettable outbursts as “extraordinarily awesome.” While there always is a place for modifiers to clarify and emphasize, use of adjectives and adverbs should be carefully restricted—and never wasted on redundancies.
一般對話與口語寫作往往充斥多餘的詞句，因為輕鬆的溝通帶有較多情感交流成分，寫作學術文章則應該有組織、符合標準，不要用 “past experience”（過去的經驗）等陳腔贅詞，也要避免不假思索的寫出 “extraordinarily awesome”（超棒）等糟糕的詞句。即使能用修飾語釐清或強調語意，仍應慎用形容詞和副詞，切勿讓詞句顯得冗贅。

The best writing doesn’t waste words. It employs words efficiently. The first TPS Fan to complete the sentence below as we believe it should be 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. Each brevity rule is contained in 10 Ways to Shorten & Strengthen Your Academic Paper and will be posted on the TPS Fan page as introduced.
最佳的寫作，必須有效選用字句、惜字如金。TPS推出新專欄，請你寫出簡潔、流暢的詞彙/句子。題目刊登於下方，經TPS編輯教授評選為第1位最適解答的粉絲，可獲得統一超商/星巴克咖啡NTD200元的購物禮券；增設特別獎1名，獎項給予提出符合句意又別具創意之解答的粉絲。解答與獲獎的粉絲姓名，將於明天公佈於本TPS專頁。每一項簡潔準則，皆收錄於TPS新推出之「十大簡潔英文準則」，將定期刊登本專欄，敬請密切鎖定、先睹為快。

Rule # 9: Avoid redundant phrases … An academic writer can tighten his paper and sharply increase its readability by avoiding the use of words that repeat themselves. In the sentence below, the writer employed phrases that added nothing to the sentence but extra words. How can the sentence best be written shorter and stronger?
十大簡潔英文準則九：避免多餘詞句
寫作學術文章若能避免使用重複的詞句，能使文章更簡潔，且容易閱讀得多。以下的句子中，作者使用的詞句並未增加訊息，只是徒然增加字數。該如何修改，才能讓句子更精簡有力？

題目 Contest Sentence:

“By the end of the session, it was clear the speaker was a radical fanatic about neo-socialism and unlikely to cool down his ardor any time soon.”

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

“During four decades of observing chimpanzees in Tanzania, Jane Goodall found some presumed truths about the animal’s behavior to be wildly untrue. She also shattered a few myths about anthropological methods. In her study of several chimp families, for example, Goodall learned to recognize each individual and to give each a name. She thus anthropomorphized the chimps—attributed to the chimps human characteristics—an approach that some of her scientific peers found wanting. Her unconventional methods stemmed from Goodalls’ background as an unlettered researcher, the absence of dogma giving her freer reign in her studies.”

This paragraph about a famed anthropologist and her discoveries passes muster if merely skimmed. More careful reading finds weaknesses. The “four decades” reference can be more simply expressed as “40 years.” In the second sentence, “presumed truths” can be more succinctly stated as “assumptions.” The phrase “found wanting” is not wrong, but it is imprecise; “criticized as unscientific” specifically states her peers’ complaint. In the last sentence, the phrase “freer reign” is a common misuse of “reign” instead of “rein,” and is further weakened by the absence of the modifier “intellectual.” Can you find the two errors in the use of the apostrophe to denote possession? One is “animal’s…” instead of “animals’…” What is the other?
本段文章描述著名的人類學家珍古德以及她的研究發現，大略讀過後看來沒有問題，但仔細讀後就會找到一些缺陷。“Four decades” 可以寫成 “40 years” 就好，第二句 “presumed truths”（假定的事實）改成 “assumptions”`（假設）會更精簡。“Found wanting” （缺失）並沒有錯，但改成 “criticized as unscientific” （不科學）更精確，以具體點出同儕的批評。最後一句 “freer reign” 犯了常見的錯誤，誤將 “rein”（拘束）寫成 “reign”（疆域）了，此外若加上 “intellectual” 會更清楚。有兩個代表所有格的符號有誤，其中一個是“animal’s…” 應改為 “animals’…”，另一個你找得到嗎？

Acceptable 認可的文章

“During 40 years of observing chimpanzees in Tanzania, Jane Goodall found some assumptions about the animals’ behavior to be false. She also dispelled a few myths about anthropological methods. In her study of chimp families, for example, Goodall learned to recognize each individual and to give each a name. She thus anthropomorphized the chimps—attributed to the chimps human characteristics—an approach that some of her scientific peers criticized as unscientific. Her unconventional methods stemmed from Goodall’s background as an unlettered researcher, the absence of dogma giving her freer intellectual rein in her studies.”

取得碩博士學位的最終步驟是完成論文，然而，撰寫論文的過程通常是既漫長又嚴謹的長期抗戰。本次學術專欄特別推出「論文撰寫六大準備技巧」，幫助你做好準備工作，順利完成論文。每一項準備技巧，將定期刊登於本專欄。
The final step in earning many master and doctorate degrees is completion of a thesis or dissertation. The process involved typically is lengthy and exacting. Following is one of 6 recommendations to help you get started on your dissertation in such a way that you can successfully complete it. Each tip in the series will appear on the TPS Fans page.

Tip # 6 – Roughly outline the paper; adopt a research schedule and method of note-taking
技巧六－撰寫論文大綱、安排時間表、勤作筆記

Having committed to writing a dissertation and chosen a topic acceptable to a dissertation committee, a candidate for an advanced degree is almost ready to begin researching and writing a paper—almost, but not quite. One final phase of preparation is left, one as important as any that preceded it, for now is the moment when the theoretical begins to yield to reality. Now is when the machinery of creation is oiled, the belts checked, tires kicked. These preparatory actions ensure that steady production will ensue once the research/writing engine actually is cranked up.
立定決心撰寫論文，也選擇了適合的論文題目，研究者差不多準備好進行研究與撰寫。注意，只是快要準備好，但還差一步。把想法付諸行動之前，還要完成準備步驟的最後一步，這個步驟和前面的準備步驟一樣重要。現在寫作論文的工具已經上好油、安全帶也繫上了，輪胎也檢查完畢準備上路了，就等研究/寫作的引擎開始運轉，這些準備工作就能讓一切穩定進行。

First, a rough outline of the paper should be composed. A general understanding of the paper’s structure should already exist, but getting it on paper is critical. Like a roadmap, a rough outline will help keep research on track. The outline is rough because it will be adjusted as new material and ideas are integrated. After all, research should produce new material! The outline also should correlate to the project’s calendar; stress is what a dissertation writer feels when a quarter of research is complete at the halfway point of the schedule. Management of time is crucial.
首先，研究者應該先寫論文大綱。研究者心中應該已有論文的大致結構，但應該將結構付諸文字。論文大綱就像地圖，能幫助研究時程步上軌道。這只是暫時的大綱，有新的資料與想法時可以再修改，因為研究一定會產生新的資料。論文大綱應該符合論文計畫的時間表，如果時間過了一半，研究才進行四分之一，研究者一定壓力很大，所以時間管理非常重要。

Finally, as research actually begins, a writer should establish an effective method of note-taking and materials organization. Any long-form writing project, especially one involving much research, must be systematically undertaken. This is because, as time passes, the key to deciphering cryptic notes sometimes is lost, rendering the notes worthless. A writer should at the outset choose one method to record notes, observations, and insights in an orderly, rational, and transparently understandable way. This will speed writing, reduce errors, and never be regretted.
最後，研究正式開始後，研究者應該找出有效的方法做筆記和組織資料。任何長篇的寫作計畫，特別是涉及許多研究的計畫，一定要有系統地進行。因為等時間一長，你可能已經忘記當初潦草的筆記在寫些什麼，筆記就派不上用場了。寫作論文時，一開始就應該用有條理、合理、清楚易懂的方式，把心得、觀察與靈感記錄下來，這樣可以加快寫作速度，減少錯誤，也不會留下遺憾。

Correct best answer: Replace “board” with “broad.”

“An automobile designer knows that broad acceptance of a design is as much about the emotional response of buyers as it is about the stylized sheet metal itself.”

Welcome to the confusing world of typos. That is the most likely reason for the use of “board” instead of “broad.” The computer’s automatic spell-check feature might even have “corrected” it from one to the other. (If so, the responsibility for the error still remains with the writer.) On the other hand, the writer might have been thinking about an automotive company’s board of directors in the beginning of the sentence, but by the middle of the sentence, the acceptance of the “buyers” is the central concern. For whatever reason, the use of “board” weakened the sentence and sparked at least momentary confusion in the minds of readers.
拼寫錯誤會使文意不清，本段文章誤將 “broad” 拼為 “board” 就是最好的例子。電腦的自動拼字檢查「修正」時可能誤植為另一個字，但作者應負起確實檢查的責任。另外，作者一開始可能想寫汽車公司的董事會 (board of directors)，不過寫到一半，卻改將句子重點放在客戶(buyers)身上。無論如何，“board” 這個錯字使句義模糊，也令讀者匪夷所思。

撰寫學術文章時，每字每句都需要謹慎著墨。改變幾個字就會使完整的一句話變得令人摸不著頭緒。下列的句子中，為使這句話能完整且有意義的表達，請選出你認為會令人感到困惑的字，我們將提供統一超商/星巴克咖啡NTD200元禮券，給予挑出混淆字，並寫出最佳替代字的第1位粉絲，最適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!
Every word is important in a well-written academic paper. Changing just a word or two can turn a clear sentence into a confusing one. Tell us what word you would change in the following puzzling sentence to render it more meaningful. The first best answer will receive a NTD200 7-11/Starbucks Gift Certificate.

題目Contest Sentence:
“An automobile designer knows that board acceptance of a design is as much about the emotional response of buyers as it is about the stylized sheet metal itself.”

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 cannonball arrived moments later, rolling down the sky and scattering the bowling pins lined up in their new uniforms on the parade lawn.”
「不久砲彈抵達，從天空落下，將列隊在檢閱草坪上，穿著新軍服的士兵，像保齡球瓶般擊倒在地。」

Bowling balls, as anyone knows who has bowled, are dense and heavy. The mass of a rolling bowling ball is greater than the mass of the pins in geometric formation at the end of the bowling alley. Consequently, the pins are knocked aside whenever struck by the ball, or by a ricocheting pin. The game would be pointless and not much fun at all if the mass of the pins withstood the impact of the ball and sent it bouncing away. The physics of the game are on display with every roll of the ball.
打過保齡球的人都知道，保齡球密度大，相當沉重，滾動的保齡球比球道底端排成三角形的球瓶重多了。因此，球瓶如果被保齡球或其他彈跳的球瓶擊中，就會被打飛。如果球瓶重到足以承受保齡球的撞擊，讓球反彈，球賽就打不下去了。每次保齡球滾動，球賽進行的物理原則就展露無遺。

In writing about a tragic Civil War incident, the writer uses the metaphor of bowling, substituting a cannonball for a bowling ball. The writer describes the impact of the cannonball on soldiers who were standing in review, referring to the soldiers as “bowling pins lined up in their new uniforms.” The projectile clearly tore through the assembled soldiers, “scattering” them as it struck. Because the soldiers were lined up on “the parade lawn,” the metaphor also sparks an image of lawn bowling. Nothing was lost in translating the tragedy into metaphorical language.
作者描寫一場內戰的悲劇事件，以保齡球隱喻砲彈，描寫砲彈撞擊草坪上接受檢閱的士兵，將士兵描寫為 “bowling pins lined up in their new uniforms”（列隊在檢閱草坪上，穿著新軍服的保齡球瓶），遭砲彈狠狠炸得四散。士兵在 “the parade lawn”（檢閱草坪）上列隊，也令人聯想起草地保齡球的意象。這場悲劇所應用的隱喻可說是非常貼切、擬真，是引用隱喻句法的最佳例子。

TPS的編輯教授在此歡迎關於學術文章的所有詢問，當然，其實他並沒有足夠的時間給你。他擁有終身教職的教授身份，也是著名的學術巨作作者。即便如此，他仍大方地接受你們的詢問。將關於學術方面的詢問寫在下方，你將獲得教授的親自指導，陶冶對學術的探索與啟發。
The professor awaits your query on academic writing, though in all honesty, he doesn’t have a lot of time for you. He is a tenured full professor and working on yet another magnificent academic tome. Even so, he has graciously consented to entertain your question. Submit it and prepare to be edified.

QUESTION: My friend read two of my papers and told me I wasn’t a confident writer. I asked her how she could tell, and she couldn’t say. But it is true: I am not overly confident. How can I seem to be confident until I actually gain confidence?
朋友看了兩篇我的論文，說我的文章讀起來很沒有信心，我問她是怎麼看出來的，她也說不上來，但我確實不是很有信心。在實際獲得信心前，我該如何讓文章讀來有信心呢？

Without reading your papers, I can’t really tell you how your lack of confidence manifests itself in your writing. Yet it is true that writers of uncertain mastery always run the risk of showcasing their shaky command of the writing craft. Their shakiness ripples through a sentence. But supremely confident writers sometimes produce weak writing, too, victims of their hubris. Given the choice, I would rather be an under-confident writer and use it as a prod to improve. So don’t lose faith in yourself and in your ability.
沒有看過你的論文，我也不知道你的文章哪裡顯得缺乏信心，不過如果作者無法完全掌握文章，確實會從游移不定的寫作技巧中顯示出來，猶疑不安的感覺會在句子間蔓延。但是充滿自信的作者若過於自大，有時也會寫出差勁的文章。要讓我來選，我寧可作信心不足的作者，督促自己努力改進。所以對自己和自己的能力要有信心。

Your objective—to fool a professor into thinking you are a confident academic author—is legitimate and worthwhile. Confident writing is a tool of persuasion. Even the appearance of confidence is more apt to persuade. So how can you do it? One way is to write emphatically. That is, use forceful, declarative words that unmistakably make a point. Stay away from diffident word choices. Avoid fuzzy words like “probably” and “things” and “kind of” and phrases like “stuff like that.” (I joke. You wouldn’t dare.)
你想讓教授覺得你的論文看來充滿自信，這麼想沒錯，而且很值得努力。寫作要有信心，才能說服讀者，即使只是看起來有信心，也更具說服力。該怎麼做呢？寫作時，語氣應更加堅定，運用強而有力、決斷的字詞，明白提出觀點，不要膽怯，不要用模糊的字詞，像是「可能」、「之類的」、「有點」，或是「這一類的東西」（開玩笑的，你還不至於這麼寫吧！）

Another way to show confidence is to have your sentences lead somewhere. If they wander to and fro, they suggest that you as a writer are lost. A sentence should declare itself, rather than hint and mince. Let a sentence introduce a thought to be embellished or completed by a following sentence. Such tight construction, rife with thoughtful word choices, leaves a reader so caught up in reading that questions of confidence never arise. It is simple: Research thoroughly; organize cleanly; write as if you believe it.
想表露自信還有個方法，就是保持句子意思明確。如果句子不停兜圈子，代表作者大概也迷路了。句子的意思應能一目瞭然，而非吞吞吐吐、意有所指。先寫一個句子介紹主旨，再用後面的句子修飾、補足意思。如果文章結構緊密、用字遣詞思考周到，讀者就會完全沉浸在文章中，絲毫不會懷疑作者沒有信心。記得充分研究、巧妙組織，相信自己所寫的內容，就是這麼簡單。