Embedded Files
Common Writing
Do you take too long to write?
Do you take too long to write?
There is another whole article on this site on writing quickly (How to write more quickly), including tips like planning before writing, leaving it until later to correct your mistakes, and using models before and after (but not during) writing.
Do you make the same mistakes each time you write?
Do you make the same mistakes each time you write?
If you often make errors such as missing third person -s (“He go” X) and/ or missing out articles (“It is same as…” X), it is worth making a checklist of such points to double-check for. The use that checklist during the editing stage. If that isn’t enough, you can do specific study of those points and/ or add example sentences to your vocabulary lists to memorise in the same way.
Do you make mistakes in your writing?
Do you make mistakes in your writing?
In timed writing exams, the secret is to write more quickly so that you have more time left for editing at the end. In your own writing, the checklist idea above could also work with a bigger list of the mistakes which you could make. If you keep copies of unedited writing, perhaps the most useful practice is to go back and edit the same piece of writing again to make sure that you catch everything that was pointed out by your teacher last time.
Do you find that you are missing words in your writing?
Do you find that you are missing words in your writing?
This is most common with articles/ determiners, for which you should remember the pattern that “Almost all singular countable nouns need something before them, so ‘Cat’ is always wrong on its own”. A similar tip for the next most common problem is “Every subject needs a verb, and almost every verb needs a subject”.
Do you use the wrong level of formality in my writing?
Do you use the wrong level of formality in my writing?
It can be really useful to write down the level of formality that you are aiming for, e.g. writing “medium-formality email” before you start writing. When you finish, check that the whole piece of writing seems to match that level of formality, then google for model writing and lists of language that match that level of politeness or friendliness (searching for “formal business email”, etc).
Do you write too formally?
Do you write too formally?
If the level of formality problem is almost always writing too formally (and so perhaps being unfriendly), you should be able to find or make a checklist of things to include and not include like “Includes idioms, abbreviations, and other informal vocabulary” and “Avoids long words where collocations of shorter words would be possible/ suitable”.
Do you write too casually / too informally?
Do you write too casually / too informally?
A checklist for this opposite problem could include “Functional language for requests etc is suitably long, polite and indirect” and “Avoids abbreviations such as contractions”.
Is your English writing too influenced by your own language or your own culture?
Is your English writing too influenced by your own language or your own culture?
This is most common in emailing, where an email translated from almost any another language will seem very strange in English. However, there can also be cultural issues in other genres such as academic writing. The most important tip is to plan and write only in English, avoiding any translation. You should also look for model answers etc that are clearly not influenced by your own culture, for example because they were written for a more international audience (and so don’t include any translation).
Is your writing too short?
Is your writing too short?
This is most commonly a problem in writing exams that have a minimum word limit like IELTS, but not writing enough can also produce essays that don’t support the opinions in them, emails which are not friendly enough, etc. The easiest way to add more words is to use a standard opening and closing, e.g. a standard essay introduction or a standard business email closing (closing line, closing greeting and then name at the end). If you still need more words, these should be added to the body. For example, you could add another reason for what you said, or split long sentences into two sentences linked by linking words.
Is your writing too long?
Is your writing too long?
Although there can be strict upper word limits in situations like academic papers, the most common problem is the finished writing being so long that it is unlikely to be read. For instance, long emails are often saved for later after shorter ones have been dealt with, perhaps meaning saved forever! Typical opening and closing can help with this, as original alternatives to “I am writing to you concerning…” etc tend to be wordier and less to the point. There are also often sentences that could be shorter and easier to understand if they follow a more standard SVO/ SVC structure. Some English language norms like not needing to introduce yourself at the beginning of emails also help with shortening writing.
Is your writing not split well into paragraphs?
Is your writing not split well into paragraphs?
By far the best solution is to plan before writing, preferably with a very simple plan like “1: apology and reason, 2: future action”. After you finish writing, check that you stuck to your plan, then check for other points like “doesn’t start a new line just because it’s a new sentence/ doesn’t start new lines within paragraphs”, “divided by a blank line or indent from the next paragraph”, “clearly different topic from the other paragraphs”, “between two and five or six sentences” and “readable on its own without needing to refer back or forward to other paragraphs”.
Do you only use short and simple sentences in your writing?
Do you only use short and simple sentences in your writing?
This is rarely a bad thing in real life. However, only using basic sentences can make it seem like you don’t have a high language level, make your ideas also seem unsophisticated, and/ or be boring to read. Many ways of trying to deal with this lead to long and/ or confusing sentences, but you could combine sentences to make sure that paragraphs have no more than five sentences, stop repeating linking words (so that you have to use “while” to make a longer sentence if you have already used “However”), and try to add some variety if two sentences in a row are very similar.
Are there long confusing sentences in your writing?
Are there long confusing sentences in your writing?
Suitable tips include making sure that all paragraphs have at least two sentences (splitting long sentences into two if they don’t), not repeating linking words and so having to split some sentences to use conjunctions which link two sentences, making sure that you know what the subject and object of each clause is, and reading long sentences out loud to make sure that they make sense.
Do you get stuck at the start of writing?
Do you get stuck at the start of writing?
This is easily solved by starting with very common starters like “Thank you for your email about…” and “In the modern world, it is more and more common to…”. If they then turn out not to be the best starters for that writing, you can replace them with something more suitable, original or tied to the rest of the writing when you edit the writing after you finish.
Do you get stuck at the end of writing?
Do you get stuck at the end of writing?
The best thing to do is usually to stop writing and to start editing everything from the top, as this will mean that you’ve just read everything and so should have a better idea of how to finish it when you get to that point again.
Credit: Using English.com
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse