Summary
Verbs: use active verbs more.
Adverbs and adjectives: Most are unnecessary because they have repetitive meanings with verbs and nouns.
Little qualifiers: They dilute a writer's style and persuasiveness.
Punctuation: A primer in writing.
Mood changes: Try to make mood changes in sentences that can save words and confusions.
Contractions: They can show a writer's personality but do not invent constractions that can not be found in the dictionary.
That and which: Always use "that" unless it makes your meaning ambiguous. "which" serves a particular identifying function, different from "that".
Concept nouns: They are cold in sentences.
Creeping nounism: If one noun or one verb can express things clearly then do not use creeping nounism.
Overstatement: Do not exaggerate one droll point.
Credibility: Don not write bogus statements.
Diction: Dictated sentences are tend to be pompous, sloppy and redundant.
Writing is not a contest: Compete with yourself and move studiously toward your goal.
The subconscious mind: Your subconscious mind does more than writing and it percolates for a long time.
The Quickest fix: Try to delete the difficult part in a sentence.
Paragraphs: Keep your paragraph short but not tiny.
Words and Expressions
This is a chapter of scraps and morsels...
1 scrap n. 小片 （就是标题中的 pieces）
morsels n. 少量 （就是标题中的 bits）
They dilute your style and your persuasiveness.
Every little qualifier whittles away some fraction of the reader's trust.
2 dilute v. 削弱，降低
whittle away 这里也是削弱，降低的含义
...the material I am trying to knead into shape is shapeless dough.
3 knead into 揉捏成
These verbal high jinks can get just so high...
4 high jinks 狂欢作乐 （这本身就是一个verbal 口语化的表达）
...by the tortoises who move studiously toward the goal of mastering the craft.
5 studiously adv. 刻意的
Much of what you see and hear will come back, having percolated for days or months or even years through your subconscious mind,...
6 percolate v. 渗透 ，这里应该是指想法，感觉的蔓延
Thoughts
The difference between an active -verb style and a passive-verb style——in clarity and vigor ——is the difference between life and death for a writer.
The second is necessarily longer and it has an insipid quality.
A style that consists of passive constructions will snap the reader's energy. Nobody ever quite knows what is being perpetrated by whom and on whom.
看到VERBS中这几句话，我的第一反应就是“啊哈，这不就是我吗。”
在上周的笔记复盘里，我就写了“A piece of writing is aimed to...”后来，Amartya指出应该用主动形式，其实那个时候也只知道用被动不好，但是不好在哪里并没有明白。直到昨天读到这章的这一部分内容，才明白我这句被动句就是反面教材。到底是by whom?, on whom? 还有就是 no necessariy longer。其实，如果不是Eric要求周复盘笔记里的summary要用英文写，我很可能就算读到这章，也不会觉得自己存在这样的问题。所以，读这本书，我就算把每天读的内容都背出来，但是不去实践，不去用英文写，那读这本书的意义就不大了。
