improve your english skills by writing

8/7/2019 Improve Your English Skills by Writing

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Improve Your English Skills by Writing, Part 1

To be able to write well in a language is a valuable skill. Your writingrepresents you, your ideas and your personality. Today we are often required

to communicate in writing in letters, email messages or even when preparing

presentations for meetings. To write well can be a source of power, languagepower.

Writing well is important for a native speaker. It can be even more importantfor a non-native speaker. For both, it is a unique opportunity to practice and improve the ability

to use the language. When you write you have to think about the language and think in thelanguage. You penetrate the language, taste the language, digest the language and create in the

language.

Every language has its logic. Some languages, like French, are very logical. Every idea isstrongly and explicitly developed. This is the influence of the classical Greek and Latin tradition

of rhetoric and argumentation. Asian languages are often more contextual and meanings can beexpressed through more indirect references to an assumed common cultural background.

A careful reader learns to sense these differences when reading in a language. This logic of the

language is inevitably captured in the phrases. That is why LingQ places so much emphasis onphrases, rather than grammar rules. A phrase is simply a group of two to five or six words that

native speakers naturally use. At LingQ you will learn the phrases of the language and then trainyourself to use these phrases when you write. In this way your use of the language becomes more

natural. If you do not understand a phrase you can just ask your tutor online.

Writing in a new language will improve all your language skills, not just your writing skills.

Writing in a new language is a form of quality control. You can discover your own languageweaknesses. When you go to your favourite sources of good language, books, magazine andnewspaper articles, internet sites and elsewhere, you start to observe and imitate. And you

develop the knowledge of what to look for.

The strength of the LingQ system is its integration of the different elements of language learning.We encourage you to read and listen. We train you to be observant of words and phrases. Our

"language learning engine" methodology helps you to learn the words and phrases you need.Then you write, using the words and phrases you have learned. Your writing is corrected. Then

you go back to your reading and listening to enrich your language and deal with your areas ofweakness.

Develop the Confidence to Write

To write effectively in English requires, at the very least, a basic level of fluency. To achieve thisbasic level of fluency in English, you need to first concentrate on mastering the most common

2,000 words in the language, which account for around 80% of most language content. The manyconversations that you find in The LingQ Library are mostly made up of these 2,000 high

frequency words.


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You must become confident in using these most common words. Use them when you write. Do

not think that writing has to be a high level academic exercise. Let your writing be an extensionof your speaking. I always recommend that learners try to speak and write the same way, using

the same words and phrases, until they are very fluent. It is best to avoid a colloquial speaking

style on the one hand and a stiff or artificial writing style on the other.

If you make your written and spoken English similar, both will benefit. You will find it easier to

write, and your ability to express yourself orally will improve. As you learn new words andphrases you should use them in your regular online discussions with your tutor, and not just in

your writing.

You should learn to write and speak correctly using the most common words of the language,while making your sentences short, clear and effective. Even intermediate and advanced English

learners make many errors in the usage of the most basic words and phrases of English. At thesame time they often make their sentences too complicated. So my advice is to simplify and

make sure you get your simple English right.

You will improve by writing and by allowing your corrected writing to guide you in yourlistening and reading.


At LingQ, when you have your writing corrected and returned to you, youhave an opportunity to import this corrected writing into your WorkDesk. In

some cases the native speaker tutor who corrected your writing has recordedthis corrected writing. You now have an opportunity to study what you

wanted to express, and how it should be expressed in English. If there arewords that you used incorrectly, save them. Saving them will create example

sentences for you in LingQ. Study these examples to help yourself to get usedto the correct usage of these words in different contexts. You will gradually develop a natural

confidence in using them.

Let your reading and listening build up your language power. When you study the content itemsfor the first time you naturally focus on meaning. But when you listen and read for the second

and third time you need to train yourself to focus on the words and phrases and how they areused. You need to learn to imitate this usage, without thinking too much about rules of grammar.

Let the usage become natural to you, as you listen to it and read over and over again, day afterday!

Academic and Professional English

Even before you have fully mastered the basic words and phrases of English, you will also need

to acquire a lot of words that are not used so frequently in spoken English. Professor Paul Nation


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of New Zealand has developed a list of 570 words that are frequently used in academic andprofessional reports. This is known as the Academic Word List.

As you progress at LingQ you will want to study the more academic or professional articles in

LingQ Store, always concentrating on subjects that are interesting and familiar to you. You

should also import content of interest from the Internet and other electronic text sources andlearn words and phrases from these articles using LingQ's unique methodology.

To learn more specialized vocabulary you will have to concentrate your reading on areas that are

important to you. There are many excellent websites on specialized subjects. You can easily findthem using Google. You may have your own sources. If you select articles in your field of

academic or professional specialization, you will then be able to use LingQ to master the relevantspecialized terminology and expressions, while you learn the essential concepts of these

specialized fields.

I would recommend that you look up the many excellent articles on academic and businesswriting that you can find on the Internet. Treat these articles as content that you want to study

both for content and for the words and phrases that you find there. Use LingQ as a studyplatform to learn more about the specific practices of technical or academic writing while

improving your English at the same time.

At LingQ we emphasize the correct usage of words and phrases. There are many words in

English that are not used often, and are not technical and yet can be very effective in expressingabstract concepts. You will also need to learn these less common words. You should learn how

to use these words to give your writing more power and elegance. As you progress in thelanguage you need a richer vocabulary. LingQ helps you achieve this and measures your

progress towards your goals.

Throughout your studies at LingQ, the system keeps track of the words and phrases you arelearning. You set your goals and the system measures your progress towards these goals. These

statistics not only help you, but also enable your on line tutor to follow your progress and sendyou timely reports and advice. We will, in the future, also measure the vocabulary richness of

your writing submissions.

If you are reading content that contains new words, it is better to avoid relying on a conventionaldictionary. You have thousands of words to learn. They are all easy to forget if you do not see

them often. You cannot possibly look them all up in a dictionary over and over again. It takes toolong. You are best to take advantage of LingQ's vocabulary learning technology to quickly see

the meanings of new words and to save them into a database for systematic study. This willincrease the speed of your learning. What is more it will help create the intensity that all

language learners need to attain in order to make a breakthrough.



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To be able to write academic and professional English can require avocabulary of over 10,000 words. LingQ will help you learn how to use these

words. As you progress you will naturally develop the ability to handle morecomplex subjects in your writing. However the sentences should still be

simple, clear and logical. If you develop the right habits with the basic

vocabulary, your academic and professional English will be clear andeffective.

At LingQ, you will systematically accumulate lots of powerful words and phrases, and learn howthey are used. You will get a feel for the logic of English. Your growing knowledge of words and

phrases will enable you to express more and more varied ideas. LingQ is designed to help youbuild your language power in this way.

Critical Thinking and Ideas

When writing you will be judged on your ideas, on how original they are. You will need to take a

position on the question you are discussing. The more original your analyses and conclusions,and the better you understand the issues, the better you will be able to write.

You not only need to learn new words and phrases. You also need to become observant of the

way ideas are handled in English. You need to apply critical thinking when reading and listening.This will train you to write more demanding articles, including academic articles and business

reports in English.

To the ancient philosophers of Greece and Rome, like Socrates and Seneca, if the ideas wereclear the words would come. Try to develop the skills of critical thinking. This will help you

form your ideas and make your writing easier.

Think of the key elements of critical thinking.

y Observey Questiony Analyzey Comparey Evaluatey Judgey Synthesize

Learn to apply the elements of critical thinking while you are reading and listening. Do this inEnglish, since you are reading and listening in English. This will prepare you for reasoning and

writing effectively in English.

Make Sure You Write Regularly at LingQ.

Make sure you write and submit writing for correction. If you do so you will get a lot of


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feedback that will help you to improve. The typical writing submission should be no more than300 words long. LingQ will help you to improve by providing you with the following feedback.

You will see both your original text and the corrected text.

Incorrect phrases are highlighted in your original text.

Corrected phrases are highlighted in the corrected text.

A list of correct phrases is provided for you to learn. You should look for similar phrases in your

reading.

When you import the corrected text into your WorkDesk, you have a chance to save the wordsyou have trouble with. LingQ develops an ongoing statistical profile showing the frequency and

nature of your errors.

Do not be afraid of writing. As explained above, until you are very good at using the language,you should try to write the way you speak. Do not sit frozen struggling to create formal prose.

Just start writing, as if you were talking, in simple direct sentences. As you continue with Lingqyou will naturally develop a more and more effective writing style. Even if you are an advanced

writer, you should keep your sentences simple and direct.


Organizing Your Ideas

Most of you will not write a book, but you may have to write letters, emails or

reports. Many of you will answer writing questions on tests and exams. Youwill need to have a reliable formula or plan for organizing your ideas.

We all know the importance of planning so that our writing will appear

coherent. It is best to plan our thoughts before we start writing. However, sometimes this simplydoes not work. I often find it easier to just start writing. Once I have a few ideas down it then

becomes easier to start planning and organizing. Words influence ideas. The German writerGoethe once said "When ideas fail, words really come in handy." With modern software it is

easier than ever to rearrange and reorganize your writing.

Whether you start by writing or start by planning, you will need to decide how you are going toorganize your ideas. Which facts or arguments belong together? In your plan you should be

thinking about how to most effectively get your point across. You need to be deliberate and clearin presenting your views. Yet you also need to gain the sympathy and support of the reader.

When I have had to organize my thoughts, I have often found it useful to be guided by the

practices of ancient Greece and Rome, where the art of rhetoric was developed to a high degree.It has helped me to quickly organize my thoughts when I had to make a presentation or even

write an essay. The classical approach to rhetoric is very much a part of the tradition of debate in


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modern western languages.

The ancient philosophers would normally organize their ideas in six parts. In a modern setting itwould be something like this.

Exordium Introduction to gain sympathy from the listeners

"I am glad to be in this town, where I have come so often and have so many friends. I am not

used to speaking in public but feel very strongly about the subject."

Narratio Lead up to the subject at hand

" Many of you are aware of the issue of public transport and the circumstances of populationgrowth that have created more demands on our system. Why just today on my way in from the

airport."

Partitio Description of the points you are going to make

"Today I will talk about the best way to spend public and private funds to improve everyone'squality of life."

Confirmatio Observation and proofs that confirm your point of view

" So you see the main point of my research has shown that what we need is the following policy.

The following statistics demonstrate that. A public opinion poll showed that".

Refutatio Refuting the opposite points of view

" Now some people have argued that the opposite is true, or that my conclusions do not take intoconsideration these other facts, but I have found that my evidence is very strong that."

and finally,

Peroratio Conclusion and final appeal for support

"So my conclusion is that while opinion may be divided, we all know that we need to work for

the common good and that means. I hope I can count on your support, my friends"

A Simpler Formula

This classical model is still effective today. It can provide inspiration for many modernsituations, including sales calls or even job interviews. For the typical writing assignments at

school or at work, however, a simpler formula is probably more useful.

The following is a shorter adaptation of the classical formula.


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I. Introduction giving background to the issue and stating the question II. Arguments in favour ofone position III. Arguments against that position IV. Summary and conclusion

You should develop your own standard formula for organizing your thoughts. You will find that

it is usually possible to adapt most writing situations to such a formula.


Clean up your English

Writing is an excellent opportunity to work on making your English as naturaland effective as possible. If you work on improving your writing you will

improve your overall use of English.

I have corrected a large number of writing submissions. In doing so, I havecome to realize the importance of focusing on meaning rather than rules of grammar. In my

experience most writing mistakes are caused by the learner not really understanding the meaningand use of words and phrases. When you try to think in terms of rules of grammar your writing

can become unnatural. If you can get your meaning across effectively and naturally, theoccasional grammar mistake is not so important. We want you to focus on the meaning of what

you read and write, not grammar rules.

We call this ourCLEAN English approach, consisting of the following points of emphasis.

y Clarityy Logicy Effectivenessy

Accuracyy Normal Usage

Try to think ofCLEAN English as the fastest way to improve your writing. It is unavoidable thatyou will continue to make certain mistakes of grammar until you have had enough practice.

However, if you focus on CLEAN English you will find that you will be able to communicatemore effectively and that the grammar problems will gradually start to resolve themselves.

Let's look more carefully at the individual components ofCLEAN English.

Clarity

It is absolutely essential that the reader easily understand what you are writing.

Keep things simple.

Short sentences are better than long sentences.


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Short paragraphs are better than long paragraphs.

Simple language is better than complicated language.

Use the simplest word that accurately expresses what you want to say.

Use the active rather than the passive mood as much as possible.

When you use a pronoun like "it" or "which", make sure it is clear what you are referring to. If

not, repeat the original noun.

Do not assume that the reader will understand something. Explain everything.

Logic

Some aspects of logic are universal. Some aspects of logic are peculiar to a given language.

Do not leave out steps in an explanation.

Make sure you always compare objects that are of the same category, not as in the followingexample "I like eating sushi and my friend." Language logic can vary depending on the

language. Learn to use the logic of English. Avoid translating from your native language.

If you use connecting words of condition, cause or purpose, like "nevertheless", " in view of thefact" or "therefore" etc. make sure that the relationship really exists in your text.

Accuracy

Accuracy means using words and phrases with precision.

Many words mean roughly the same thing, but not quite. Develop a sense of the precise meaning

and usage of words.

Work to improve your knowledge of words and phrases in order to increase accuracy. Use theright word to say exactly what you mean to say.

Avoid using the incorrect forms of words. For example, "I am hunger" instead of "I am hungry".

Avoid using the singular form of a word when the plural form is required.

Be as specific as possible. Avoid vague expressions.

Effectiveness

Learn how to convey your ideas and convince the reader of your point of view.


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Organize your ideas according to a clear plan.

Use theme sentences in your key paragraphs to let the reader know what is coming.

Stay with one main idea per paragraph.

Make sure that all statements can be justified or proven from experience or other proof.

Do not make easily challenged statements.

Avoid dramatic language. Understatement is more credible.

Avoid slang, contractions or idioms in most situations.

Have definite opinions. Do not leave the reader wondering what you think.

Normal Usage

There are often different views as to what constitutes correct grammar. But in fact usage can

vary with time and place. LingQ's correctors will decide what they feel is not normal usage. Thismay not mean it is incorrect, but it will mean that in the mind of the corrector this is not how one

normally says things in English. It is always possible to debate these corrections, but we think itis unimportant to do so. Focus on meaning, not rules.

Our corrector will also identify the type of mistakes that you are making. If you have trouble

with them it will show up in the statistics and your tutor will show you how to improve. Some ofthe mistake categories are

y Verbsy Articlesy Prepositionsy Punctuationy Word ordery Choice of words

Our corrector will replace incorrect phrases with new correct phrases for you to learn. You willsee the changes made by the corrector and should try to understand why the changes were made.

It is up to you to look at what you have written and analyze the problems. You should then learnthe correct phrase and look for similar phrases in your reading and listening.You should import

the correct text and study it, saving words to your datebase.

Our correctors may provide some grammar rules in their explanations but mostly you need tolearn to write by constant exposure and practice. We want you to develop a feel for usage rather

than relying on explanations. At first you may find this difficult, but in the long run it is better


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because it will help you to naturally express yourself correctly.

Rewriting

Even the best writers, writing in their native language, make mistakes. Often they writesomething that is not clear or logical. Certainly I do this all the time. That is why it is importantto review what you have written, if you are writing for work or at school. This helps you to focus

on your writing and catch your mistakes. If you catch your own mistakes you are less likely tomake the mistakes again.

However, a LingQ we want to find out what your weaknesses are. So just write as if you were

speaking. Let any problems you have with structure just come out naturally. That way it will beeasier to write. That way you can learn from your mistakes, and apply this to your spoken

English as well.

Take the time to write. It will increase your power to communicate effectively, not only inwriting but also in speaking. Good luck!

improve your english skills by writing

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