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Unit One Text 1

HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD

Alan Warner

Objectives: to comprehend the text and to know the importance of choosing the right words in writing as well as in speaking,

to learn the use of analogy in writing and compose a paragraph using analogy to help explain.

Section One

Pre-reading Questions

1. What?s the meaning of the English proverb Hit the nail on the head? What do you think this topic suggests in the article?

In-reading Interpretation Para. 1

1. Tell the literal and figurative meanings of

hit the nail (squarely) on the head: (fig.) say or do exactly the right thing, make a point or interpret a remark precisely; guess right

drive sth home: (lit.) force the nail into the right place (fig.) make sth unmistakably clear

2. This para. can be divided into two sections: one about the carpenter or the driving of a nail (ll. 1-5), the other about the language craftsman or the choice of a word (ll. 5-8).

Which sentence establishes the link between the driving of a nail and the choice of a word? (comp.3-1)

“So with language; ... firmly and exactly.”

3. Explain and perform according to the text how a clumsy carpenter and a skillful one hammer a nail into a box respectively?

A clumsy carpenter hits the nail to one side, then to another, and knocks it over, so fails to drive the nail home; while a skillful carpenter hits the nail squarely on the head and easily drives it home (lit. meaning). 4. This is about the carpenter in the driving of a nail. The following is about a language craftsman in the choice of a word.

How does a good language craftsman/user do in using language?

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Choose words that drive home his point firmly and exactly; aim at clean English (precise and clear English – comp. 2-1); get the word that is completely right for his purpose. Not use a word that is more or less right, a loose phrase, an ambiguous expression, or a vague adjective. (All the underlined words mean ?inexact?, ?inaccurate?.)

In other words, a good language user hits the (right) nail on the head and drives his point home (here figuratively). 5. A word that is more or less right, a loose phrase, an ambiguous expression, a vague adjective, will not satisfy a writer who aims at clean English (=precise and clear).

A writer who is particular about the exactness of an expression in English will never feel happy with a word which fails to express an idea accurately. (LW6-1) or, A writer who wishes to express his ideas precisely will not use the words which are inaccurate. Choose to use those apt vocabularies. Para. 2

1. What is the meaning of ?apt?? What does this refer to in The French have an apt phrase for this? (Comp. 3-2) What is the ?apt phrase?? Apt: well-suited, to the point

This in the first sentence of the second paragraph refers to the last sentence in the previous paragraph: to get the word that is completely right for this purpose. le mot juste = (French) the correct, right word

2. Who is Gustave Flaubert? How much do you know about him? (Lib. W. 1) (refer to [欧洲文学史],（下）pp.140-147) Why does the author say that he is a scrupulous writer?

G.Flaubert (1821 - 1880), French novelist, was associated with, though not representative of, the movement of naturalism and known as one of the greatest realists of 19th century France. His masterpieces: Madame Bovary包法利夫人，L?Education Sentimentale情感教育，La Tentation de Saint Antoine圣安东尼的诱惑，纯朴的心

He is considered as a scrupulous writer because he spent days trying to get one or two sentences exactly right. He devoted his life to long hours spent in heavy toil over his work. His writing is marked by exactness and accuracy of observation, extreme impersonality and objectivity of treatment, and precision and expressiveness in style, or the principle of the mot juste.

2. Why is it so hard to get one or two sentences exactly right?

There are many and various words in English language. They are subtle and

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delicate. They have different shades of meaning and sometimes it is really hard to distinguish the slight differences among synonyms. So it is not enough to have a wide range of vocabulary. We should also know the exact meaning of the words and choose the right words so that we can get our meaning accurately. (ll. 11-15) 3. Choosing words is part of the process of realization, of defining our thoughts and feelings for ourselves, as well as for those who hear or read our words. (LW.6-2) realization = fulfilling one?s goal, i.e. to express oneself precisely (comp.2-2) defining our thoughts and feelings for ourselves = getting to know what we are going to express

for those who hear or read our words = for our listeners and readers to understand us

To a certain extent, the process of finding the right words to use is a process of perfection where you try to search for words that may most accurately express your thoughts and feelings, and words that may most effectively make your listeners and readers understand your thoughts and feelings.

Or, Using the right word / le mot juste is one of the stages in the process in which we know our thoughts and feelings clearly and express them precisely, and on the other hand, make our readers and listeners catch what we think and feel accurately. In other words, using the right word can help us to express ourselves exactly, to know what we are going to talk about, and can help our listeners and readers to understand us.

4. What?s the meaning of How can I know what I think till I see what I say? Do you think so? Why does the author think it a stupid-sounding question? And why does he think, however, this is true? (Do you agree with the author that there is a great deal of truth in the seemingly stupid question? Why or why not?) (Comp.3-3) It means ?I can?t get to know my own thoughts before I put them in words.? (utter it or write it down)

Yes, I do. How can a person not know his own thoughts. It sounds irrational that a person does not know what he himself thinks before he sees what he says. This is true in the sense that only after we find the right words to express ourselves exactly can we find our own thoughts clearly. As a matter of fact, it is quite true that unless we have found the exact words to verbalize our own thoughts we can never be very sure of what our thoughts are; without words, our thoughts cannot be defined or stated in a clear and precise manner.

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