四级写作内容千变万化，但这并不妨碍我们从中找出某些规律性的东西。这就是短文写作中的基本句式，即使用率高、可用性强的常用句式。近年来，四级写作的文体更倾向于议论文，其基本模式是摆事实，说明原因或论述必要性和重要性。除此之外，写利弊、看法、和应该怎样做的内容占了大部分。以下是根据统计，列出的11种此类文章常用基本句式。了解这些基本句式并在平时加以针对性训练，就能打下良好的基础。

1.表原因:

1) There are three reasons for .../ The reasons for this are as follows.

2) The reasons for this are obvious.

3) People have various reasons for (doing...) We have good reasons to believe that...

e.g. There are several reasons for the great changes of our life.  First of all, with the rapid development of economy, people's living standard has been greatly improved. Next, most people are well paid and they can afford to buy what they like. Besides, more and more people prefer to enjoy modern life.

2. 表示好处；缺点和坏处：

1) It has the following advantages.

2) It does us a lot of good.

3) It benefits us quite a lot…  It is beneficial to us....  It is of great benefit to us…

E.g. Books are like friends. They can help us know the world better, and they can open our minds and widen our horizons. Therefore, reading extensively is of great benefit to us.

4) It has some disadvantages.

5) It does us harm./ It is harmful to...

E.g. TV may be harmful if you watch it too much. However, everything divides into two. Television can also be harmful to us. It can do harm to our health and make us lazy if we spend too much time watching television.

3. 表示重要、必要、困难、方便、可能：

1) It is important (necessary, difficult, convenient, possible,...) for us to (do ...)

2) I think it necessary for us to (do ...)

3) It plays an important role in our life.

e.g. I think it necessary to control the growth of the world's population.

Computers are now being used everywhere，whether in the government, in schools or in business. Soon, computers will be found in every home, too. We have good reason to say that computers are playing an increasingly important role in our life and we have stepped into the Computer Age.

4. 表示措施、怎样做：

1) We should take some effective measures.

2) What should we do to solve the problem?

3) We will try our best to overcome these difficulties?

4）We should solve the problems that we are confronted（faced）with.

e.g. In order to improve today's traffic, we should take the following measures.

The housing problem that we are confronted with is becoming more and more serious. Therefore，we must take some effective measures to solve it.

5. 表示变化：

1) Some changes have taken place in the past 5 years.

2) A computer has brought about great changes in education.

3) However, that is not necessarily the case.

e.g. Life in 2050 will be much different from what it is today.

Some changes have taken place in people’s diet in the past five years. The major reasons for these changes are not far to seek. Nowadays，more and more people are switching from grain to meat for protein，and from fruit and vegetable to milk for vitamins.

6. 表示实施、现状：

1)        We cannot ignore (overlook) that fact that...

2)        The present situation is serious. 　　

3)        No one can deny the fact that...     There is no denying the fact that...

4)        This is a phenomenon that many people are interested in.

5)        However，that’s not the case.

e.g. We can't ignore the fact that our earth has been seriously polluted. To solve these problems, we can start by educating the public about the hazards of pollution. The government on its part should also design stricter laws to promote a cleaner environment.

7. 表示比较:

ad.      equally, similarly, in the same way/manner...

prep.   like, similar to, equal to, ...

conj.   both...and..., neither...nor...,...

1) A&B are much alike in .../ Like A, B is .../ B, like A, is ....

2) A&B share similarities in some/many aspects.

    A is similar to B in .../ There are some/many similarities between A&B in...

    We can't deny the similarities between A&B in...

3) A&B have much in common.

4) Compared with A, B is ...

5) A has some/many elements/characteristics of B.

e.g. Though they have different culture backgrounds, the Spring Festival and Christmas are much alike in some aspects.

    The early American movie of the 20s and 30s had many elements of a fairy-tale.

8. 表示对比:

ad.     however, nevertheless, on the other hand, on the contrary, in contrast, ...

prep.   unlike, contrary to,  in contrast to, ...

conj.   but, yet, although, while, whereas, ...

n.      difference, contrast, variation, dissimilarity, ...

1) There are some/many differences between A&B in ...

2) There is a striking contrast between them.

3) Unlike A, B is ...

4) In contrast to A, B is ...

5) A is ...; on the contrary, B is ...

6) A is ...while B is ...

e.g.  A formal letter is different from an informal letter.

     British spelling differ slightly from American spelling.

     In contrast to his brother, he was always thoughtful in his treatment of others.

     Life in 1990s makes a shape contrast to that of 1950s.

     Unlike France, which is a continental country, British is made up of islands.

Compared with cars，bicycles have several advantages besides being affordable. Firstly, they do not consume natural resources of petroleum. Secondly, they do not cause the pollution problem. Last but not least，they contribute to people’s health by giving them due physical exercise.

9. 表示数量

1）It has increased（decreased）from...to...

2）The population in this city has now increased （decreased）to 800，000.

3）The output of July in this factory increased by 15％ compared with that of January.

e.g.  With the improvement of the living standard, the proportion of people’s income spent on food has decreased while that spent on education has increased.

From the graph listed above, it can be seen that student use of computers has increased from an average of less than two hours per week in 1990 to 20 hours in 2000.

10. 表示看法:

1) People have (take, adopt) different attitudes towards ...

2) People have different opinions on this question (problem/issue).

3) Some people believe that ...Others argue that ...

4) Most people think it good to have one child in a family.

5) ... has never been considered beneficial/ acceptable.

6) It is thought that.../ It is generally believed that .../ It is said by some that...

e.g.  It is agreed by most that family-planning policy is good/beneficial to our country.

People have different attitudes towards failure. Some believe that failure leads to success. However, others are easily discouraged by failures and put themselves into the category of losers.

10. 表示结论:

1) It may be briefly summed up as follows.

2) In short, it can be said that...

3) From what has been mentioned above, we can come to the conclusion that ...

e.g. From what has been mentioned above，we can come to the conclusion that examination is necessary，however， its method should be improved.

11. 套语:

1）It is well-known to us that ...      As is known to us, ...

2）As a proverb says/As the saying goes, … 

3）This is a topic that is being widely talked about.

4）From the graph（table，chart）listed above，it can be seen that ...

e.g.  As is known to us, it is important for the students to know the world outside campus.

Does it pay to be honest？This is a topic that is being widely talked about and different people have different opinions on it.

12. 更多参考句型：

1)        In my opinion, what really counts is (not) ...

2)        One of the universal issues causing increasing concern is that...

3)        According to the information given in the table/graph, we can find that...

4)        According to a recent survey, in the last few years, quite a number of young people...

5)        Now many people prefer...because it has a significant role in our daily life.

6)        Recently the problem...has been brought into focus/brought to public attention.

7)        In recent few years, there is a sharp increase/decline in...

8)        In the past few years, a trend of...has been becoming more and more clear.

9)        It seems that the whole society is talking about...

10)     The past decade has witnessed a steady rise in...

11)     Recently, the problem of...has aroused people’s concern.

12)     Nowadays...plays an important role in our life.

13)     From the graph it is evident that...

14)     The change in...mainly results from...

15)     Many people would claim that...

16)     There are several measures for us to adopt.  First, We can...Another solution is to...

17)     Confronted with...we should take a series of effective measures to cope with the situation.

18)     Several factors contribute to the sharp increase in the amount of...

19)     The explanation of the problem involves many factors.

20)     There are numerous reasons why...and I shall here explore only a few of the most important ones.

21)     When asked about/ When it comes to/ Faced with..., some people ...

22)     It is generally believed that...

23)     A comparison between these changes may be a good way to learn more about...

24)     This is what we are unwilling to see, so some way must be found out...

25)     The same is true of many cases in life.

26)     If this is true/the case, what accounts for such an issue?

27)     Most people have realized the seriousness/potential of what this survey exposes...

28)     Whether the definition/interpretation of...is constant or changeable...

29)     It is essential that effective actions should be taken to end the situation.

30)     It is necessary that immediate measures should be taken to (do...)

31)     Undoubtedly, adequate attention should be paid to...

32)     It is clear, therefore, that the task of...demands great attention.

33)     It is no doubt that special attention must be paid to the problem of...

34)     For the reasons given above, I strongly recommend that...

35)     We must call for an immediate action, because the current tendency, if permitted to continue, will surely lead to...

36)     As far as I am concerned, I prefer the former/the latter.

37)     In my opinion, both of the above views are only partly right.  

38)     Here are many choices for us to attain the purpose． 

39)     It is high time that something was done about it．

40)     To be frank, I cannot agree with their opinion for the reason below.