English is one of the most popular languages spoken in world. About 20 countries including USA, UK, Canada, and Australia are classified as native English speaking countries. It is hence very important for students, especially school and college going and those looking for college admissions or work abroad to get a strong proficiency in English language. English has emerged as de facto business and transactional languages, which means it is being used in most of the countries worldwide.
Source: Statista website
There are many key sections of English language, but they can be broadly classified into following categories
- English literature
- English grammar
- English writing
- English speaking
- English vocabulary
In the article, we will specifically look into English writing part, and share important tips for improving English writing skills. English writing, of course, derive from having strong English vocabulary and grammar base. We will cover these two topics in other article. Here, we will assume that readers have basic knowledge of both English vocabulary and understand English grammar fundamentals.
Why do we need good English writing skills?
Writing is one of the most common forms of communication (formal and informal). It is most structured way of communicating to other people. Some of the most common examples of English writing are:
- Writing an application for leave to class teacher
- Writing a letter to principal for school admission
- Writing a mail for job application
- Writing a memo to all students of school
- Writing a note to a family telling that you will late
- Writing an article for a newspaper on local issues
Each of these English writing examples include informing/communicating/requesting someone. There are many form of English writing.
Forms of English writing
- Persuasive writing form – This type of English writing form sway the reader towards author’ point of view. For example- Advertisement text that we see in newspapers ads, online ads etc.
- Narrative writing form – This type of English writing form tells a story. It is most found in English literature like novel, short stories, poems etc.
- Analytical writing form– This type of English writing involve thorough research, identifying pros and cons of topics, and then writing an unbiased piece. This is most commonly found in business writing, newspaper reviews etc
- Argumentative writing form– This form of English writing cites scientific studies, facts, statistics and other scientific evidence. This is most commonly used in research journal etc
- Expository writing form – This type of English writing sets forth facts. Most common examples are journals, research article, business writing etc
- Descriptive writing form– This type of English writing evoke images through rich description. For example- fictional stories, poetry etc
School and college students are mostly involved in following format of English writing.
- Essay writing
- Letter writing
- Report writing
- Email writing
- Memo
- Article writing
Most of the school curriculums follow above formats of writing to check creativity, comprehension, vocabulary and grammar skills of school and college students.
You can check detailed article on above formats here.
- How to improve essay writing skills
- How to improve Letter writing skills
- How to improve Report writing skills
Tips to improve English writing skills
We will now see important aspects of English writing, and check tips for how to improve on them.
Improving creative writing skills in English
What is creative writing?
Creative writing is form of writing which build on imagination and narration skills of a writer to express his/her story, character, event, place in the form of poetry, fiction, screenplay etc.
Tips to improve creative writing
Creative writing is fast emerging trend among young people especially school and college students. For any type of creative writing, we need to cover following things in our writing
- Underlying theme – As a writer, you need to have clear idea of where you story is, what you need to portray, what message are you giving at end. Listing down these details will define the flow of your writing
- Plot – In order to deliver the message of the theme, you need to come up with the plot or story. This will be flow of the event that will take place involving theme.
- Characters – You need to introduce characters in the story in sync with your theme and plot. Just like any movie story, there will be main characters, there be other characters that are assisting the story. Make sure that you have balance of main as well as assistant character. This mixture is required for not letting readers get bored
Example of creative writing (Story/poem) topics
- Alone in a foggy mountains
- Murder in a train
- Story of a scar
- Troubling past of a successful person
- Roller coaster journey of a business person
Improving vocabulary skills
You need to deep understanding of vocabulary with knowledge of idioms and phrases, which will help you build the plot of your story in creative writing. Strong knowledge of vocabulary helps in formal writing, when you can build the right sentence to convey your message to other person.
Detailed tips for improving English vocabulary can be seen here.
Improving grammar skills
Grammar is the building block of any language including English. The right uses of grammar components make sure that you are correctly communicating your message or building a narrative.
Detailed tips for improving English grammar can be seen here.
Overview
In this article, we have shared important tips for improving English writing. If you are in school or college or preparing for English tests like Ielts, Toefl etc, you can approach us for your doubts in English writing. We will be glad to assist you for improving English writing skills. Reach out to our counselors at info@xamnation.com for more information.
You can also check:
- Grade 6 English Practice
- Grade 7 English Practice
- Grade 8 English Practice
- Grade 9 English Practice
- Grade 10 English Practice
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