之前跟同學討論過文章unity重要性，今天我想討論另一個同樣重要的問題，也就是說，為你的觀點 （stance）提供具體和充分的支持（support）。因為在沒有足夠的證據支持下，你很難說服你的讀者。那麼我們如何提供足夠和充分的支持呢？
例子緊扣主題句
簡單地說，好的支持應該有以下特點：
一，你的闡述和例子應該與你的主題句（topic sentence）密切相關。讓我們來看看下面的例子：
One reason why Pokémon Go has become so popular among the adults probably lies with its ability to evoke nostalgic memories from many of its players. Indeed, these days we can easily see groups of youngsters and teenage gamers appear everywhere, swarming around different spots and buildings just to catch various "pokémons".
從上面的例子你可以發現闡述（elaboration）和主題句有很少的關係。主題句討論《Pokémon Go》的成功在於它能喚起玩家懷舊的感覺；但在闡述中，作者只討論年輕或teenage玩家，而他們可能從來沒有看過Pokémon cartoons。
因此，闡述和主題句在這例子中具有很少的相關性。
二，你在闡述中使用的詞語應該具體，而不含糊。此外，你應該刪除所有不能支持你的主題句的句子。
Another reason why Pokémon Go is such a success is probably related to its cute figures or characters. To take an example, the character Snorlax is so lovely that it makes me continue playing the game. Furthermore, I love Snorlax so much that I have bought lots of merchandizes that are related to this character.
同樣，在上述示例中存在至少兩個問題。首先，作者使用了模糊的詞語lovely；畢竟，大家對lovely這個有不同的理解。沒有進一步闡述，你可能無法在這一點上說服讀者。
另外，第二句關於購買有關Snorlax的商品細節基本上與主題句完全無關，因而應該刪除。
Exercise
Read the following statement and identify vague and unclear words which need further elaboration.
To thrive academically, you need more than having a high IQ. Having a proper study environment is equally important. How can you focus on your textbooks when the study environment is overly noisy; even if you can get yourself focus amid a noisy environment, do you think you can remember the study materials you have just read?
Answer
Words like "a proper study environment", "overly noisy", and 'a noisy environment" are unclear, which need further elaboration.
■Dr. A. Chan，哲學博士，哲學碩士，英語講師。熟悉公開考試之出題模式與評分準則，任教英語。
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