一般人都认为文章有好坏之分。《好文章，坏文章》则提出一个观点：语言没有高低之分，因而文章写法也就没有优劣之分。
Good Writing, Bad Writing?
Despite the modern desire to be easy and casual, Americans from time to time give thought to the language they use, to grammar, vocabulary, and official languages. And, as on other issues, they divide into two parties. The larger, who includes everybody from the plain people to the professional writer, takes for granted that there is a right way to use words and construct sentences and many wrong ways. The right way is believed to be clearer, simpler, more logical, and hence more likely to prevent error and confusion. Good writing is easier to read; it offers a pleasant combination of sound and sense.
Against this majority view is the doctrine of an opposing minority, who make up for their small number by their great learning and their place of authority in the school system and the world of scholarship①. They are the professional linguists, who deny that there is such a thing as correctness. The language, they say, is what anybody or everybody speaks. Hence there must be no interference with what they regard as a product of nature. They denounce all attempts at guiding choice.
Within the profession of linguists there are, of course, fighting factions, but, on this conception of language as a natural growth with which it is criminal to interfere, they are at one. In their arguments one finds appeals to feelings of social equality (all words and forms are equally good) and individual freedom. These beliefs further suggest that the desire for correctness, the very idea of better or worse in speech is what is left over from noble and humble times. To the linguists, change is the only rule to be obeyed. They consider it to be equal with life and accuse their critics of being clock-reverses, enemies of freedom, menaces to“life”.
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行文点评
文章层次清晰，第一段就指出看待好文章和坏文章有两派意见。我们在写作时通常可以采用这种“开门见山”的方式，提出观点。紧接着作者按照逻辑顺序先阐述多数派的看法。
然后用Against this majority view is the doctrine of an opposing minority在第二段直接指出少数派的看法，衔接自然、紧凑，也使得两派观点形成了鲜明的对比。 第三段进一步引申观点，开头引用了语言学家的观点来证明自己的论点noble and humble times 指的是有贵族与贫民之分的那个时代，那时贵族们为了维护自己的地位，使自己显得高贵，就竭力使自己说的话与一般平民百姓说的话区别开来。
好文妙译
好文章，坏文章?
尽管现代社会要求简单、随意，美国人却时不时地对他们用的语言、语法、词汇和官方语言表示关注。而且，像在其他问题上一样，他们分为两派。多数派包括一般百姓到专业作家，他们都理所当然地认为存在一种正确的遣词造句的表达方式，也存在很多错误的表达方式。人们相信正确的方式能够使文章比较清楚、简单、更有逻辑性，进而更有可能避免错误和含混不清。好文章容易读；它为读者提供了声音和意义的美妙结合。
与这种占大多数的观点相对的是持反对意见的少数派的主张，他们渊博的学识以及在教育界和学术界的权威地位弥补了人数少的劣势。他们是专业的语言学家，他们否认有正确的写作方式这回事。他们说任何人或者说每个人说的都是语言，所以我们不应该干涉那些他们认为是自然的产物。他们痛斥所有试图选择正确写作指导的做法。
在语言学家内部当然也有相互斗争的派别，但是在“语言是自然发展的，干涉即是犯罪”这一点上，他们的观点是一致的。在他们的论点中，人们可以发现社会公平(所有词语和形式都是一样的好)和个人自由的感情趋向。这些主张还进一步暗示：寻求正确语言表达的愿望，即话语有好坏之分这个观念本身是从有贵族贫民之分的那个时代遗留下来的。对语言学家来说，变化是惟一应该遵循的规则。他们把它看成和生命同等重要，并且谴责那些批评他们的人是想要“反转时钟”的人，是自由的敌人，是对“生活”的威胁。
词汇斟酌
doctrine n.教义，教条，主义
interference n.①干涉，介入②阻碍，干扰
denounce vt.①谴责，指责②告发
faction n.(政党、组织等内部的)派系
conception n.①思想，观念，概念②构想，设想
appeal n.①呼吁，恳求②感染力，吸引力
critic n.批评家，评论家
menace n.①具有危险性的人(或物)②威胁，威吓
clock-reverse 反转时钟的
佳句临摹
①【注释】make up for sth 补偿，赔偿，弥补或抵消某事物
【临摹】Nothing can make up for a lack for the loss of a child.孩子的死亡是无可弥补的损失。
思如泉涌
The pen is mightier than the sword. 文能胜武。
A book that remains shut is but a block. 书本不常翻，犹如一块砖。
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