In recent years, college entrance examination essay questions have been in the form of topic essays. Topic essays are very open and provide a lot of free writing space for candidates to show their talents. Many excellent essays emerge in the college entrance examination every year. Among the excellent essays in various styles, the most outstanding ones are argumentative essays. . Argumentative prose can contain rich content, facilitate the expression of sincere emotions, express profound thoughts, show a profound cultural heritage, and is most likely to be favored by marking teachers. However, it is not easy to write argumentative prose well. The most common problem that many candidates have when writing such articles is that they are slow to enter the topic. Of course, entering the topic slowly is not off-topic, but it often makes the entire article seem lax and the center is not prominent enough. Naturally, it is not easy for such an essay to obtain high scores. For example, the following two examples begin:

① "If time is a knife, then the first thing it cuts off is your graceful appearance; if time is a steelyard, then it will eventually weigh your weight; if time is like a song, then singing it at the end is the real charm,..."

(2001 college entrance examination essay in a certain province)

The author writes at the beginning of the article A set of parallel sentences is used, and the language is not bad, but how does this relate to the topic "integrity"? What theme will the following content represent?

② "When I marveled at Balzac's persistence, Maupassant's exquisiteness, Tagore's wisdom, Lu Xun's pungency, and Zhu Ziqing's meticulousness, I began to use my heart to feel and use my hands to describe life. Life. Ah, you are a huge network. In this network, there are you, me, and him..." (2001 college entrance examination essay in a certain province)

This candidate said on the topic of "Integrity" In the novel, Balzac, Maupassant, Tagore, Lu Xun, and Zhu Ziqing are "amazed", leaving people puzzled. What can be "net" from this "net" in such a beginning?

At the beginning of these two college entrance examination essays, although the language is exquisite, the content is rich, and they are very literary, they failed to focus on the center and quickly get to the topic. How can such a composition be "centered" and attract the attention of the marking teacher with its carefully designed "highlights"? In fact, if you can pay attention to fast and effective topic entry techniques when writing, you can naturally avoid shortcomings like the two examples above. Below, the author briefly introduces several ways to quickly enter the topic based on the beginnings of several argumentative essays in the 2003 National College Entrance Examination Excellent Compositions.

1. Start with the topic from a novel image metaphor and directly answer the question

“Reason and emotion are the two footprints in human life. Every step of the way human beings understand things. Every growth is related to their reason and emotion. "(Jiangsu Candidate "The Balance and the Lyre")

Comparing reason and emotion to the two footprints in human life, the first sentence is very vivid. It points out the inner relationship between emotion and reason - emotion and reason have an important impact on cognition. This kind of beginning introduces the topic quickly and sparkles with speculative color, which is refreshing.

2. Use vivid and appropriate personification in the title to stimulate imagination

“In the eyes of the butterfly, the flower is an angel, because the flower gives her the nectar of life; in the eyes of the flower, the bee is an angel. A close friend, because the bee gives her the continuation of life. However, in the eyes of the butterfly, the bee is just a fool who works hard, and in the eyes of the bee, the butterfly is just a prodigal son playing among the flowers." (Hubei Candidates' "Observation of Learning History")

At the beginning of the article, butterflies, bees, and flowers are given human qualities. Even objects will evaluate and recognize things with an emotional perspective, let alone emotional people? Through vivid and appropriate personification techniques, the inner meaning of the topic is cleverly pointed out, which not only arouses people's associations with beautiful things, but also reflects the author's wisdom.

3. Starting from the wonderful and profound questions, it inspires people to think deeply

“People have seven emotions, including their own likes and dislikes. However, when these likes and dislikes What kind of impact will it have when it is mixed with the understanding of the truth? "(Shandong Candidate "Don't Judge by Likes and Dislikes"

From the beginning, the writing is closely linked to emotion and cognition, and the reader is drawn into a hypothesis? The thinking leads to the thinking of the essential issues, and the conception of the article is very profound. This way of entering the title brings the rhetorical effect of the question into full play, which is simple but full of weight.

Four. It is elegant. The parallel sentence structure is used in the title to get the head start

"Will you disdain the coconut trees and sea breeze in the South because you love the white snow in the North? Will you be obsessed with the small bridges, flowing water, green tiles and white tiles in the south of the Yangtze River? Would you mind denying the beauty of the northwest's "straight smoke in the desert, and the round sun setting over the long river"? Would you mind if Lin Daiyu was "having a temper" instead of watching the classic "Dream of Red Mansions"? Would you love pop music and be tired of "boring" classical music? ——The ancient Greek philosopher once said that people are emotional animals. Therefore, in the face of the world, emotional closeness, likes and dislikes will often affect their views on people and things. Set up a balance and have your own standards to measure everything around you." (Hubei candidate "The Balance in the Heart")

Elegant language, harmonious syllables, and rich images are not enough to touch your heart. Isn't emotion enough to make you suddenly realize in the taste of beauty that "the original perception of beauty, the view of people and things are all affected by the balance in the heart"?

5. Lyric discussion Get into the topic and be emotional

“It’s often when a relative’s life falls like a meteor that we lament the ruthlessness of death; it’s often when a friend is fighting a life-and-death battle with a disease that we curse the rampant disease. "It is often when our own interests are violated that we face the cancer in society..." (Jiangsu Candidate "Putting Down the Leaves of Emotion")

Is such language easy to arouse your ** *Ming? This kind of beginning is full of deep emotions and reflects the color of rationality. Such sensible words lead us to touch the essence-the leaves of emotion often block our rational sight.

6. Use famous aphorisms to enter the title and highlight the background

"People have feelings, as the old saying goes: 'People are not grass and trees, who can be ruthless.' Therefore, when recognizing things, There is a strong sense of personal emotion attached to it unconsciously, so there is the lingering feeling of "beauty is in the eyes of the lover" and the sadness of "feeling like a beautiful girl" ("How is the word "love" so good" by a Shandong candidate). /p>

The word "love" is closely linked to the beginning of the article, and three famous sentences about emotions are embedded in the three sentences, which shows the candidates' relatively solid writing skills. To put it bluntly, it means accumulation and progress. During the exam, you should have accumulated a lot of famous quotes and aphorisms, and what you have accumulated should not be just for the fill-in-the-blank question worth only 4 points.

7. Start by comparing. Question, express your position

“Sometimes, feelings are a fickle medicine that melts into the lover’s wine glass, and sweetness can be tasted in the bitterness; sometimes, feelings are a double-edged sword. , held in the enemy's hand, even if it is lightly swung, it will feel scarred. "(Zhejiang Candidate "True Love Is Valuable, Reason Is Higher")

Emotions are not only a "fickle medicine" that can turn bitterness into sweetness, but also a "double-edged sword" that can bring numerous scars. . The exquisite metaphor reveals the duality of emotion, forming a clever contrast, which vividly highlights the core of the article: sincerity is valuable, and reason is more valuable.

8. Start with a hypothetical scenario and bury it. Foreshadowing

“If you are in a hurry, but when you reach the intersection, you are told that there is no way to pass.

What would you do if this person was someone you knew? What would you do if this person was a stranger? "(Jiangxi candidate "Don't Talk to Strangers")

Yes, if we encounter this situation, what should we do? From the perspective of emotional intimacy, trust more in the people you know. , trust less people you don’t know, or the other way around? What should we do if there are other similar situations? Naturally, we will follow the author’s thoughts and see what the author’s preset answer is. What.

9. Start by criticizing current affairs and tracking the essence

“APEC has caused a ‘Tang suit craze’ all over the world. When I saw people of different skin colors and nationalities wearing the same Tang suit, I couldn’t help shouting, I love Tang suits! In the past, such traditional clothing was repulsive to Chinese people. It was boring, not as light and comfortable as western clothes. People complained, people blamed, and even made them ashamed to wear such clothes. I couldn't help but ask: Can one piece of clothing have so many faults? "(Hubei candidate "I Love Tang Suit")

The topic is directly based on the "Tang Suit craze" caused by the APEC meeting, and related to the different emotional attitudes towards Tang suit, leading to the questioning of the essence - clothes are naturally not There will be right and wrong, and what is wrong is people's emotions and cognitions. If you can use current affairs materials to stick to the topic when entering the topic, and trace the essence through commenting on current affairs, will the beginning of your composition be somewhat fresh? , how many rays of intellectual light are there?

10. The topic is based on real life and is thought-provoking

“People live in the world and spend their time in countless emotions. Some people say that a person's life begins with laughter and ends with crying. Every laugh and cry is full of deep human feelings, soaked in a lifetime of emotions, giving life a pillar, goal, and hope, making life It is truly full and fulfilling, giving humanity a dazzling brilliance.

People value emotions, and humans may never be able to understand the ruthless beastliness of a hungry lion, whose children are no different from prey. However, the clouds woven by deep and shallow emotions often become a shield, preventing people's originally wise eyes from seeing the blue sky. "(Hubei examinee "Don't let clouds of love obscure your wise eyes")

Most of the articles based on real life can be thought-provoking. A beginning like this closely links to the principle of "every cry and laughter is always about love" in life. From this perspective, it naturally leads to dialectical thinking on the relationship between emotion and cognition. It is not unpleasant to enter the topic, and the intention is not bad.

11. Starting from asking about history, with humanity in mind

“Once upon a time, I felt sad when I thought of Premier Zhou’s forgiveness of Japan. How many times have I been unhappy to see the leaders of China and the United States meeting? I don't understand, I don't understand why we are so friendly to the enemies who destroyed our homes and drove us from our homes, and I can't wait to know why. So, I eagerly stepped into the long river of history. "(Guangdong candidate "Let the Heart Be the Master")

Is it because of incomprehension or because of the deep and rich humanistic emotions in the heart that the author's style of writing seems so solemn? If it is not due to the understanding of history Reflection and cognition, emotions such as "sadness" and "unhappiness" may appear very bland, making it difficult for the article's purpose to reflect a certain height.

12. Directly from the material. Get to the point, be concise and clear

“The son and his neighbor said the same thing, but the rich man had completely opposite attitudes. The "rich man" in the fable has many shadows in real life. The balance of right and wrong needs to be manipulated by a rational hand. Don't let the weight of emotion influence your judgment. ”

(Hebei examinee "Don't let emotions blind your eyes to right and wrong")

Although it uses materials directly to enter the question, it has the following advantages: concise language, vivid metaphors, and viewpoints Be clear. This kind of beginning not only sticks to the material, but also sticks to the topic and highlights the center. It can be said to "kill three birds with one stone" and has the effect of making a clear statement.

In fact, an essay must stand out in the college entrance examination. , it is not enough to just pay attention to the skills of writing a good beginning.

It can be seen from the above examples that these exquisite openings are not just the simple application of a certain topic entry technique to show new ideas, but a combination of several or more techniques to achieve such good results. . From the beginning of these excellent examination compositions, we can feel that these candidates have the ability to control language and good Chinese literacy. This is the fundamental reason why their college entrance examination compositions can obtain high scores. I hope that during the preparation process, students will not only consciously learn from the successful experiences of others, but also enrich their own knowledge accumulation. Perhaps, starting from a wonderful beginning, you can also write a masterpiece with beautiful words and a prominent center.

Tips on Writing Argumentative Essays

Learn to "Start with a Sentence"

If you start the article reluctantly, you will feel boring when writing it, especially in the writing of argumentative essays. . If the article begins without thinking and follows the trend, it will have a negative impact on the object of discussion and the method of argumentation. If the goal direction is unclear, the discussion will be irrelevant, and the random beginning of the article will also cause a lack of confidence in writing. This kind of "random beginning" situation often appears in time-limited proposition compositions. The teacher requires that the paper be handed in in class, "you have to write if you can't write it", "you have to write even if you don't like the topic", so some students don't need to think about the topic. When the time comes, "get on the boat first and then talk", and then "find the target while swimming". This "swimming" often results in finding something to talk about. For example, when writing "Talk about Habits", he wrote: "What is a habit? A habit is... There are two kinds of habits: good habits and bad habits... Of course, there are also good and bad habits..." - It seems , "Answering" seems to be very smooth, but these words are dispensable. It is a common disease of articles to not see the point of view halfway through writing a 600-word article.

There are ways to cure this problem of "looking for goals while swimming", such as learning to analyze materials, improving dialectical thinking skills, expanding associative thinking, etc. In other words, you must practice basic skills well. But is there a more direct training method? Yes. The most obvious shortcoming of "get on the boat first and then talk" is the wordy beginning. Here is a way to start, that is, the "one-sentence method." Whether it is a material composition or a proposition composition, force yourself to start with only one sentence. . Doing so will go a long way toward correcting the problem of meaningless words at the beginning of the article. Since you can only use one sentence, you must consider clearly stating your point of view, forcing yourself to select the most significant words from your thinking on the topic as the beginning, and forcing yourself to compare and filter the content of your thinking. Such a beginning, Both concise and clear. The beginning of a sentence is helpful to enter the discussion as early as possible and make the central part stand out.

Forge your language

With the same proposition, relatively similar viewpoints, and similar argument structure, why are there still differences between articles? This is mainly a language issue. In nowadays middle school students' argumentative essay writing, it has almost become a chronic disease not to pay attention to improving their language proficiency.

The language of argumentative essays should be plain first. This principle is good, but the premise is that it must be clearly discussed. I hope people can accept a point of view and a truth, and "explaining it clearly" is the most important. However, if the point of view and truth are not profound, simple or even well-known to everyone, then the "plain" may become "little". Tasteless". It is good to use simple language to promote a simple truth, but it will be more convincing and infectious to use wonderful language to promote a simple truth.

Some students’ argumentative essays have clear views and rigorous structures, but they are used to using extremely childish language to discuss them.

When writing argumentative essays, you must have the awareness to refine your language, and you cannot just be satisfied with "explaining it clearly". "Speaking clearly" is a basic requirement, and "speaking well" and "explaining thoroughly" are high-standard requirements.

Can an ordinary sentence be changed into an attractive way of saying it? Can a thing be described more vividly? Can a traditional saying be used in a more novel and vivid way of expression? Can a given set of sentences be changed in order? In order to deepen the reader's impression, can you use the technique of elaboration and rendering, can you use parallelism to enhance the momentum of the article, can you use colloquial expressions to express it, can you consider a powerful rhetorical question...

As long as you always have this awareness of language refinement, it is not difficult to improve your language level. Writing articles is like cooking. With the same ingredients, how can you make it "tasty"? You can't do it without making some demands on yourself. This truth is not profound. Many of our classmates have a good "taste", but they often only use it to taste other people's craftsmanship, and they are careless when it comes to doing it themselves. Forging language is not a day's work, but if you don't take action, you will never make progress.

Hope it helps you