1. 时态的一致性

　　当文章主要论说一种现象或社会问题，或阐述一种观点时，常常采用一般现在时。例如：

　　Classified advertising is the advertising which is grouped in certain sections of the paper and thus distinguished from display advertising. Such groups as "Help Wanted", "Real Estate","Lost and Found" are made, the rate charged being less than that for display advertising. Classified advertisements are a convenience to the reader and a saving to the advertiser. The reader who is interested in the particular kind of advertisement finds an advertisement of that type grouped for him. The advertisement may, on this account, use a very small advertisement that would be lost if it were placed among larger advertisements in the paper.

　　这段文字主要讲述的是，分类广告给读者和登广告者都提供了很大的方便。作者采用了一般现在时，意欲向读者说明此类广告的特点，表明的是一种客观存在。

　　不论你组织文章句子如何有技巧，但是如果没有好的理由就随意改变句子时态，或句子时态使用混乱，就会把文章的平滑性、连贯性打乱。但如果确有改变时态的必要性，要适当地使用时间状语来点名时间。当然有些夹叙夹议的文章可以使用过去时进行叙述，而使用一般现在时进行论说。

　　2. 正确使用平行结构

　　平行结构在写作中表现力度强，可使叙述显得条理清晰，语言整齐，但使用时注意各句子的语法形式要大致相同。例如：

　　1) In general, in realistic jobs, life is not complicated by intricate problems between people or organizations, nor by troublesome choices between conflicting philosophies.

　　2) If females are to have a principal responsibility for the care of the young , it is reassuring to believe that they can be-or can become-affectionate, gentle, patient, sympathetic, and so on. If males are to serve as hunters and warriors, it is comforting to believe that they can be-or can become-adventurous, aggressive, courageous, energetic, independent, self-confident, and the like.

　　3. 代词的指代关系要清楚

　　1)在写作中，代词的使用是简化叙述和衔接前后的手段，在使用代词时，必须要有前置词或句子，才能够让读者判断代词所指的人或事物。例如：

　　My cigarettes lay on the bedside table. They were always ready to be companion or comfort for me. During college stress, wartime anxiety, tense family situations and career strain, I had turned to them for relief. But now, I have realized in surprise, they mean nothing to me.

　　下面是一个很典型的同一代词具有多个指代的例子。

　　Now it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political and economic causes. It is not due simply to the bad influence of this or that individual writer. A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fails all the more frequently because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, and the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.

　　第一个 it是形式主语，第二、三个it代指前面的现象，第四个it指代后面的the English language，第五个it是形式宾语指代后面的to have foolish thoughts。

　　2)代词必须紧跟其所指代的名词，两者越靠近关系就越明确，这样，不容易给读者造成理解上的困难。下面例子中的代词跨度就相对过大。例如：

　　The book, which was dull and full of slang that could hardly be understood, was on a tall shelf, among many curious things such as strangely-shaped bottles, tiny glass balls and other nameless objects. He took it, opened it, and pretended to be reading it. (it指代the book)

　　(文/解学花；英语辅导报 大学一年级版 04～05学年第3期； 版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)