1.Lead with your main idea.

緊扣中心思想

As a general rule, state the main idea of a paragraph in the first sentence--the topic sentence. Don't keep your readers guessing.

通常，文章的第一句話就要表達出自己的看法，這也就是所謂的“主題句”。不要讓讀者去猜想。

2.Vary the length of your sentences.

變換句子的長度。

In general, use short sentences to emphasize ideas. Use longer sentences to explain, define, or illustrate ideas.

一般，使用短句來強調中心思想，使用長句來解釋、定義、或者闡述自己的想法。

3.Put key words and ideas at the beginning or end of a sentence.

把關鍵詞和中心放在段落的始句或者尾句。

Don't bury a main point in the middle of a long sentence. To emphasize key words, place them at the beginning or （better yet） at the end.

不要讓中心埋沒在段落中。想要強調關鍵詞的話就把他們放在起始或者結尾。

4.Vary sentence types and structures.

變換句型和結構

Vary sentence types by including occasional questions and commands. Vary sentence structures by blending simple, compound, and complex sentences.

穿插一般疑問句和命令句來變換句型。也可以用簡單、復合或者復雜句來增加句子結構的種類。

5.Use active verbs.

使用主動動詞

Don't overwork the passive voice or forms of the verb “to be.” Instead, use dynamic verbs in the active voice.

不要過度使用“to be”這些被動語態。在主動語態中使用主動動詞吧。

6.Use specific nouns and verbs.

確切的使用名詞和動詞

To convey your message clearly and keep your readers engaged, use concrete and specific words that show what you mean.

要想清楚的表達你的想法，讓讀者明白你的意思，就需要使用具體、確切的詞語來表達。

7.Cut the clutter.

去除冗雜

When revising your work, eliminate unnecessary words.

當你修改文章的時候，去除那些不需要的詞語。

8.Read aloud when you revise.

朗讀修改

When revising, you may hear problems （of tone, emphasis, word choice, and syntax） that you can't see. So listen up!

當你朗讀修改時，你可能聽出那些不易于看出來的問題。比如說：語氣語調，強調部分，一些詞語的選擇，句法。所以，仔細聽好！

9.Actively edit and proofread.

積極的編輯、校對

It's easy to overlook errors when merely looking over your work. So be on the lookout for common trouble spots when studying your final draft.

只需重讀一遍自己的文章就很容易檢查出錯誤。當檢查最后的草稿時，請注意那些很容易出錯的地方。

10.Use a dictionary.

使用字典

When proofreading, don't trust your spellchecker: it can tell you only if a word is a word, not if it's the right word.

在校對的時候不要相信那些拼寫檢查。它只能告訴你某個單詞的拼寫是否正確，不能告訴你這個詞是否用對了。