Introduction

Writing skills mean the writer is to write down their thoughts / ideas / opinions /
facts / stories etc. in a manner which makes their thoughts clear and
comprehensible to the reader.
Writing skills trump speaking skills because most often the writer is not present
in front of us to impress us with his / her voice, tone, mannerisms, personality,
nonverbal cues and body language.
In this report, we are going to explain some positive ideas for improving your
writing skill.

5 SIMPLE WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITTEN ENGLISH

Practice makes writing perfect
If you want to improve a skill then practice makes perfect. Whether you’re
talking about tennis or writing, using a skill every day will inevitably improve
your ability to use that skill. If you want to learn to write quickly and
effectively, then you need to set aside some time to write every day.
Expand your vocabulary
To express yourself clearly, you need a good active vocabulary. That’s not just
being able to recognize lots of words - it actually means being able to use them
correctly. Do this by learning new words with example sentences, not just word
lists.
Read regularly
People often say that we learn to write best by reading. Reading in English is
useful in many ways. It is a great way to get an idea of the different styles of
writing and see how to use words appropriately.
Improve your grammar
Grammar is very important because it improves the quality of your writing.
Always use the appropriate tense and remember to use punctuation. Punctuation
is a great way to make your writing clear and fluent.
Master English spelling
You must know how to spell those words correctly. Incorrect spelling changes
the meaning of your sentence. For example: ‘bare’ and ‘bear’ sound the same
but ‘bare’ means naked and ‘bear’ is a large animal. Additionally, incorrect
spelling makes it difficult for the reader to understand what you’ve written.

10 Things to Avoid in Your Writing

Being Too General / Vague Structure
Often students make the mistake of trying to review a subject widely, causing
the essay to be too broad. This mistake can be made from lack of planning.
Some students even write their essay without any planning whatsoever! This
can cause the structure of the essay to be too vague and can avoid answering the
question you've been assigned. A good essay is precise and sticks to the thesis
statement. This can achieve with effective essay planning!
Trying Too Hard to Sound Academic
Many students will try to include complicated sentences and long words to
make their paper sound more academic. The reader should never have to go
through a sentence more than twice to find out its meaning. Yes - always use the
appropriate terminology as this will get you marks, but before you use a term
always be sure you know its meaning and how to use it correctly! Asking
someone to read your finished essay will allow them to point out any
confusions, inappropriate words or sentences that they feel could be made
shorter.
Using Doubtful Sources
Nowadays, many students will rely on the Internet over books to find the
information they need. And why not? You can search for whatever you need in
a matter of seconds, and there is a immense span of information available. But
be careful! Not all this information will be reliable. Be sure to research your
topic exhaustively and watch out for any dodgy facts. Determine the facts from
opinions.
Copying and Paste
There is nothing worse than work that has been plagiarized. And since
universities, colleges, schools and businesses have taken a big interest in this
area, is it very easy to get caught out! Accidental plagiarism is another
important thing to try and avoid. Some students may have plagiarism in there
paper which could be down to mistakes such as citation confusion, confusion
over paraphrasing and not knowing the difference between common knowledge
and original work. Make sure that all your sources are fully cited and don't
forget to run your work through plagiarismchecker.net plagiarism checker when
you're done, to make sure you've not accidentally borrowed too much from a
source without referencing it properly.
Forgetting to Quote / Reference
This is a common mistake which closely links in with plagiarism. If you forget
quote / reference your work, then it will seem like you are passing it off as your
own words / idea! Be sure to read up on how to properly reference your work
and again, use plagiarismchecker.net plagiarism checker to double check you've
done this well.
Forgetting to Proofread
Some students (particularly ones who are in a rush to get their work done)
forget that proofreading work is essential! Proofreading your work allows you
to get a feel of whether your essay reads well. Allowing others to take a look at
your work gives them a chance to spot any areas which cause confusion. And
most importantly, proofreading lets you check for any clumsy mistakes in your
spelling, punctuation and grammar. You want the reader to gain a good overall
impression of your essay, but this won't happen if you've left silly mistakes in.
Using 'Slang Wording'
Often in creative writing, using non-Standard English is perfectly acceptable
depending on what you're writing. However, free style writing is often
unacceptable in academic papers and can damage the overall impression of your
essay. Be careful of using abbreviated words too, in many essays this will be
unacceptable.
Not Following Task Specifications
Read the instructions for the task that you've been assigned very carefully. Take
into consideration things such as word count, which you'll have to think about in
your planning. Make sure you include everything, and if in doubt - speak to
your tutor!
Failing to Research Properly
It will become very clear to the reader if you've not researched your topic
enough. The essay will be vague and will need more depth. Try to make sure
you allow yourself a good amount of time to research your essay properly, and
include the findings in your essay, as well as your own thoughts and ideas.
No Thesis Statement
In most academic essays, you will be required to produce a thesis statement.
The thesis is a clear outline of what your essay is about. It lets the reader know
the main topic, point of the essay and the ideas you'd like to discuss. Make sure
you stick you your thesis statement.

Conclusion
Good writing needs to have good vocabulary, correct grammar and spellings
along with perfect punctuation. This is the structure which makes reading a joy
and a pleasure. Next, the writing must be coherent. Coherent means it ought to
make sense. It should be logically connected and the events should flow
properly to make sense to the reader. When I read your idea, it should present a
clear picture of what you are trying to communicate to my mind.
References

“Home.” Plagiarism Checker Software, Reviews, Articles and Resources,

www.plagiarismchecker.net/10-things-to-avoid-in-your-essay.php.

Wil, et al. “5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Written English: EF English Live
Blog.” EF English Live, 2 Mar. 2020, englishlive.ef.com/blog/language-
lab/5-simple-ways-improve-written-english/.

Editor, Udemy, et al. “How to Write Better and Improve Your Writing Skills and Abilities.”
Udemy Blog, 11 Mar. 2020, blog.udemy.com/how-to-write-
better/?utm_source=adwords.

Kumar, Manasi. "What is meant by writing skills?". Quora. 27 Nov.2019.https:

//www.quora.com/What-is-meant-by-writing-skills