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Good English writing skills are important. They help
you make sure that what you write gives the correct impression and is
accurate and clear. The english@home guide will help you to
improve your English writing skills.
Think about why you are
writing. It's essential that you consider why you are
writing before you start, so that your message is clear. Are you
writing to inform, to explain, to request something, to complain or to
recommend? With this in mind, you can choose the appropriate style,
vocabulary and level of formality.
Who are you writing to?
What is your reader's level of knowledge or English? Try not to use
words and expressions that are too technical or complicated if you
think your reader will have difficulty understanding them.
Plan before you write. It takes a
little extra time, but the results are always better. Plan what you
want to write, then order your points into paragraphs. This will help
you to keep a clear focus and avoid repetition.
Look up all the words you
know you will need before you start writing. If you have a
plan, you'll know which words these are. It's quicker to look up all
the words before you write than to look them up one by one as you
write.
Don't make your sentences too long. There
should only be a maximum of two ideas in your sentences. If your
sentences are too long, they will be difficult to read.
Use linking words and phrases to
connect ideas and sentences. Words and phrases, such as 'and', 'but',
'therefore', 'however', guide your reader through your ideas and make
your writing easier to read. For more help with these words, see our
pages on
Be careful of referring words such as 'this'
and 'it'. Make sure they refer to the right word or phrase.
Be aware of common grammatical mistakes. The
following areas can all cause problems:
Remember: singular, countable nouns, such as 'pen'
and 'book' always need an article, such as 'the', 'a'. 'an' or 'my'.
Concept words or uncountable nouns, such as 'information' or 'advice'
only need an article if they refer to something specific.
"I would like some information about your
products."
"The information they provided was very
useful."
For more information on when to use 'a' and 'the',
see our pages on article
use.
For detailed information on which tense to use, see
the tenses and verbs section.
Make sure the verb ending is correct for the
subject.
If you find English word order difficult, stick to
the pattern below.
Subject - Verb - Object - Manner - Place - Time
(Who --- Does---What--- How--- Where- When)
"She drank her coffee slowly in the kitchen."
"He watches TV at home in the evening."
Commas [,]are used to separate clauses
or lists.
"I bought coffee, tea, bread and milk."
"She had lunch at home, then went out."
Full stops [.] are used at the end of
a sentence.
Apostrophes ['] are used to show
possession, or to abbreviate words such as 'he is', 'he has' or 'it
is'. They are not used for plurals.
"He's in the office."
"It's cold today."
Semi colons [;]are used to balance
sentences, or to separate long items in a list.
"House prices have gone up; office rents have remained
stable."
"She bought three kilos of new potatoes that she needed to make
the stew; a pound of fresh raspberries for the dessert; a new
tablecloth and some flowers.
Colons [:] are used to
introduce explanations or lists.
"For example:"
"The following tips are useful:"
Use your computer spell-check, but check for
grammatical mistakes yourself.
Have you repeated yourself anywhere? Make
sure that you haven't written the same idea twice, or used unnecessary
words.
Is your message consistent and clear? Your
writing should be easy to understand. If it's not, go back to your
plan again and check that you have only included information that is
relevant. Check also that your style and vocabulary are appropriate.
Read what you have written out aloud. Is it
easy to read, or are the sentences too long? Have you put in enough
punctuation?
Get someone else to check, if possible.
Someone else may see something that is unclear or a mistake.
