Many children keep a 摘抄本 (a notebook of copied phrases) during the holidays, fill pages with beautiful sentences, and then never use a single one in their own writing. The problem is not the copying. It is that copying alone trains the hand, not the writer's eye. This post gives a three-step 摘抄 routine (copy, say why, reuse) that takes about 15 minutes and turns the year-end holiday reading into material your child can actually write with.
Why copied phrases often stay in the notebook
- The phrase is copied without a reason, so the child cannot tell when it fits.
- It is a long, fancy sentence that does not match what the child normally writes about.
- Nothing in the routine asks the child to try it in a sentence of their own.
The three steps: 抄 → 说 → 用
| Step | What the child does | Original example |
|---|---|---|
| 抄 Copy | Choose ONE sentence or phrase (not ten). Copy it exactly, then check the characters. | 「雨点敲在窗上，像有人轻轻叩门。」 |
| 说 Say why | Write one line: what does it show, and what is it doing? (a feeling, a sound, a comparison, a small action) | 「用声音写雨，还用了比喻。」 |
| 用 Reuse | Write ONE new sentence about the child's own life using the same idea, not the same words. | 「脚步声在楼梯上响起，像鼓点一样敲在我心上。」 |
Step 1 — Choose less, choose closer
One good line a day is better than a page of lines. Choose something your child could imagine writing: a feeling on a bus ride, a rainy day, a family meal. If the sentence is too far from their own experience, they will not find a place for it in a composition. Copy it slowly and check each character against the book; do not rely on memory.
Step 2 — Say why it works
This is the step most notebooks skip, and it is the one that teaches a process. Ask three short questions: What does the writer want me to see, hear or feel? Which word does most of the work? What would be lost if it were changed to a plain sentence? Even a one-line answer such as 「用动作写出了紧张」 is enough. Naming the technique is what lets the child find it again in the next book and in their own draft.
Step 3 — Reuse it within the same sitting
Before closing the notebook, the child writes one new sentence on a different topic using the same idea. The wording must be their own. Compare the two sentences side by side: the original and the new one. If the new sentence only swaps one or two words, try again from a different scene. This small act of reuse is what moves a phrase from the notebook into the child's own voice.
⚠️ Do not copy 成语 for decoration
A 成语 copied without its meaning is easy to misuse in a composition. If your child notes down an idiom, they should write its meaning in their own words and check it in a standard dictionary such as 《现代汉语词典》 before using it.
A 15-minute holiday routine
- 8 minutes: read a short passage or a few pages from a book your child chooses.
- 3 minutes: choose ONE line and copy it correctly (抄).
- 2 minutes: write one line on why it works (说).
- 2 minutes: write one new sentence of their own using the same idea (用).
Once a week, ask your child to read back their three best 用 sentences and choose one to put into the next composition. The parent's role is a question, not a correction: 「这一句，你想写给谁看？」 Reading then becomes the first step of writing, not a separate chore.
Try a reused sentence in a full composition and see the feedback on what works and what to expand next.
Try it in a compositionTurn a short sentence into a vivid one. Read next:
Expanding Thin Sentences Method →Planning the whole holiday? Read next:
Year-End Holiday Chinese Plan →Sources
- Composition requirements and marking criteria are set by SEAB and MOE; check the current syllabus at seab.gov.sg. This post does not state any marking scheme or mark allocation.
- Character and idiom usage should be checked against a standard dictionary such as 《现代汉语词典》 or the school's materials.
- The 抄-说-用 routine is the author's own tutoring practice, offered as a suggestion and not a promise of any result.
- All example sentences are original and illustrative.
- No exam-frequency, prediction or ranking claims are made in this post.