Module 23

TIPS TO IMPROVE WRITING SKILLS

Writing is an active skill essential for knowledge gaining and knowledge sharing .The

essential building blocks of writing are grammar, vocabulary ,phonetics ,intonation. idioms,

proverbs and vocabulary.

Writing is a skill, and like other skills, it has to be acquired. Writing is essential to

convey ideas, give instructions, share and preserve knowledge and so on. Writing skill is a

strongest medium, which is helpful for effective communication. Raimes (1984) opines that

teaching writing helps to reinforce the grammatical structures, idioms, vocabulary, etc., which

are taught to learners. Teaching writing also helps the learners to be adventurous and creative.

It is important to get academically trained to write academic papers with precision.

According to John R. Hayes, author and philologist writing is an act of innovation.

Secondly, it is a goal-oriented and purposeful activity. Thirdly, it involves a cognizant

investigation of the subject matter one is to write about and finally yet importantly, writing

involves fusion of complex cognitive operations and it is not a uncomplicated linear process

but a recursive one.

Writing skill is also important for personal growth because it requires attentiveness,

focus and discipline to represent thoughts in a graphic form. It requires sincerity to achieve the

mastery over it as it is the process of translating ideas from the brain into meaningful graphical

format. Writing skill makes one learner of knowing other subjects. Therefore, it must be a part

of teaching-learning process. This means that written communication is not as easy as spoken
because in writing, the graphical symbols should be arranged in a way that it leads toward

meaningful communication otherwise the symbols do not have any value in to the sentences.

Qualities to be a good writer

A good writer knows what to write, how to write, and when to write to create the

conspicuous impact on the reader. In good writing, the main focus is on clarity of ideas and

thoughts expressed. A well-organized piece of writing is marked by clarity and logic. It

contains clear and cogent ideas and themes. In any piece of writing, the voice must be consistent

and identifiable. The most valuable tool in any piece of good and effective writing is,

undeniably, the appropriate use of language. Good writing is precise, concise, and accurate and

apt in the employment of words. It is ensured by style of language too. Quality of writing is

assessed by the readers or the audience

We have understood the nature and features of writing as an active skill and the

importance of the skill manifested through various forms of written expressions to match the

myriad purposes of the writer. Therefore, it is essential to know about the ground rules of the

writing.

Lets begin with 7 overt features of impressive writing:

1) Legibility – describes a script capable of being read effortlessly. It refers to the ease

with which the reader can decode the graphic symbols and the meanings embedded in

them . A legible and neat handwriting have an advantage for scoring better grades in

evaluation.The four keys to legibility are the size, shape, spacing and slant of the letters

in the script.
 2) Orderliness:Use apt titles and subtitles to create provide a neat and orderly

appearance.The subtitles are indicators of the progress of ideas and shifts of

thoughts.The subtitles demarcate the paragraphs for the ease of the reader.

3) Clarity:A clear persuasive style of writing will help the writer to turn information into

knowledge effortlessly. This can be achieved by using the right level of vocabulary ,

grammatical structures , stylistic features such as rhetorical devices, punctuation marks

to convey the meaning .

4) Correctness: The use of accurate forms of words in the most appropriate manner based

on the rules of grammar, usages ,punctuation are essential for maintaining the overall

appeal of writing.

5) Focus- Effective writing is always focused on the subject.The writer hardly digresses

and string the ideas in a logical and coherent manner.

6) Concrete expressions:Use apt and concrete linguistic expressions instead of vague and

ambiguous forms to convey the message.

7) Organic unity: There should be an organic growth in the progression of ideas presented

in the written unit.The sentences should be well framed and properly linked to maintain

clarity and propriety. Each sub units should contribute to the organic growth of ideas

presented in the written passage.

We have already learned the concept of a “sentence” and its 4 types when we

discussed the fundamentals of English grammar. A thorough knowledge of grammar

and grammatical structures are integral to effective writing.

In English there are many rules for using capital letters. You probably know many of them

already. Let us learn some basic rules for effective writing:

Rule Example

The first word in a sentence My best friend comes home.

The pronoun He and I never argue.

Abbreviations and acronyms formed from the USA, IBM

first letters of words

All proper nouns. Proper nouns include:

a. Names of deities Jesus Krishna Allah

b. Names of people and their titles Mr. and Mrs. John Smith

President George Washington

BUT NOT a title without a name My professor, the former prime minister

Names of specific groups of people Asian Caucasian Japanese Indian , Sikh,

(nationalities, races, and ethnic groups), Buddhist

languages, and religions

Names of specific places on a map New York , Indian Ocean

Names of specific geographic areas The Middle East ,Eastern Europe

BUT NOT the names of compass directions Drive east for two blocks, and then turn south.

But-Capitalize the points of a compass only We have had three relatives visit from the

when they refer to specific regions. South.

Capitalize any title when used as a direct Will you take my temperature, Doctor?

address.

Do not capitalize the names of seasons. I love autumn colours and spring flowers

Capitalize words derived from proper nouns. I must take English and math.

Capitalize the names of specific course titles. Example – I must take history and Algebra 2.
 Capitalize the first word of a salutation and the My dear Mr. Sanchez

first word of a complimentary close.

Very truly yours

we shall now learn some tips on writing a good paragraph:

A paragraph is a group of sentences that are organized, coherent and fleshes out a single

idea.It must begin with a topic sentence ,followed by sentences that support the main idea

consistently. There are not any hard and fast rules regarding the length of a paragraph but the

rule of thumb is to progress as long as the line of thought remains in tandem with the topic

sentence. Therefore a paragraph may be of just 3-4 sentences to a long one of 100 -150 words.

A good paragraph has 4 primary characteristics:

1)It must have a central or controlling idea,which is termed as topic sentence

2) The controlling idea is developed progressively in the paragraph.

3) The paragraph must include only those facts in tandem with the topic sentence.

4)It should be presented in a lucid style.

Now lets consider these characterises in detail:

What is a topic sentence? : The topic sentence introduces the central idea of the

paragraph in the first sentence. The topic sentence control the main idea and its sub points in
the sentence. Generally, there is a correlation between the topic sentence and title or the subtitle

of the paragraph.

The second characteristic quality is logical progression:

A good paragraph is a tightly strung unit of sentences which contribute to the specific idea

which is presented in the first sentence i.e. the topic sentence, Every well written paragraph

will have a topic sentence which introduces the subject which is discussed in the following

sentences. Each paragraph is a sub unit that becomes the part of the complete structure.

The third characteristic feature is correlation between the topic sentence and the sub points

in the paragraph.

The fourth characteristic feature is an error free lucid style

Now we shall learn some useful tips for writing an essay:

The word “essay” means an attempt and indeed it is an attempt made by the writer to present

his or her point of view.An essay is an organized piece of writing on a topic or theme with

features such as 1) focused and relevant content 2) clear and cogent structure 3)accurate

and standard language 4)a suitable style

An essay is a literary entity made of a series of paragraphs linked sequentially.

Traditionally, an essay should have a three -part structure - an introduction of the idea which

is more or less the theme followed by the body of the essay which elaborates the theme or

the central idea -which leads to the conclusion of summing up of the treatise.

In a nutshell, a good academic essay is well-researched, well-structured, and well-argued from

the beginning to the end.

7 Essential qualities for effective writing:

The first essential quality is Factuality: The writer is accountable for the written or

published resource. Factual texts are informative and educative as they are focused on

facts. Examples of factual texts are news reports, interviews, records of historical events

etc

The second quality is Clarity: Clarity in writing is established when the reader

understands the author's statement and his or her purpose of writing the text.

The third quality is: Orderliness or the logical progression of thoughts from simple to

complex topics, from clear to obscure concepts and from concrete to complex ideas

The fourth quality is: Relevance -which is about the importance of the subject that sets

the value of one’s writing.

The fifth quality is Simplicity: The style of writing should not be a parade of pompous

and high sounding words with a vain attempt to dupe the reader as style is similar to

the veneer that lends a superficial shimmer for a brief period of time what really matters

is the quality of content presented in simple language.

The sixth quality is Accuracy- which denotes the appropriate use of stylistic devices

and punctuation marks that regulate texts and clarify their meanings,

The seventh quality is Completeness-That given an organic unity to a well written text.

We shall now learn 8 practical tips for productive writing:

1.The first tip is to read intensively and extensively to gain knowledge in the grammatical,

lexical and syntactic constructions of English sentences. You may start reading fictional and

non-fictional work of your choice to become an avid reader of complex and abstract concepts

in the long run.

The second tip is to seek the help of your tutor or a resourceful friend for correction and

guidance on your written assignments. A timely word of support and guidance can help the

bewildered young learner reach several miles ahead. It is a good idea to engage in guided

writing or instructional writing for gaining command over the language.

The third tip is to make a conscious attempt to improve your vocabulary by reading newspapers,

magazines and books in order to achieve a substantial vocabulary.

The fourth tip is to use your dictionary, thesaurus as tools for amassing a good range of

vocabulary. Invest on a standard dictionary with meanings, derivations, synonyms and usages

to understand the practical use of words.

The fifth tip is to reflect and re-read your own work after writing paying attention to the details

of your writing. Being self-critical can be beneficial than the critical and destructive remarks

of peers and colleagues.

The sixth tip is to engage in free writing exercises for overcoming the writer’s block or fear of

writing.

The seventh tip is to engage in writing exercises such as writing letters which are of formal and

informal nature as and when opportunity strikes in for gaining practice.

The eighth tip is to write a blog on a topic of your choice on weekly basis and upload a blog in

every week.

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