Using Comparison Between English And Chinese In English Teaching Writing In Senior High School

Based on some theoretical researches on contrastive analysis and language transfer, this thesis mainly explores why and how to improve students' writing ability by using comparision between Chinese and English.First, by the survey on the students in Grade One of the Yuanlin High School, the author finds out that lack of contrastive consciousness is one of the most important factors that affect students' ability in writing. Then, an analysis of students' errors is made following the procedures of identifying errors, describing errors, clarifying errors, explaining and evaluating errors. The investigation suggests that where students lack contrastive consciousness is mainly sentence structures and vocabulary.The experiment was carried out on how to develop students' contrastive consciousness of sentence structures in Class Three, Grade One of the Yuanlin High School, which was the experimental class. Based on the theory of contrastive analysis, an elaborately planned training of English writing was conducted in Class 3. The grammar teaching was practically combined with teaching writing skills. During the experiment, the teacher guided the students to summarize the similarities and differences between English and Chinese, to do some drills and apply what had been learned to writing exercise, while a convential teaching was carried out in Class 2 which was taken as the contractive class. After a five-month experiment, the writing ability of students in Class 3 was obviously improved.The experiment shows that it is necessary to use comparison between English and Chinese while teaching writing. The ways and methods are also offered on how to use comparison. Firstly, the differences between English and Chinese should not be avoided but be faced by both students and teachers. Secondly, the four basic skills in learning English: listening; speaking; reading and writing, should be balanced valued in the whole teaching procedures. Thirdly, it is insisted that writing ability should be developed through reading, translating and evaluating. Only in this way can students' ability of contrasting be developed, students' interest in English writing be aroused, and students' writing ability be improved.