I read a lot of blogs written by non-native English speakers. As a matter of fact, the web is full of blogs that belong to both foreign speakers who are still struggling to write in good English and those who have managed to master the language just as well as their own.
If you’ve ever heard of bloggers like Harleena Singh, Bamidele Onibalusi, Ana Hoffman and a few other well-known bloggers out there, you might know that their first language is NOT English, and that includes yours truly.
For those of you who are native English speakers you might not fully realize that writing in a language that’s not your native language can be difficult. Or maybe you do, as you can’t even imagine yourself having a blog in a language that you haven’t learned as you were going up.
But the reader doesn’t care about all that, do they? If you write in English in your blog, you must improve your writing skills so your credibility will improve with it as well.
Why is it Important to Improve your English Writing Skills?
Now, let me tell you this, not all native English speakers can write. Oh my Gosh do I know that! I see bad English writing on a daily basis from people who have been to school until 18 to 22+ years of age, so, please, do not think that you have to be born in an English speaking country to be able to be a good writer in English. That’s far from being the case.
In the end, what will make you a good writer is the efforts that you’re going to put into it, not where you were born. Sure you might have a slight disadvantage, but trust me that shouldn’t be anything big enough to stop you from improving your writing in the English language.
So, if like me and the other many non-English native bloggers out there, you are blogging in English as a second language, here are some tips for you to improve your writing.
Tip # 1 Immerse Yourself with the Language
Few years before I moved to the US I tried to immerse myself with the English language as much as possible. To me, if you want to improve on something considerably it needs to become borderline obsession. That’s how I was able to improve my English. It became an obsession.
- I rented and purchased English speaking movies (80% of the time)
- I listen to world news in English (every day)
- I read books and magazines in English (often)
These 3 things alone helped me to immerse myself in the English language a great deal. At first, needless to say, my understanding wasn’t 100%. As a matter of fact it was barely 50% even with the at home learning program that I had purchased like a thousand bucks, but it became better and better as time went on.
I’ve learned quite a bit of English with movies like Kramer vs. Kramer, Ran Man, Dances with Wolves, Bodyguard, Dirty Dancing, and a few others. They were my “text movies’ so to speak. I watched each of those movies so many times that I know them by heart sill.
Movie are good because there are full of common expressions and correctly spoken English at the same time. They’re excellent for a foreigner wanting to learn the language.
Believe it or not, by the time I moved to New York, my English was still not 100%, though, and I noticed that when I was hearing conversations that some of it still escaped me.
But I kept on trying and trying. I even stopped hanging around French student at some point, because I noticed that I spent too much time speaking French and that wasn’t helping my English at all.
So I started hanging out with English speakers, read magazines, books and newspapers, and I watch lots of movies still. This was before I started writing in English. I totally immersed myself in the English language.
Of course it was easier when I moved to New York than it was back in Paris, but that wasn’t an excuse. I had started back when I used to live in Paris, so it was already a habit of mine by the time I moved to the US, even though there were a lot of French folks surrounding me still.
So what about you? Are you doing what it takes to immerse yourself with the English language? You can’t expect to become a good writer in English if all you do is staying immersed in your own language most of the time. It’s not going to happen.
So, do what it takes to fill your brain with the English language. The more you do, the easier it will become for you to write in good English.
Tips # 2 Write in English Each Day
I found that the main reason why non-native English speakers don’t improve their writing skills faster is because they simply don’t practice enough.
The best practice is to do a little every day. Even if you make the effort of writing only 300 words each day it will pay off for you. Practice writing 10 to 20 minutes each day and then edit what you’ve written until you feel that it sounds right.
Better yet, after you’ve done your own editing, ask someone who knows the language better to correct you and learn from that. If you pay attention to corrections, you will greatly improve.
I think that anyone who doesn’t dominate the English language well enough should ask for help to edit their blog posts before they publish them. But if you don’t ask, you’ll never know how much people might be willing to help you.
Tip # 3 Expend your Vocabulary
The best way to improve your vocabulary is by reading. Actually when you read, not only you improve your vocabulary, but you learn about writing styles, punctuation and grammar as well. There is no substitute to reading.
The reason why some English native speakers are so poor at writing is because they simply don’t read. reading will help anyone to improve their writing skills.
Schedule some reading time each day, and take note of what you’re learning. This will help you improve every facet of your writing.
Tip # 4 Take Note of Typical English Expressions
English has many made up expressions that you can use in written and spoken forms. Here are a few,
- If you ask me…
- As I was saying…
- Speaking of…
- So to speak…
- Do you see what I mean?
If you learn how to use expressions as you write, it will help you improve your conversational style in your writing. Don’t forget that writing well is one thing, but knowing how to write in a conversational tone will help you make your writing more interesting and attention grabbing.
Tip # 5 Study Punctuation
In my free e-Book available on this blog, I’ve spent some time writing about punctuation, because punctuation is crucial in good writing. If you write using little or wrong punctuation you won’t be able to convey what you want to convey to the reader, because punctuation is to writing what rhythm is to music.
Punctuation is like music notes on a piece of paper, it gives the rhythm of your writing to the reader. It tells them where to slow down, where to stop, and so on. The more you know who to use punctuation the better the reader will understand what you mean.
So there you have it. Immerse yourself in the language, write, read, learn and study the language. If you don’t, it will be a while until you can improve your English writing. The rule of thumb is that you will take out what you put in.
So, if you’re not a native of the English language, what do you do to improve your writing? Please, do tell.
Hi Sylviane,
Loved your tips on how to improve your writing skills indeed, and thanks so much for the mention as well 🙂
Yes, for those of us who are non-English native bloggers, it can become tough at times. I guess I just got lucky that I never faced any such problems having majored in English, though errors do occur no matter how much you edit, and I think they happen with everyone.
I agree with you, reading and writing in English always helps to master the language. We have always watched English movies, and even speaking ALL the time in English at school and at home helped. The more you write, the better you become, and there’s no doubt about that.
Reading books, magazines, or anything online enhances your vocabulary. Yes, you need to pay attention to your punctuation and grammar, something you should keep brushing up all the time, it does help.
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
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Hi Harleena,
So there was some English speaking at home for you?
At least you were able to speak English at school which is a plus. In my case, even my English teacher had a strong French accent 🙂 and no one what-so-ever spoke English around me. I wasn’t even good in English at school, but I totally blame the school system on that one, because as soon as I started to learn it on my own, I did great 🙂
You’re welcome, it was my pleasure to mention you, of course.
Yes, we all make errors and that includes the natives as well, though.
Thank you for coming and have a great day.
Hi Sylviane,
What a GREAT article! I have met a lot of people over the years who speak English as a 2nd language and they are much better speakers and writers than most native English speaking people.
I really appreciate how hard it is to learn English. Not just because it’s a hard language to learn since it’s so different from many other languages. But mainly because of the idioms and figures of speech we use that are very confusing if you’re not ingrained in the culture.
I spent six years learning Koine Greek and Hebrew and I thought those were hard, but I’m told it’s harder to master our use of speech, not the formal structure of it.
I am very gracious and overlook any blogs I read where I can tell they are not native English speakers. I think very, very highly of anyone who would put themselves out there.
I hope you have a great week Syviane!
~ Don Purdum
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Hi Don,
I think that the main reason that at times non natives may be better than native English speakers is that they had to consciously learn as opposed to the subconscious learning that is involved in a native tongue. I am fully aware of that because at times people have asked me questions about French and I had not really noticed what they did and analyzed what is this or that that way, until someone learning French asked me.
I do see lots and lots of people who can’t write well either English and French all the time 🙂 and that makes me mad/sad. When it comes to French I deal with French Canadians and their French is definitely not grammatically correct at times. I deal with people who have High School diploma and College degrees here in the US who make incredible mistakes and typos in English too. So all in all I don’t feel too bad about my own 🙂
To me the hardest part in English was pronunciation as it’s so different from French, but the grammar is easier to me than French. No doubt about it. French grammar, German grammar and even Italian grammar are harder than English grammar. That I know for a fact. Idioms are learned as you invest time bathing in the language. I think that’s the only way.
Thanks for your input, Don and have a great day.
Hi Sylviane,
My grandmother and my wife’s family is Greek; we were talking with them today and I mentioned your article and comment. They said the same exact thing you did.
It’s really interesting to think about it from another perspective.
~ Don
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Yes? I’m not surprised they agree with this. And I bet that Greek grammar is not an easy one either.
Oh yes…and that’s because Dad was in the army and we studied in Convents, which are all English medium, so education was right through in English, even college and M.A, and higher studies too 🙂
It’s commendable that you’re doing so well now, even when you didn’t have much of an English base that time. I was just listening to Ana Hoffman’s podcast on this very topic about non-English bloggers, as she too is one, do hear it if you get the chance. Link is on my G+ profile page if you’d check it out 🙂
Thanks once again 🙂
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Oh, that’s great Harleena. So your really grew up with lots of English speaking in your life.
Hi Sylviane
Who can know the significance of this topic better that a non-native English speaker like me. Very important post for all like me.
I am nobody to mention the names but you do know well that many top bloggers or A-list bloggers are non-native English speakers. It shows language is not a barrier if you are really passionate about an activity. You are glaring example of this rule.
You can further divide non-native English bloggers into two categories; first is of those who live in English speaking societies and other one who live in non-English speaking societies.
Just image how hardship the bloggers from category two have to face as I am one of them.
All the tips you mentioned to improve English writing skills in this post are awesome. Especially of watching movies is really very cool as I enjoy a lot doing this fun-based learning activity.
Thanks a lot for sharing a post on really a very important topic.
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Hi Mi,
I so agree with you and I understand what you mean about the big difference between living in an English speaking country and living in a non-speaking country when you have to blog in English as your second language.
I know it because when I used to make all those efforts mentioned in this post while still living in France it was still tougher to improve and progress than it was the minute I moved to the US. So I’m with you on that, and you guys blogging in perfect English while living abroad are to be commended.
I know a blogger who writes in perfect English and lives in Paris and I’ve always admired her for that, and I admire you and all bloggers like you out there!
Thank you for your fantastic input.
Hi Sylviane,
It fascinates me how people like you with English as a second language, can write so well. When it comes to even learning language, there is something in my brain that just won’t let it sink in.
Writing must be so difficult! But you my dear have mastered it! These tips are wonderful you have given. I’ve been on many blogs that are written by people who cannot write English well.
I’m sure this will benefit all who are doing this. I will share it and I have many friends who write English as a second language.
-Donna
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Hi Donna,
Yes, there are many bloggers that I know whose language is not English and some do need to improve more than others, so this post is for them.
You know, never in my wildest dreams, did I ever thought as I was living in France that I would one day master the English language as much as I do now.
I have to admit that the two foreign languages that I came to pretty much master are my own little private pride 🙂 I don’t boast about it, I just enjoy the satisfaction on my own 🙂
It feels good to be able to express yourself in several languages, I’m not gonna lie, I enjoy it very much, and sometimes I even thank God for this privileged, which is not a given to every person on the planet.
But as we all know that takes work. I went through a lot while learning, even mean comments like I’m not understanding a word you’re saying, or you have a thick accent, etc… and all those nice little comments that some people say, ya know 🙂
Thank you so much for coming and for sharing.
Hello Ms. Sylviane
I totally agree this is a AWESOME article, not just for those that were not born in this country, but for anyone that desires to improve their writing skills.
Even though I was born in New York City, I do need a lot of improvement in the English language.
I totally agree, reading is the key to improving skills in writing.
Thank you! You make me want to study more
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Hi Gladys,
I think we all can always improve you know, no matter what our language of origin is, and the more so when we write on a weekly or daily basis in a language that was once totally foreign for us.
Thank you for coming and have a great day!
Hello Sylviane,
I am awed by what you have written. It’s very rare to find an article which has delved into a topic, such as this in length. I belong from India, a place that is known to be an eclectic concoction of languages and cultures. My native language is Hindi but I have studied in a convent school. Since my childhood, I have been hooked on English language. Although it is not my native language, but my penchant towards it has always been steadfast. Maybe I sound as a freak (as my friends say) [laughs], but my grasp over English has always been more than my native language. Nothing to brag about it because I know that no matter how far you go, you will always be fettered to your base.
It’s not that I don’t like my native language or something, infact it’s beautiful but English always draws me. I remember when I was a kid, I used to sing along with Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, The Eagles, Backstreet Boys and all. My parents were amazed that how come growing up in a milieu of Indian culture, I picked this foreign language with dexterity. At times in school with my friends, I had to tone down this interest. I was afraid of being dubbed as a phony guy, which I was called a number of times. However things changed as I grew up. Now mostly people stare at me when they read my stories and poems or hear me sing fluently to English artists. Maybe God has wired me in a different way !
Anyways, I truly believe what you have written though. I am an avid reader since childhood. I always stay tuned to English channels. But now with the passing of time, I am delving into Indian languages as well. There is no end in knowing and knowledge is always pristine. Your article will definitely help those people who are striving to get a better hold in English. Congratulations that you have so beautifully grasped this foreign language. I admired your writing. Keep up the good work and God Bless..
Regards,
Sanjay…
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Hi Sanjay,
Thank you for kind words. Always nice to hear that what you’ve written is appreciated.
I understand what you mean about languages, because when it comes to how people learn language or even unlearn them I think I’ve heard it all 🙂 Here is a couple of cases I personally know about. I know a French guy born, and raised in France who has a foreign Spanish accent. Sometimes you see those things in movies, but they also happen in real life. Unbelievable, but true!
Now I also know another 100% French guy who lived only 2 years in Ireland and lost like 80% of his French by the time he came back speaking with an accent. Un-heard of in so little time. Another incredible story, but TRUE.
I’ve also heard of some people who woke up from a coma speaking a foreign language they didn’t before.
So, I do believe what you’re saying about speaking English maybe better than your own language at times. For my because French is much more complicated to write than English and I’ve been writing in English for so long, I have to edit myself even more than when I write French than when I write English now.
Thank you for your great comment.
Thank You Sylviane, for replying back and also sharing the incredible yet true incidents. I know French is tougher than English. English is quite simple actually. I love French language and the accent. I have tried so many times with the pronunciation, trying to speak from the epiglottis but it always sounds weird (lol !!).
I really wanna learn French and Spanish as in Spanish I am crazy about Shakira, Enrique, Alejandro Sanz. You have mentioned that you came from Paris. Such a lovely place ! Hope someday I would make there.
Thanks again for everything……
Regards,
Sanjay….
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Hi Again Sanjay,
Yes, English is overall pretty easy. I so agree with you. Compared to other languages.
I’m not from Paris, I’m from Lyon which is the second largest city of France, but I lived in Paris for 5 years before I moved to New York.
Hi Sylviane,
Writing in English is a matter of practice. I am not a native speaker of English but by reading many English collections and writing in English daily have made me a better writer than what I used to be about 3 years ago.
You are absolutely right about movies and hanging with people that will influence your language. Even when Native speakers of English hangout with people that speaks poorly their writing is bound to be flawed.
I appreciate you coming up with this article. For good writing in English, it is consistent practice that will make perfect! Thanks for sharing these tips. They remind us of the basics of good writings in English! 😉
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Hi Sunday,
That’s correct, there’s nothing like practice to improve our writing in English, and you’re correct even if it’s your own language and you hang out with people that can speak well, it will influence you. Actually we see that a lot in America. There are some groups of people native of here with poor English.
Thank you for your input.
Have a wonderful day!
Hi Sylviane,
These are some very good tips for not only learning English, but other languages as well. I can imagine how difficult it is to learn a new language, as I am learning Spanish now. I practice a little bit everyday and though I have practiced everyday for a couple hours, I traveled a couple weeks ago to only learn I was NOWHERE near good. I still practice everyday learning new words and phrases, but I will surely use some of the techniques mentioned here. This is a good and inspiring post. Thanks for sharing!
Regards,
Lawrence
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Hi Lawrence,
I apologize for missing your comment it seems. Sorry about that.
It’s never easy to learn a new language, but what I’ve come to understand over the years is that some people are better at it than others, just like for anything else in life, I guess. I’m fortunate that I learn language pretty easily, so that’s a helper, but it still takes work and practice to perfect the art.
Thank you so much for your input.
Hi Sylviane,
Great article for all of us non-native English speakers. But even true for those with English as their mother tongue.
As you know, English is also my second language. I learned it in school but I didn’t practice speaking it as everyone around me were speaking only Arabic, until later when I came here to the North American World. It was very confusing at the beginning because I found people speaking differently than what I learned in school. What helped me is watching TV shows in English and reading a lot. But even what I read is different than what I hear people speak. I learned most of the speaking English from my kids.
I totally agree with you reading and writing is a must to improve our writing skills, and expanding our vocabulary and studying punctuation are very helpful especially for us bloggers.
Awesome post Sylviane!! You always deliver. Have a great week ahead.
Be Blessed,
Neamat
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Hi Neamat,
Yes, I sure know that English is not your native tongue, even though you used to speak it in school.
I understand that the English spoken at home and the one spoken in Canada might be different and that’s normal.
French spoken in France is different than French spoken in Canada and Spanish spoken in Spain is different than Spanish spoken in Latin America. And the same goes for English spoken in the UK and here. Languages mutates a bit as they travel over the oceans, while still staying the same language.
Yes, reading and writing is good for anyone, indeed, native or not.
Thank you for coming.
Ciao Sylviane,
What a lovely topic, and I certainly understand the need to improve English writing skills as my husband was born and raised in Italy and didn’t go to school here. He does’t write much English and often asks for help in spelling things. 🙂
You’re spot on when talking about improving credibility because in this day and age, there is so much awesome content on the Internet, and we must be at the top of our game in order to compete for traffic.
I couldn’t agree more that you can be born in an English speaking country and still be a poor writer – seen many examples of this!
Your first tip is awesome, as immersion is the key to truly developing in the skill, whether it’s writing or speaking.
My husband watched Sesame Street on TV when he first came to this country because the child-like communication was best for him to start with.
Practice does make perfect, or at least improves your reach of vocabulary and grammar skills. There are a lot of weird rules in English, and I’ve heard that foreign languages make much more sense.
That said, congratulations on the marvelous job you do, Sylviane because it’s a great accomplishment.
I hope you have a wonderful evening and talk to you soon,
– Carol 🙂
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Hi Carol,
That’s right, you are right in the middle of this and understand what it takes to learn a foreign language. Sesame Street is probably perfect, indeed.
Believe me most languages have nuts rules that make no sense at times, and French does too. Frankly English grammar is not that hard compared to French, Italian, German or Korean for example, and many more.
That’s why it tends to shock me when natives of the English language can’t seem to get their own grammar 🙂 I know a college girl who absolutely can’t write, and that’s beyond me. How did she get to college this way?
Thank you for your kind words and for coming.
Hi Sylviane,
The best compliment I can give you and other non-native English speakers is this: I could never tell you were a non-native English speaker through your blog. Your English is superb. Well done.
I know how much I struggle when visiting Spanish speaking countries. Sure, I took the language in high school and I can read Spanish fine but chatting, or writing, is the chore of chores.
I visited Cusco, Peru last year for 2 weeks. Kelli was in a different part of Peru. I spoke mostly Spanish during the 2 week stretch. I followed OK, but I was so frustrated, and ready to go somewhere with English as the predominant language, because even though I could communicate fine I was SO out of my comfort zone whenever I left my apartment.
I commend you Sylviane, and folks like Harleena, and heck, anybody who is publishing an authority blog in English but isn’t a native speaker. Well done!
Watching TV is helpful, and taking in movies also helps you improve your speaking and writing skills.
Tweeting in a bit.
Thanks for the share and enjoy your week.
Ryan
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Hi Ryan,
The best compliment ever is the one you’re talking about here, indeed. As long as people can’t spot so much of a mistake as to know that I’m French, then I’m good 🙂
It wasn’t always the case, though, in my beginnings I I’ve made horrible mistakes that when found out made me so ashamed of myself, especially when people would point them out to me. But this said, it helped me never to make those mistakes again, it was part of the learning process.
Thank you so much for coming, Got your book, but haven’t had time to read it yet. Can’t wait 🙂
Hello Madam Sylviane,
I was like, what does Madam Sylvinane mean by ‘expend’ your vocabulary? Was she referring to ‘expand’, So I quickly visited the online Bible which is no other than Google, and it was interesting to know the word expend means ‘use’
I think I have now found a new word which obviously ought to be added to my vocabulary.
It is amazing finding out you’re French because you write impeccable English. You have indeed come a long way.
My teacher used to tell us that the most difficult language in this world is English as it has no formular unlike mathematics because ‘it’s’ and ‘its’ are not the same.
Thanks for sharing with us this insight. Please do have a great day.
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Hi Emmanuel,
Well, I’m glad you learned a new word here 🙂
I think your teacher must have never studied any other language to say such thing. I can assure you that English is NOT the most difficult language. Not by any mean. French, Italian, German, and Korean, just to name a few have a much more complex grammar structure, as well as so many more. As a matter of fact when it comes to the grammar I’d say English is one of the easiest one I know of.
I know English is not your native language either, so kuddos to you for all your efforts.
Thank you for coming.
Hey Sylviane,
It’s really interesting to read such type of amazing posts.
As you have mentioned it\’t not necessary that all the people born in an English speaking country.
I am also from a country where it\’s hard to learn about English at a great extent.
I was so bad in my earlier days or may still are.:)
I agree with your tips. Watching English movies help us a lot to understand English.
We need to have strong vocabulary if we want to improve our English because it’s the main key.
Reading magazines, books can help us a lot.
Thanks a lot for the post.I needed a push.;)
Hope you are awesome this week.:)
~Ravi
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Hi Ravi,
Don’t be too hard on yourself, you’re a work in progress like we all are 🙂
It just takes time and practice to improve the skills of any language, even our own.
Thank you for your input and have a great day ahead!
Hi Sylviane,
Great tips you provided here. For people who English is a second language, I think the listening and the writing is important. Because you can read things in English all the time but you tend to pick it up more when you listen and actually write it out as well. For me, English is my first language, but I tutored some people a while back who were trying to speak English better and that’s how I was able to help them.
Now, another tip that you gave that’s very important is punctuation. And this is something that people who speak English as their first language have difficulty with. It just takes time to understand that’s all and constantly practicing.
Great tips here.
Hope you have a great week ahead.
– Andrew
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Wow! These are great tips Sylviane! Very practical
When you sit to write a helpful post like this, who won’t signup to receive more from you? Your blog is rich dear lady!
So you speak French? Where are you from? By the way, I know how to find out more about you 😉
I believe I’m improving. I’m from Cameroon where French and English are the official languages. French is about 80% of it all. I’m from the English speaking region. But right this moment, I live in Douala where French is top. Most of the movies are in French. More than 75% of the people I interact with daily speak French.
I do speak French and understand it well. I write English more and want to even know more of it 😉
Thanks for sharing beautiful tips. This post is worth promoting.
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Hi Enstine,
Wow, you’re so funny! I didn’t know you didn’t know I was French. I’m from where the very language was born, dear 🙂 I’m from France. I was born in Lyon and grew up around it. I lived in Paris for my last 5 years in France.
OK, I’ll send you a couple linked where you can learn more about me through Facebook.
I do know that Cameroon is one of the French speaking African countries, so I had the feeling that you would speak at list some French. Your English is very good my dear, no problem with that one 🙂 I would love it to hear you speak French!
Thank you so much for your input and have a great day!
Hi Sylviane,
Wow, I agree with you. I’m also not someone who uses English as my native language. Indeed, it was difficult to learn English first, I also encountered some obstacles.
Same with you, to improve my English, I often watch English movies, or movies with English subtitles. Somehow, it helped me 🙂
You are right. Reading is the window of science. With a lot of reading, our writing skills will also increase.
Thanks for the great article, Sylviane.
Nice share! 😀
Nanda
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Hi Nanda,
Yes, you are one of the many bloggers out there who writes in English as a second language and that’s very commendable.
I think that reading helps us in any language or own or a foreign one. Too many people don’t read and that’s very sad. Reading improves your knowledge, your reading skills and your writing skills. Everything’s good about it.
Movies and TV are great to learn a language. No doubt about that.
Thank you for your feedback and for coming by.
Hi Andrew,
Yes, listening is a very important part of learning a language to be able to eventually put it down on paper or computer writing pad 🙂 I’ve learned Spanish mostly by listening.
I’m pulling my hair off all the time when I see people’s lack of knowledge about punctuation, it’s pretty bad for some and frankly it’s not that hard.
Thank you for your feedback and for coming.
Hello Sylviane, your 5 points are very clear, may i also add “Determination” as one factor that makes for success in everything you do in life. Thanks for sharing.
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Hi Sylviane,Thanks so much for the tips. I am one of non-english native bloggers out there, so this post is really useful for me. I have to admit that I made many errors but I guess that\’s the process to be better in future.Thanks for the post once again. Wish you enjoy the week
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thanks for sharing these nice tips.my english is very poor.but i am trying form about six months.i am daily read new thing on blogs and also make comment.so my english writing skill is little improve.i think also practice make mens perfect.so if we practice regurarly then also improvise english.nice your tips.
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Hi Sylvianne,
Thank you so much for your effective tips. Yes you are right with your point the one who are living in non english speaking nations also do well with their english language. I have seen many such people in my day to day life.Its all practise that everyone needs to excel in any language. Appreciate your post and thanks for sharing
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Hi Vinu,
I’m glad you liked the post. Yes, there are many people for which English is not their mother tongue and don’t even live in an English speaking country, and yet their English is impeccable. I’ve met a few of them.
Hi Sylviane,
This is the second time this week someone has mentioned watching movies, to brush up on the way people actually speak.
A few years ago I decided to really clean up our act, so we hired an editor to check over all of our content, to make sure it grammatically perfect. I’m sure my high school English teacher would have commended me for the improvements. Readership unfortunately decreased.
There’s certainly something to be said for communicating in the language of the audience.
Cole
Yes, Cole, I’m glad you’re mentioning this.
While we should try to write correctly, we can’t lose our friendly writing, and write like boring books for the sake of writing correct grammar. People like to be entertain as they read as well. They like to hear your voice. Maybe that was lost through editing.
Thanks for sharing this.
Hello Sylviane, great tips you’ve share above.
I must confess am one of those native English speakers who actually “had” issues with writing compelling articles.(my country is kind of bilingual though) so i get mixed up a lot.
Just when i was thinking you post wouldn’t have something on my part, you pointed it out straight at me; “The reason why some English native speakers are so poor at writing is because they simply don’t read.” 🙂 oh yeah! am guilty as i get uncomfortable with reading, especially lengthy write-ups.
Guess am gone have to startup with some plan to go by these, especially now that i have my blog up and need to start serving my audience with worthy returns.
Thanks a bunch and look forward to coneccting more with you!
Godwill.
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Hi Fru, and welcome to my blog. I think it’s the first time I see you here.
I think everyone makes mistake when writing even in their own language. When you think of it, it’s not that easy. However, English is really one of the easiest languages to write. I’ll tell this, French is much harder, because the grammar is way more complicated, for example.
Thanks you for coming and have a happy holidays.
You’re right, reading is key to become better writer. No doubt about that.
Thank you for coming.
English really kills when you are the starting stage. I remember those days when I started learning English. My journey was really awesome..I suggest learners that never feel shy in speaking English in front of others 🙂
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Hi Sumit,
I agree with you, I have noticed over the years that when people are shy it prevents them to progress in speaking a foreign language.
Hi Sylviane,
Thank you for providing a great tips and it was so helpful. Till now, I’m still learning English and trying to make writing in English. And I know that I’m not good in English writing yet, but I want to improve my English writing sklills each day. For one day, I can make a english writing up to 300 words. With your tips, I will try to implement it.
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Hi Ahmad and welcome here.
I’m so glad that you found this helpful post for you.
Let me tell you that if you want it, you can make English your second nature, and with time and practice you’ll be able to write in English as if it was your mother tongue.
Keep up the good work.
Hi Sylviane,
Great post indeed !!!! I’m so glad to read this article I found this helpful too.It is such a valuable post to learn good points from it. It is very effective for everyone to learn many things from it.Thanks so much for doing all the hard work to make it easy to understand for all of us. A big thanks to you for sharing such a helpful post with us.
Thanks
Catrina
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Hi Catrina,
I’m so glad you read this post as well and enjoyed your reading.
Really appreciate your coming and commenting on what you read. I will come by your place and check you out later.