Writing Tips Guides Resources

Writing Academic English, Fourth Edition (The Longman Academic Writing Series, Level 4) Now in its fourth edition, Writing Academic English, by Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue, is the essential writing text to prepare high-intermediate and advanced college or college-bound English language learners for academic success.   Features A step-by-step approach guides students through the process of writing paragraphs and essays. Clear models and varied practice help students to develop confidence and a mature writing style. Examples with academic content prime students for college ... [Find out more ...]

The English language is a very tricky language to master. Learning to read and understand English may be easier than most think. However, learning to writing well in the English language can be very challenging. It could take many years, even decades, of practice in order to be proficient in English writing. The reasons for this are many fold.

Language of Contradictions

English language has a variety of contradictions that throw people off track. For instance, why do we “park on driveways but drive on parkways”? How can “slim chance” and “fat chance” be the same whereas “wise man” and “wise guy” are different? Why is a person who plays the piano called a “pianist”, but a person who drives a race car is not called a “racist”? If “horrific” means horrible, should “terrific” means terrible? If “vegetarians” eat vegetables, what do “humanitarians” eat? These are just a few conundrums of the English language. There are too many instances which make the English language seem senseless due to contradictions

Melting Pot of Languages

English words and English language rules are derived from many different languages. The English language borrows words heavily from Latin and French. English does not have one clear point of origin. English is the product of many languages and dialects. It took a wide cross section ... [Find out more ...]

On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in the age of e-mail and the Internet. Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you fundamental priciples as well ... [Find out more ...]

English is one of the most widely used languages in the world. With many hundreds of millions people actively using English to communicate on daily basis, it comes as no surprise that writing well in proper English is very important in today’s society. Just like any other skill, writing well in English is a skill that can be developed over time.

While some might think writing well is a talent, writing well in English is not really difficult. If you understand the fundamental rules governing the English language, you should be able to write in proper English. As with all other concepts, it is imperative to get the basics right before trying some of the more advanced styles in English writing.

The basics of the English language lie in sentence structure and word use, which pretty much dictates how well your writing will turn out to be. There are eight parts of speech in English. They are: nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections. Each part of speech explains how words are used to form sentences in order to express meanings, thoughts or ideas.

To write well in English, it is best to write in short sentences with simple words. All parts of speech must agree with each other in sentences. And it is very important ... [Find out more ...]

Writing Academic English, Fourth Edition (The Longman Academic Writing Series, Level 4) Now in its fourth edition, Writing Academic English, by Alice Oshima and Ann Hogue, is the essential writing text to prepare high-intermediate and advanced college or college-bound English language learners for academic success.   Features A step-by-step approach guides students through the process of writing paragraphs and essays. Clear models and varied practice help students to develop confidence and a mature writing style. Examples with academic content prime students for college ... [Find out more ...]

Writing in the English language is pretty straightforward and not that difficult. In order to improve your English language writing, you just have to put in a lot of time to practice writing in English. Here are some useful ideas that will help you improve your English writing.

Putting Sentences Together

Sentence construction is the basic building block of English writing. Words do not mean much until you are able to put them together into meaningful sentences. This is where many English writers run into problems.

Avoid run-on sentences that ramble on and on. Sentences that are too long tend to contain mistakes. When readers read your writing, their breath actually follows the rhythms of you writing. For instance, the reader will pause when there is a comma. If you use a period, the pause is a little longer. When you write very long sentences, your readers will find there is no time to catch their breath!

In addition, long sentences also tend to contain more grammatical errors. It is more difficult to check for correct tenses in a long sentence. The answer is to write in short, clear and concise sentences. A simple passage that contains messages that are easy to understand is much better than a long one with lots of errors and mistakes.

Build on Your Vocabulary

Writing ... [Find out more ...]

On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction On Writing Well has been praised for its sound advice, its clarity and the warmth of its style. It is a book for everybody who wants to learn how to write or who needs to do some writing to get through the day, as almost everybody does in the age of e-mail and the Internet. Whether you want to write about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts or about yourself in the increasingly popular memoir genre, On Writing Well offers you fundamental priciples as well ... [Find out more ...]

Good writing skills can open up a lot of rewarding opportunities for you. English is pretty much an universal language. It is the language of business. And good communication skills in written English can allow you the access to opportunities on a global scale that you may not even know existed. From corresponding to networking, the more knowledgeable you are in English writing, the more successful you can be. In order to make the most of your English writing abilities, it is important to adhere to these practical writing tips:

Keep It Simple

Fancy adjectives and elegant adverbs may make you feel like you are a great writer, but it is not how people communicate. In fact, most people read and write on a ninth grade level. It is not a matter of ignorance. It is simply a necessity. The shorter sentences you write, the better you can give instructions and get your idea across without any breakdown in the process.

Beware of those “—ly” Words

Words ending in “ly” are often misused and abused because of the mistaken notion that they “sound” more intelligent. In reality, they slow down the flow of ideas and lead to frustration for the readers. If you are doing business in English, you can see how this can hurt your chance ... [Find out more ...]