How to improve your writing in English

Writing in your own language can be challenging but writing in another language can be really tough. Here, we look at how to improve your writing in English. We will give eight different tips to help make you feel more confident in your writing skills.

Of course the key is to practise so make sure you write at least a few different texts before you decide whether you are making progress!

Make sure you’re clear on the concepts you’re writing about

This sounds like a simple tip but it’s best to layout what you are going to write about first. It’s a good idea to spend five minutes or so on this especially if you are practising your writing skills for an exam.

Outlining is a good way to provide a framework for the piece you are going to write. It provides a frame to fill in with your unique ideas and insights. It will also help you to organise your thoughts in a logical and methodical way.

For example, if you are writing a thesis then the following outline would be a good starting point:

• Your thesis statement
• The subjects / themes you’re covering
• Each piece of supporting evidence for each subject / theme
• Your conclusion

With an exam essay for an IELTS or Cambridge exam then perhaps think about these aspects as well:

• An introduction and two to four bodies of text
• A complex grammar point in each body of text
• Linking words and conjunctions to make the text flow
• Alternative vocabulary; use some new and more complex words than you would use in spoken English

This outlines can of course be adapted depending on what you are writing about. This should give you a good basis to work from and help you to apply it to the text you want to write.

Use a thesaurus

Once you have removed unneeded words from your writing, you need to choose some good alternatives. This is where a thesaurus comes in handy. You can use it to swap words that you use repeatedly for more suitable and interesting replacement. Here are a few examples: beautiful > attractive; money > funds; differ > vary; sad > unhappy; progress > advance. By avoiding familiar or ‘lower-level’ vocabulary you can make your text more unique and make it sound more polished. Although, be careful not to overdo it as your writing still has to read naturally and make sense to your target audience.

Ban certain words

To take your writing to another level it’s a good idea to think about banning certain words: things, stuff, very, quite, good, really, and got. You may be wondering why this would help so much? These are surplus words and they don’t help with effective communication so without them your text will mean the same but read far better!

Bonus tip: Replace “very/really + adjective” with an “extreme adjective”. Very cold becomes freezing. Very tasty becomes delicious. Really beautiful becomes stunning. There are hundreds of these adjectives you can use when writing, again the thesaurus can help here.

Keep your sentences simple

By keeping your sentences simple it makes it easy to understand the content. As a rule it’s best to keep your sentences to two or three clauses at the most. If you find yourself using more than three clauses then it’s best to either start a new sentence or use a semi-colon (;) if it’s appropriate.

e.g. NOT – I went to the park, sat on a bench, read my book, looked at the trees, had a nap, drank some water and then met my friend.

BETTER – I went to the park, sat on a bench and read my book. While reading I occasionally glanced up at the trees, I felt sleepy so I took a nap. After napping I felt thirsty then drank some water. My friend called and I went to meet them in another park of the park.

Theses sentences are short and simple but also more descriptive so add to the reader’s enjoyment.

Favour active over passive language

It’s generally better to use the active voice rather than the passive for clearer, more concise writing. For example: “The dog bit the Policeman” is clearer and resonates more with the reader than “The Policeman was bitten by the dog”.

There are often good reasons to use the passive voice such as when you are talking in an authoritative way, i.e. “Dogs are not allowed on the beach” or to tactfully avoid the subject of the sentence, i.e. “The cause of the confusion was unknown”.

Although, you should really avoid using it too much as it will make your writing seem quite look and a bit clumsy.

More ideas on how to improve your writing in English

Make sure you use transitional words

Transitional words make your text flow better and helps the reader to seamlessly move from one sentence to the next. Here are some words you can use: although, however, to sum up, in conclusion, therefore.

Don’t use too many prepositional phrases

Using too many propositional phrases can make your writing sound more informal and more difficult to follow. Some examples are: look at, agree with, listen to, apply for, ask for.

e.g. NOT – I listened to the radio and agreed with the presenter. He said he was looking at a newspaper and found a job which he wanted to apply for. He asked his colleague for some help and he thanked him for his contribution.

BETTER – The radio was on in the background and what the presenter said resonated with me. While reading the newspaper he found a job and registered his interest. He quizzed his colleague about his thoughts and showed his gratitude when he gave some insightful answers.

Ask for feedback on your writing

Asking for feedback is a great way to adapt and improve your writing skills. It can be extremely difficult to learn alone so don’t be afraid to ask for feedback on your writing. It’s always a good idea to ask a proofreader to have a look at your work. Alternatively, ask a friend if they have a good background in writing in English. Proofreaders are native English speakers with an interest in language and writing, or non-native speakers who have an advanced level. Once your proofreader has checked your work, put into practice their recommendations and ask for a final review before publishing or submitting your piece.

Any other ideas?

Reading in English is always a good idea as you can pick up styles in writing and can use some useful or descriptive sentences. A good starting point can be with Penguin English learning books. There are different levels you can choose from with appropriate vocabulary and definitions along with some questions about the book. Give them a try, you will soon see your skills improve!