Writing

Hello again. So, in Section 2 we talked about how you can read and listen to English all the time and in this section, we’ve talked a lot about speaking, but what about writing, okay, because this is a really important skill too. It’s one of the 4 skills that we need to practice.

Now, throughout this course and the techniques and different methods I’ve given you, that involves a lot of writing practice as well. Things like when we’re writing to pen pals, when we’re writing into Anki, when we’re writing on forums as well.

But, let’s have a look now how you can actually practice your writing specifically.

[00:40] Slide 2

Okay, so let’s first think about how to write. Okay, because when writing, it’s a different type of skill than reading or listening.

So, this is what to do when writing. The first thing is take your time. So, it’s important to take your time when writing.

When speaking with somebody, you have to speak quickly because you’re having a conversation. But, with writing, there’s no rush. There’s no time limit on your writing.

So, there’s no rush to finish what you’re writing. It’s a good time to think as well. You can see in this picture that the guy is writing but he’s thinking about what to write.

So, think about what word is best to use. Think about what structure is best to use too. And, to help you with all of this, you can get help, okay this is simple to do. You can use online dictionaries.

And, something else I like doing is to put the phrase that you want to use into Google. You can then check the results and also find the phrase you’re looking for in different forums.

Now, it’s also going to help if you get feedback on your writing too. We’ll talk more about this later.

[01:56] Slide 3

But, here are some ways to practice now. So, remember in Section 2 when I talked about following  blogs, joining groups and doing things you enjoy?

Well, a great way to practice writing is to be active in these places and this is true if you’re going to make friends too. So, what you can do is leave comments on blog post, which is amazing practice and when you leave comments on your favorite blogs, you’ll have to really think about what you want to say.

And, from this, you’ll be able to form complex sentences. You can do this also in forums, so don’t just read forums but take part in the discussions or be active and you can do this in social media too, places like YouTube and Facebook.

Now, doing all of these makes you active, it helps you process English and helps you use it in the right way. So, I really recommend writing on blogs, forums in social media.

[02:58] Slide 4

Now, there are also some specific sites that you can use to get feedback on your writing. The one on the picture is from Lang-8 and I’ll leave more examples below, more links below.

But, here’s how it works, you write something and post it. Okay, so you write something, anything and then post it so people in the community can see it.

People in the community then give you feedback. So, you then receive feedback on your writing and this is done by English speakers and they correct your mistakes and also give you advice.

How much does this cost? Well, it’s free but you need to help others too. So, you help people who are learning your language with their writing and you make corrections and give advice.

So, this is a great way to get feedback on your writing for free. Alternatively, you can work with your teacher or find a teacher who specializes in this area and can give you writing feedback too.

So, they are just some ways that you can practice your writing. Thanks for watching.

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