人們常說：要真正學好英語，就要培養用英語思想的能力。但是，要做到這一點是不容易的。有一個簡單易行的辦法可以幫助我們練習用英語思想，那就是用英語寫日記。日記是十分自由的文體，不像作文，必須有正式的主題，講究文體。日記是思想，是感情，是內心的一切。有朋友來你家作客，你可以寫：We had a wonderful time together. 春節快到了，你或許可以這樣寫：The Spring Festival is around the corner. It’s the most important occasion for the family reunion.甚至在夏天與蚊子的“斗爭”也可以成為日記的內容：These annoying mosquitoes didn’t seem to be afraid of the mosquito coil(蚊香)I burned. So I had to hang up a mosquito-net. It was fun to lie inside the net reading a favorite magazine while those unpleasant small insects were looking at me helplessly outside.
實際上，用英語寫日記是最有效的練習英語寫作的`形式。它能夠讓你從各種生活細節及感受中學到最生活化、最地道的英語詞語。比如：你今天吃了龍蝦，英語是 lobster;你想說某個女同學堪稱“校花”，那是 school beauty;考試作弊是 cheat in the exam，等等。因此，可以這么說：如果你能流利地寫出好的英語日記，你的英語就已經成功了一大半。
那么關于寫好英語日記的要點有3點：
一是養成積累詞語的習慣。從某種意義上說，寫英語日記又是最難的寫作，因為它包羅萬象，涉及到生活的各個方面，對詞匯的要求特別高。因此，在日常學習中，必須做一個“有心人”，準備一本筆記本，對一些英語的習慣表達法及時記錄下來，以便在以后記日記的時候可以使用。在開始記日記時，碰到一兩個英語詞匯不會寫，不妨用漢語先寫上，以后學會了英語表達，再補上去。千萬不要因為一兩個詞寫不出，就沒了記英語日記的興趣，以至放棄用英語記日記。只要你注意積累，一定會發覺自己英語日記中夾雜的漢語會越來越少，最后變為全部地道的英語日記。
二是英語日記的寫作格式。日記的第一行，要寫明年、月、日與星期，然后要寫明當天的氣候狀況，如果是游記，還要寫明地點。這一部分中天氣狀況比較難寫。下面是一些常用的描寫天氣的英語詞語：
晴 clear 陰 overcast 多云 cloudy 小雨 light rain
大雨 heavy rain 毛毛雨 drizzle 陣雨 shower
東風 east wind 南風 south wind 西風 west wind
北風 north wind 西南風 southwester 東南風 southeaster
東北風 northeaster 西北風 northwester
氣溫 temperature
炎熱 scorching heat 寒冷 icy cold 下雪 snow
冰雹 hail 虹 rainbow
日記正文可以是敘事、描述、說明、議論等各種形式。其實，由于日記是非常隨便的，因此上述文體常常結合在一起使用。日記內容取自生活，可長可短，有時無事可記，一兩句也可以。切忌今天記，明天不記，三天打魚，兩天曬網，破壞了記日記的情趣。另外，日記也應該盡可能講究一些文采，切忌寫成流水賬。
三是英語日記中的縮寫與省略。英語日記中的第一行的月份與星期通常都是縮寫的：
Sunday----Sun Monday----Mon.
Tuesday----Tues. Wednesday----Wed.
Thursday----Thur. 或 Thurs. Friday----Fri.
Saturday----Sat. January----Jan.
February----Feb. March----Mar.
April----Apr. May----May. June----Jun.
July----Jul. August----Aug.
September----Sept. October----Oct.
November----Nov. December----Dec.
另外，英語日記中由于頻繁出現I，因此，常常省略，如：In the evening went with Xiao Li to the cinema. Finishing exercises, went to play tennis. 但如果省去I，會造成語義不清時，則不可省去：
My sister is good at English, but I am just so-so.
實際上，省與不省I，只是作者的一種習慣，為了記日記的方便。
最后需要一提的是，英語日記習慣一年一本，因此日期不必寫年份，而只是在每年一本的日記本封面上或者在日記的第一頁和最后一頁加以注明即可。
【參考例文】
“鄰居送西瓜”這樣一件小事，充滿生活樂趣。當然可以作為日記的材料。
Thurs ., Jan . 7 Very fine
A sunny day
I got up early today to watch the sunrise. While I waited for the sun to rise, I sat beside my window and thought of my future. Soon I will be a grown man and I won’t be a baby anymore. Maybe I’ll be going to college if I pass the college entrance examination. I didn’t want to think of not passing this important examination, for my parents are counting on me to do so.
Anyway, if I don’t pass this one I should try again next year. I thought about my parents too. They have worked so hard to give us children a good life. Now, they are getting older little by little. There are more grey hairs now in Mother’s hair. As for my father, he’s beginning to have a hard time reading the newspaper. He uses a pair of glasses now. All these thoughts touch me and tell me that time is indeed swiftly passing.
The sun was coming out of the horizon. First it was just a ray of light. But little by little the whole circle started coming into view. The sky was a bright orange with a blue haze surrounding the emptiness. Soon I could feel the warmth of the sun as its rays passed through my window pane. The view was really beautiful, more beautiful than any picture I had ever seen. In a few minutes everyone was awake and everyone went on their own way with their lives. Another day started and it was another beginning for all of us.
高考英語作文寫作指導（日記類作文）
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