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Writing is a fundamental skill to master in any language, being vital for non-verbal communication when trying to inform, educate, persuade and entertain other people. It is also deemed to be an essential skill used to logically structure your thoughts in reflective thinking, because writing provides a visible and formulated version of the writer’s mind.
When it comes to writing English accurately and fluently, this can often be a struggle even for native speakers of the language. But just like acquiring other language skills, it is very important to regularly practice your English writing skills. Read on now to discover some effective ways that will enable you to become a more confident and successful writer of English.
Listening is a key skill for input of the English language, and it has a direct link to the effective development of your speaking skills. There is an identical relationship between your reading and writing skills, so reading more English text will lead to an improvement in your writing skills as well. This is because by reading regularly you will expand your awareness of vocabulary, along with greater understanding of the grammar and syntax of written English.
Reading maximises your language input, and thus you can begin to write English in a more accurate, creative, and confident manner. For example, if you are required to write a blog about improving English grammar, it would be an excellent idea to read and study the writing styles found in other academic books or blogs about English grammar.
Teachers often tell their students, ‘Practice makes perfect!’. Consequently, when you have extensively read written texts about topics that interest you, and advanced your overall awareness of English vocabulary and the correct use of different sentence structures, it is then time for you to regularly use what you have learned through a daily practice of your writing skills.
You can practise using new words by constructing sentences containing each word, or start to write in a way that is modeled on the more effective sentence structures used by other excellent writers. Try to do such writing every day, and keep track of your progress so that you can see improvement in your writing skills. Such progress can be recorded using a calendar or a ‘Habit Tracking’ app. Always remember, consistency is essential when trying to develop your English writing skills.
The traditional way of organising sentences in a paragraph is to have a topic sentence at the very beginning. A clear first sentence in every paragraph briefly informs the reader what you are going to write about in that paragraph. The topic sentence is then followed by linked sentences containing supporting evidence to provide the reader with relevant information elaborating upon the paragraph’s topic in a specific and precise way.
For example, you can provide clear factual information and statistics to support the statement made in your first topic sentence. The paragraph must then end with a concluding sentence that summarises the most important issues and arguments outlined by you within the paragraph. In this way, your writing will be clearly presented using well-structured and logical paragraphs.
When you have mastered the key writing skill of structuring simple paragraphs, you can simply choose an interesting topic and start to plan what you will write. If you have to write about a formal academic topic like politics, the economy, or education, you must ensure the writing is coherent, logical and persuasive in how it will actively engage your reader. However, if you select an informal topic, such as describing a favourite personal activity, then the way you present each paragraph will be more creative and less structured.
If you cannot think of something specific to write about, just start writing freely and let yourself creatively explore a topic. A timer can also be used to set the period of writing time you are comfortable to do. The writing process itself will help your brain to clearly structure your thoughts and ideas using English.
The first draft of your writing is unlikely to be perfect, so you must very carefully check it for any errors and rewrite confusing sentences. A notebook record of the common mistakes found in your writing will enable you to more successfully edit future drafts of written text and remove frequently made errors.
There is also free online software available to help you identify mistakes made as you write. One such text editing tool is ‘Grammarly’, and it will help you to eliminate any grammar and spelling mistakes in your written English.
Once you have fully reviewed and edited a draft text, you can then rewrite and complete your written text. The process of checking a written text to make sure you have correct spelling, verb tenses, and accurate grammar in every sentence, allows you to continuously practise your writing skills. This also helps you to constantly improve your understanding of how to clearly communicate using the English language.
Now that you have a deeper insight into some of the ways you can acquire the necessary skills to write English more fluently, ongoing regular practice is essential to bring you sustained success in your learning.
However, such independent personal practise of all your English skills alone will not be enough to help you excel in the challenging task of becoming a confident and effective writer of English. You need the support of an experienced English tutor.
Mr. Jeff is a native-speaking British trained teacher in Johor Bahru who can give you exciting individually planned 1-to-1 English classes. As an excellent and proven IELTS private tutor living in Malaysia, Mr. Jeff will also expertly guide you towards achieving the very best result in your IELTS Test, especially when tackling the difficult challenges of completing the IELTS Writing tasks.
To guarantee your success in becoming a fluent writer and confident overall communicator using English, please contact Mr. Jeff at the ‘English for Everyone’ Tuition Office now.