Missey 經常批改學生文章，發覺十居其九都會犯「詞彙過於重覆」這個毛病。對於香港學生，莫講寫英文，分分鐘連寫中文都有「詞窮」或「諗黎諗去都得幾隻字」的問題。
真實例子：學生 A 作了一篇有關環保的文章。由於題目要求需以不同角度解剖某政策對社會上各持份者的好處和壞處，所以其文章不停出現 "people who are environmentally friendly" 或者 "people who are not environmentally friendly" 來陳述雙方見解。呢個時候，問題就出現喇！當學生每段大概 150 - 200 字，如果重覆寫幾次 "people who are environmentally friendly" 或者 "people who are not environmentally friendly"，除了字裏行間顯累贅、有「呃字數」之嫌，還會令整個論證鋪排顯得鬆散。
最容易的解決方法係 ... 多善用「同義詞」！
咁點算好呢？最簡單的方法是大家要多多善用「同義詞」(請見下圖。我年多前於 IG/Fb 發過不少「善用同義詞」的實用教學貼文，記得去重温 & Save the Post ✅)，把 important 寫成 paramount / significant / critical，或者試下「改變詞性」，把 important 單一形容詞寫成 of great / paramount importance 等片語。善用「同義詞」後，字眼上雖然接近，仍稍顯累贅，但不失為一個容易上手的解決方法 (handy solution) 👍🏻，學生不妨參考。
「改變詞性」也是另一良方！
示範：把句中出現兩次的 popular 的其中一個改為 popularity，以及其中一個 young people 改為同義詞 adolescents：
Online gaming is becoming increasingly popular among young people. The main reason why it is so popular with young people is wider access to the Internet.
Online gaming is gaining popularity among adolescents. The main reason why it is so popular with young people is wider access to the Internet.
温馨提示：如果你採取「改變詞性」方法，一般句子的結構也需隨之改變，例如：主要動詞需改變去遷就新詞性。上述的例子，我就把 becoming 改了 gaining 去配合 popularity 這個名詞。相比直接套入同義或近義的詞語，「改變詞性」這個方法比較適合能力中階到中上的學生，用起來要加倍小心！
也可以善用「代詞」！
可以用 the former / the latter 去表達「前者/後者」。請看以下兩句：
The financial advisor is selling two investment-linked products - ABC Plan and DEF Plan. Of these two options, ABC Plan is less expensive, while DEF Plan is less risky.
The financial advisor is selling two investment-linked products - ABC Plan and DEF Plan. Of these two options, the former is less expensive, while the latter is less risky.
看？第二句簡潔得多，而且看似更有深度。
另外，可以用 counterpart 去表達「同性質/同類的事物/人」。請看以下兩句。少了重覆用字，第二句表達得更簡潔，句子結構更緊湊：
According to online interviews conducted by Greenpeace, 17 percent of Hong Kong respondents aged between 20 and 45 have the potential to be shopaholics, compared with only 12 percent of Taiwan respondents aged between 20 and 45.
According to online interviews conducted by Greenpeace, 17 percent of Hong Kong respondents aged between 20 and 45 have the potential to be shopaholics, compared with only 12 percent of their Taiwan counterparts.
「醒」多你一個百搭方法：就係「善用關聯詞」！
另一個今日重點分享的方法是「善用關聯詞」👍🏻👍🏻。如果想表達 environmentally friendly (環保)，學生可諗諗相關的事物。
例如：「環保」可引申去「宣掦綠色生活」、「選擇環境保護而非一人之利」、「喜愛藍天白雲」、「想呼吸新鮮空氣」、「重視可持續發展」、「搜羅環保或有機產品」… (英文翻譯即係：people going green / the environment-conscious / those willing to place a priority on environmental protection over selfish needs / those who care about clean water, fresh air and azure sky / those who value environmental sustainability / people in search of eco-friendly or organic products ...)
See? 😎 只要嘗試多角度思考「環保」(例如：環保人仕消費模式？利益取捨如何？愛好或興趣？…)，你會發現跟「環保」相關的字眼多不勝數，寫文時絕不需要經常硬搬 environmentally friendly 二字，從以化解累贅重覆的垢病。
🚨 Takeaway Exercise
最後留個小小練習給大家，如果想表達「奸商」這類人，除了直譯 unscrupulous businessmen/ traders，為免重覆字眼，你又可以點寫呢？(請到最底部見答案)
👉 想學更多作文秘技，上堂見啦！
中學補習課程：www.pllearning.com/course
Ms Priscilla【14年全職補習】
滿分全A港大畢業兼9A狀元
✅ 理科思維👉高效學英文
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👉🏻 感激大家支持 👈🏻
* 截至 10/9/2022
其一答案：Businessmen who adopt deceptive marketing strategies