If you intend to use English in your professional life, pursue education in an English-speaking country, or undertake exams, it is crucial to enhance your writing skills. Hence, this article offers 15 effective tips on learning how to write in English accurately and proficiently.
1. Check yourself
Find someone who can help you with writing in English. This could be an English teacher, a friend with language proficiency close to a native speaker, or you can make use of automated proofreading tools such as Hemingway Editor or Grammarly.
2. Learn homophones and homonyms
They become our Achilles' heel day in day out. Homophones sound the same, but are spelled differently, while homonyms are not only identical in pronunciation but also in writing. It is essential to pay attention to them while using, especially in correspondence, to ensure your reader always understands you correctly. By reading this article, you will discover the 20 most popular homophones.
3. Find yourself an English-speaking pen friend
In the burgeoning field of technologies, it is of utmost importance to make the most of such opportunities to upgrade your skills. Find yourself a pen friend with whom you share common topics for discussion and start communicating! Thus, you will enrich your vocabulary when enjoying your time and kill two birds with one stone. Click on any link and start looking for a pen friend right now:
4. Read books in English in the original language
Reading not only boosts your vocabulary but also enriches your language with certain linguistic constructions that are seldom used in spoken communication. Additionally, when you read, you automatically memorize the spelling of words as well as punctuation. Learn how to read books in English and where to find free works via the following link.
5. Reread your old written texts
To keep track of your progress in writing, go back to your old written texts and check what has been changed since then. When you see the difference in your texts, you will gain extra motivation to learn English.
6. Subscribe to English-language blogs
How much time do you spend on social media each day? Try using your time wisely by subscribing to English-speaking bloggers, American singers or actors, or educational services that create English content. To save time searching for interesting blogs and channels. I also recommend our Telegram channel to keep up with the latest things related to the English language.
7. Follow the punctuation rules
The majority of people find it challenging to adhere to punctuation rules in English, especially when their native language differs significantly in this regard. Have you ever heard the phrase “Let’s eat grandma?”. As we can see, punctuation plays a crucial role, so it is a must not to neglect it. If you want to learn the basic rules, read this article by following the link.
8. Combine listening & writing skills
Here comes a two-in-one tip in handy: combine listening and writing dictations by ear. Texts written under dictation are well-memorized, allowing you to later apply useful phrases in other types of writings. You can both turn on an interview with your favorite celebrity on YouTube and try to transcribe what they are saying. If you are not a fan of lengthy interviews, these 5 TED Talks speeches are definitely recommended.
9. Play games in English
Find two or three games in English and practice! Board games are not only fun, they are also useful for your English. Building words from cubes, you will 100% remember how they are spelled correctly. Here you can find a selection of board games via the link below.
10. Keep a notebook handy
Make it a habit to keep a notebook handy in case of noting down any foreign words. If you find yourself on a long metro or bus ride or stuck in traffic on your way to work, you can always practice the English language there.
11. Write texts by hand
Our smart gadgets very often help us in correcting words, but that is not exactly what we are aiming for, is it? We need to learn the correct spelling of the word, so it is advisable to write the texts yourself on paper, thus you will immediately spot your mistake, correct it and remember it afterwards.
12. Participate in the exchange of postcards
postcrossing.com – a website that organizes international postcard exchanges. Whatever you write, it will be a good practice for your writing skills.
13. Explore different writing styles
Without a shadow of a doubt, this skill will be necessary for everyone. You cannot write “What's up?” to a business partner, and your friend will be surprised by the outdated “How do you do?”. Therefore, it is essential to always understand who you are writing to and why. Learn how to write in different styles, formal and informal through watching this video.
14. Be careful із false friends
Many Ukrainians at the initial stages once confused “shop” and “magazine” in English. This phenomenon is called false friends. Words that seem to mean one thing but actually imply something else. If you want to familiarize yourself with the most common words that are easily confused, this link is definitely for you.
15. Download apps in English
There are various apps: they can focus on improving pronunciation, listening, reading, and expanding vocabulary. Yet, if you are specifically interested in upgrading your writing skills, you can use those that are primarily aimed at grammar and writing. Here is a link where you can find 8 effective apps for learning English grammar.
Bonus: If you want to learn how to write formal and informal emails in English correctly, take this self-paced online course on the interactive platform from booyya.com – https://bit.ly/3ZaDJmn.
М. ПЛОЩА УКРАЇНСЬКИХ ГЕРОЇВ,
