Writing a Review
IGCSE English Topic 7 7:37 English narration · English + 中文 subtitles burned in
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Transcript
You are deciding where to eat, and you read two reviews of the same restaurant.
你正在决定去哪儿吃饭，读到同一家餐厅的两篇评论。
The first review says: <slow>The food was nice and the staff were nice.
第一篇写：食物不错，服务员也不错。
I liked it.</slow> The second says: The soup was rich and warming, though the rice arrived cold.
我挺喜欢的。
The waiter noticed and brought a fresh bowl before we asked.
第二篇写：汤浓郁暖和，不过米饭上桌时是凉的。
Only one of them helps you decide anything — and the difference is not opinion.
服务员注意到了，我们还没开口，他就换了一碗新的。
Both students had an opinion.
只有一篇能帮你做决定——而差别不在于有没有观点，两位同学都有观点。
The difference is detail.
差别在于细节。
A review.
评论。
A film, a book, a restaurant, a place you visited.
一部电影、一本书、一家餐厅，或者你去过的一个地方。
You write it for a magazine or a website, and your reader has exactly one question in mind: should I try this?
你是为杂志或网站写的，而你的读者心里只有一个问题：我该不该试试？
Everything in this lesson is about answering that question honestly and usefully — the two jobs a review does, the support every opinion needs, and the recommendation your reader came for.
这节课讲的一切，都是为了诚实而有用地回答这个问题—— 评论要做的两件事、每个观点需要的支撑，以及读者真正想看到的那个推荐。
A review does two jobs, and the mark scheme wants both.
评论要做两件事，评分标准两样都要。
Describing answers the question: what is it like?
描写回答的是：它是什么样的？
It is set in a small fishing town.
故事发生在一个小渔镇。
The dish combines rice, fish and a sharp green sauce.
这道菜把米饭、鱼和一种酸辣的绿酱汁搭在一起。
Judging answers a different question: is it any good?
评价回答的是另一个问题：它到底好不好？
The flying scenes are breathtaking.
飞行的镜头令人惊叹。
The middle drags a little.
中段有点拖沓。
Weak reviews do only one. All description reads like a summary; all opinion reads like a shout.
差的评论只做其中一件：全是描写，读起来像剧情简介；全是观点，读起来像在嚷嚷。
Strong reviews move between them, almost sentence by sentence.
好的评论在两者之间来回切换，几乎是一句一换。
Now the rule that makes the judging half work. An opinion stands on two legs: a reason and an example.
接下来是让"评价"这一半真正成立的规则：一个观点要靠两条腿站住——原因和例子。
An opinion on its own falls over. The film was good.
光有观点会倒下：这部电影很好。
Why should the reader believe you?
读者凭什么相信你？
Add the reason, and it can stand: the film was good because the two leads actually seem to like each other.
加上原因，它就能站住：这部电影很好，因为两位主演看起来是真的喜欢彼此。
Add the example, and it convinces: there is a scene on a bus where neither of them speaks, and you still know exactly what they are thinking.
再加上例子，它就有说服力：有一场公交车上的戏，两个人一句话也没说， 你却完全知道他们在想什么。
Opinion, reason, example.
观点、原因、例子。
Every time.
每一次都这样。
Look at what detail actually does to a sentence.
来看细节到底对一个句子做了什么。
The food was nice. Four words, no picture, and the reader cannot use it.
"食物不错"，四个字，没有画面，读者用不上。
The soup was rich and warming, though the rice arrived cold. Now the reader can taste it — and notice that the second version also judges, in both directions, inside one sentence.
"汤浓郁暖和，不过米饭上桌时是凉的"——现在读者尝得到了； 而且请注意，第二个版本在一句话里同时做出了两个方向的评价。
The habit is simple: whenever you write an adjective, ask what it is describing exactly, and name one specific thing.
习惯很简单：每当你写下一个形容词，就问问它到底在形容什么， 并说出一件具体的东西。
Nice food becomes a rich soup. A good film becomes a scene on a bus.
"不错的食物"变成"浓郁的汤"， "好电影"变成"公交车上的那场戏"。
Adjectives are the fuel of a review, so choose them on purpose.
形容词是评论的燃料，所以要刻意挑选。
These are the tired ones: nice, good, bad, interesting.
这些是用滥了的：nice、good、bad、interesting。
They fill space and say nothing.
它们占地方，却什么也没说。
These are the ones that carry a judgement on their own: gripping, delicious, disappointing, unforgettable, clumsy, warm.
这些是本身就带着判断的：gripping、delicious、disappointing、unforgettable、 clumsy、warm。
The reader knows your verdict before you explain it.
读者还没听你解释，就已经知道你的结论。
But keep one strong adjective per sentence at most.
但每句话最多用一个强形容词。
Three in a row — a gripping, unforgettable, breathtaking film — stops sounding like judgement and starts sounding like an advert.
连用三个—— "扣人心弦、难以忘怀、令人屏息的电影"——就不再像评价，而像广告了。
Here is the move that makes a review sound fair, and it costs one sentence.
下面这一招能让读者信任你，而它只需要一句话。
A review that is all praise reads like an advert. Everything was perfect, the best film of the year, you must see it — the reader stops believing you halfway down.
通篇都是赞美的评论读起来像广告：一切都完美，年度最佳影片，你一定要去看—— 读者读到一半就不信了。
And a review that is all complaint reads like a bad mood.
通篇都是抱怨的评论，读起来则像在闹脾气。
So name one weakness, even in a review you loved: the middle drags a little, a few jokes fall flat.
所以，即使是你很喜欢的作品，也要指出一个缺点： 中段有点拖沓，有几个笑话没抖响。
That single honest line makes every good thing you said before it believable.
就这一句实话，会让你前面说的所有好话都变得可信。
But there is a way to say it.
但表达方式很重要。
A review criticises gently — this is not a complaint letter.
评论要温和地批评——这不是投诉信。
The harsh version: the acting was terrible and the story made no sense.
生硬的版本：演技糟透了，故事根本讲不通。
Now the same fault, gently: the one weakness is the story, which loses its way in the middle. At times it feels slow.
同一个缺点，温和的说法：唯一的不足在于故事，它在中段有些走偏。
It could have been better if the ending had been given more room.
有些地方会让人觉得节奏慢。 如果结尾能有更多篇幅，本可以更好。
You are not attacking anybody. You are telling a reader what to expect — and that softer voice is also what the tone marks are looking for.
你不是在攻击谁，你是在告诉读者可以期待什么—— 而这种更柔和的语气，也正是语气分想看到的。
Now the structure, and it starts with a mistake students make constantly: keeping the verdict a secret until the last line, as if the review were a story.
现在讲结构，而它从一个同学们常犯的错误说起： 把结论一直藏到最后一行，好像评论是一个故事。 它不是。
It is not. Name it, and say how you felt, in the first paragraph. Skyward is an adventure film about a girl who builds her own aircraft, and I came out of the cinema smiling.
第一段就点名对象，并说出你的感受： 《云端》是一部关于一个女孩自己造飞机的冒险片，我走出影院时是笑着的。
Then spend the rest of the review earning that verdict.
然后用剩下的篇幅去"挣得"这个结论。
The reader now knows where you stand, so every detail you give them means something.
读者已经知道你的立场，所以你给出的每一个细节都有了意义。
So the whole shape is three parts.
所以整体结构分三部分。
First, what it is and the basic facts — the name, the kind of thing, where and when — plus your overall feeling.
第一，它是什么，以及基本信息——名称、类型、时间地点——再加上你的总体感受。
Then the middle, where you describe and evaluate together: the good points, and at least one weak one, each with a reason and an example.
然后是中段，在这里你把描写和评价合在一起写：优点，以及至少一个缺点， 每一条都配上原因和例子。
Then the end: a clear recommendation.
最后是结尾：一个明确的推荐。
Three parts, and the middle is where nearly all your words go — the opening and the ending are one short paragraph each.
三个部分，而绝大部分字数都花在中段。
Learn a few phrases for each of the four jobs, and you will never stare at a blank page in the exam.
为这四项任务各背几句表达，你就再也不会对着空白页发呆。
Twelve phrases in total, and they are the same twelve whatever you are reviewing. To describe: It is set in… The story follows… What stands out is… To praise: The best part is… I was impressed by… It really succeeds in… To criticise gently: The one weakness is… At times it feels slow… It could have been better if… And to recommend: I would recommend it to… It is well worth… Don't miss…
描写：It is set in…… The story follows…… What stands out is…… 称赞：The best part is…… I was impressed by…… It really succeeds in…… 温和批评：The one weakness is…… At times it feels slow…… It could have been better if…… 推荐：I would recommend it to…… It is well worth…… Don't miss……
Then the last move, and it is the one your reader actually came for.
最后一步，也正是读者真正为之而来的那一步。
A vague ending helps nobody: overall, it was quite good.
含糊的结尾谁也帮不了：总的来说，还挺不错的。
A useful ending names who it is for: I would recommend this film to any family looking for a bright, hopeful evening.
有用的结尾会说明它适合谁：我会把这部电影推荐给任何想过一个明亮、 充满希望的夜晚的家庭。
Now the reader can place themselves inside that sentence, or outside it.
现在读者可以判断自己是不是那句话里的人。
And if you add a condition, you sound honest and grown-up: just be ready for a slow first ten minutes.
如果再加一个条件，你就显得诚实而成熟：只要你不介意开头十分钟有点慢。
That small warning is worth more to a reader than another line of praise.
这句小小的提醒，对读者来说比再多一句赞美都值钱。
Here is a complete review in five sentences.
这是一篇只有五句话的完整评论。
Watch each sentence do one job.
看每一句各做一件事。
The first sentence names it and describes it: Skyward is an adventure film about a girl who builds her own aircraft.
第一句点名并描写：《云端》是一部关于一个女孩自己造飞机的冒险片。
The second describes and praises together: the story is simple, but the flying scenes are breathtaking and the young lead acts with real warmth.
第二句把描写和称赞放在一起：故事很简单，但飞行的镜头令人惊叹， 年轻的主演演得非常有温度。
The third admits two faults: the middle drags a little, and a few jokes fall flat.
第三句承认两个缺点：中段有点拖沓，有几个笑话没抖响。
Then one line of honest feeling: even so, it left the whole cinema smiling.
接着是一句真诚的感受：即便如此，它还是让全场观众笑着走出影院。
The last one recommends, with a condition.
最后一句给出带条件的推荐。
Five sentences, and every job is done.
五句话，每项任务都完成了。
Three habits to carry in.
带三个习惯进考场。
First, name it and your verdict in the opening paragraph — never save the answer for the end.
第一，在开头一段就点名对象并给出你的结论—— 绝不要把答案留到最后。
Second, put one weakness in even the most glowing review; it is the cheapest way to sound trustworthy.
第二，即使是最推崇的评论，也要写进一个缺点；这是让人觉得你可信最便宜的办法。
Third, finish by saying who should try it and who should not.
第三，结尾说清楚谁适合去试、谁不适合。
Do those three, keep an example under every opinion, and a review becomes one of the most enjoyable tasks on the paper.
做到这三点，再让每个观点下面都有一个例子， 评论就会成为整张卷子上最让人享受的题目之一。