I suck at writing, and I have tried every possible method of improving it. Nothing is working out so far.....so I hope some1 with godly writng skills can gimme some pointers...
im pro for some reason only reason why i do decent in classes i cant study for some reason, so i get As on the papers, Cs on the exam and end with B- or so, haha pointers i duno............. keep trying, lol.
I have a knack for writing essays, but I'm not sure where to start with the pointers! Maybe if you can be more specific about what is giving you a hard time?
Probably the most important thing is to have good grammar. If English is your second language, take some grammar courses or read some books. You can be brilliant and make a logical argument, but poor grammar will lose you the marks every time.
The best way to be sure that you are getting your point across is to write up an outline. I was against outlines for years, but then I had a great English teacher who showed us a good way to do it. I've modified it slightly and now this is what I do:
- Write a draft of your introductory paragraph and the thesis statement - Highlight the thesis statement (or use bold, underline, etc.) - Beneath the intro paragraph, rewrite the thesis and then as many points as you will need to make your point. Each point will be a new paragraph (or set of paragraphs, depending on the length), and should be in a very logical order - Use the points to begin each new paragraph and make sure that the language refers back to your original thesis so the reader can easily make the connection - Double-check frequently to your thesis and rewrite the thesis if necessary, changing any key points to reflect these changes. - Be sure to remove the highlighting on the thesis and the outline before handing it in!
--
So as a really rough example off the top of my head, the outline part could look something like this:
Thesis: Laws that are designed to restrict the ownership of pit-bull terriers fail to recognize that proper training, responsible handling and general laws pertaining to dogs will allow the breed to function safely in society.
1: Laws that restrict the ownership of pit-bull terriers focus only upon the negligent owners and not upon the responsible ones.
2: Proper training allows pit-bull terriers to function safely in society.
3: Owners who are taught to handle their dogs responsibly allows for people to safely own pit-bull terriers.
4: When general dog laws are heeded, owners of pit-bull terriers are able to control their dog and keep them from endangering others.
5: Pit-bull owners who train, properly handle and follow laws pertaining to their dogs are able to have the animal function safely in society.
--
Ideally I would've written my introductory paragraph first, before coming up with my thesis statement. It's a good way to focus your thoughts and get warmed up before coming up with it. Based on the outline here, I have enough for six paragraphs and then a conclusion to wrap it all up. I could make my thesis simpler if I didn't need to write so much!
reading only improves grammer and sentence structure...it doesn't help in improving my problem in writing. ( Although I still have a little bit of problem with grammer, but hey, those are common in everyone )
like i said, reading only fixes your grammer, nothing more. At my age, it's impossible to change my writing style completely just by reading something everyday.
I often encounter the same problem as you described in your posting toast, when I'm confronted with the task of having to write an essay. I find it helpful to spread an essay over several days so that it can be completed in smaller chunks, which makes the assignment seem less daunting. Malakaiii's advise on constructing an outline before even attempting to write a paper is indispensable and something that I'll start putting into practice the next time I'm forced to write an essay. Also you might want to try jotting down your thoughts on a piece of paper as they come to you and check for grammar and coherence later on, that way you won't loose your train of thought.
I dont have any pointers, sorry. Maybe just look at other people's writing samples (like really great authors or your friends that you know have gotten a good grade on a paper) and see what they did.
Good writing skills can get you through most classes a lot easier (especially now that most of em are required to have a writing component). And like some others above, writing seems to come naturally to me too. My guess is because I used to read a lot as a kid, so the words to explain things come out easier... but obviously it's not something thats gonna happen over night, so the sooner you make reading a habit, the sooner your writing will improve. Read newspapers, magazines, or just stuff on the net, and by next semester you will definitely notice an improvement.
A small tip I could share is to have a dictionary by you and look up every word you don't understand. I made a commitment a few years ago to do so (my weapon of choice is an Oxford dictionary) and can tell you that my vocabulary reserve is at least above average. Or if you're lazy, there's always dictionary.com. Why don't you try this strategy?
A small tip I could share is to have a dictionary by you and look up every word you don't understand. I made a commitment a few years ago to do so (my weapon of choice is an Oxford dictionary) and can tell you that my vocabulary reserve is at least above average. Or if you're lazy, there's always dictionary.com. Why don't you try this strategy?
mmm VERY good point. I used to do that--still do some times if I'm not too lazy. To add to that strategy, I used to look up a word, then I'd try to think of synonyms. Finally, I'd look in the thesaurus to check up whether I got any of the words. My logic is that when you can link a word you don't understand with a word you DO understand it's easier to remember the meaning and context of it--all the while you're expanding your vocabulary :)
mmm VERY good point. I used to do that--still do some times if I'm not too lazy. To add to that strategy, I used to look up a word, then I'd try to think of synonyms. Finally, I'd look in the thesaurus to check up whether I got any of the words. My logic is that when you can link a word you don't understand with a word you DO understand it's easier to remember the meaning and context of it--all the while you're expanding your vocabulary :)
Great advice meesh--it's always easier to remember something if you connect it back with something you already know. Another piece of advice I can give--now that you mention context--is to take a newly learned word and use it in, say, an ordinary sentence. This would make remembering the word a tremendously less burdensome process. Use it in a few other sentences to facilitate the memorization process.
Anyone struggling to increase his/her vocabulary should give this a try--I hope it works but I'm sure it will :teeth:
One of the things that I've noticed that gets a lot of people is verb tenses. The problem is, I don't know a good way to make it easy to decide when to use the past, present and future tenses as well as the imperfect and subjunctive variants thereof.
The rest of grammar is not so bad, but the verb tenses, I've noticed, are one of the key stumbling blocks in developing good writing skills.
One of the things that I've noticed that gets a lot of people is verb tenses. The problem is, I don't know a good way to make it easy to decide when to use the past, present and future tenses as well as the imperfect and subjunctive variants thereof.
The rest of grammar is not so bad, but the verb tenses, I've noticed, are one of the key stumbling blocks in developing good writing skills.
One of the things that I've noticed that gets a lot of people is verb tenses. The problem is, I don't know a good way to make it easy to decide when to use the past, present and future tenses as well as the imperfect and subjunctive variants thereof.
The rest of grammar is not so bad, but the verb tenses, I've noticed, are one of the key stumbling blocks in developing good writing skills.
i agree with NukeChem. when you're writing a paper you can have good vocab and good ideas, but keeping the verb tenses consistent can be challenging some times. When tenses are inconsistent it tends to take away from the flow of your writing and it disrupts the message you are trying to convey to your reader.
It's always the small little things that you are mostly unaware of, like keeping subjunctives consistent (as an easy example), e.g. "I wanted to talk to the professor and to listen to what he had to say." Even though I would understand the sentence, "I wanted to talk to the professor and listen to what he had to say", that is still not considered to be "proper" and it's kind of sloppy when it shows up in a paper; this sentence is what we would commonly use when we're speaking. I think verb tenses seem to be so hard to catch because we tend to discard strict grammar rules when we're speaking; we become used to it, and the sloppiness creeps into our writing.
When writing, just be very aware of the message you are trying to send out, and be consistent with tenses! if you want to keep it safe, stick to using one tense per paragraph...
ALSO I just want to add: DO NOT try to overuse big dictionary/thesaurus words if you think the word sounds better or sounds more intelligent. I've seen so many cases where people have clear ideas but they feel their vocab is "inadequate" so they try to plug in big, complicated words; consequently by plugging in these words, they complicate their ideas...
In my opinion, I think the most important aspect about writing a paper is to be able to write with clarity. Most profs will appreciate a paper with good/great ideas, but with poorer writing style, than a paper with poor/mediocre ideas but with good writing style. Ideally, it's best to have both good ideas and good writing style :)
Comments
only reason why i do decent in classes
i cant study for some reason, so i get As on the papers, Cs on the exam and end with B- or so, haha
pointers i duno............. keep trying, lol.
Probably the most important thing is to have good grammar. If English is your second language, take some grammar courses or read some books. You can be brilliant and make a logical argument, but poor grammar will lose you the marks every time.
- Write a draft of your introductory paragraph and the thesis statement
- Highlight the thesis statement (or use bold, underline, etc.)
- Beneath the intro paragraph, rewrite the thesis and then as many points as you will need to make your point. Each point will be a new paragraph (or set of paragraphs, depending on the length), and should be in a very logical order
- Use the points to begin each new paragraph and make sure that the language refers back to your original thesis so the reader can easily make the connection
- Double-check frequently to your thesis and rewrite the thesis if necessary, changing any key points to reflect these changes.
- Be sure to remove the highlighting on the thesis and the outline before handing it in!
--
So as a really rough example off the top of my head, the outline part could look something like this:
Thesis: Laws that are designed to restrict the ownership of pit-bull terriers fail to recognize that proper training, responsible handling and general laws pertaining to dogs will allow the breed to function safely in society.
1: Laws that restrict the ownership of pit-bull terriers focus only upon the negligent owners and not upon the responsible ones.
2: Proper training allows pit-bull terriers to function safely in society.
3: Owners who are taught to handle their dogs responsibly allows for people to safely own pit-bull terriers.
4: When general dog laws are heeded, owners of pit-bull terriers are able to control their dog and keep them from endangering others.
5: Pit-bull owners who train, properly handle and follow laws pertaining to their dogs are able to have the animal function safely in society.
--
Ideally I would've written my introductory paragraph first, before coming up with my thesis statement. It's a good way to focus your thoughts and get warmed up before coming up with it. Based on the outline here, I have enough for six paragraphs and then a conclusion to wrap it all up. I could make my thesis simpler if I didn't need to write so much!
SFU offers writing help through the learning commons. I think it would be a good place to start at least!
http://learningcommons.sfu.ca/writing/about.php
Read.
Read.
What the hell are you still doing on this forum?
I dont have any pointers, sorry. Maybe just look at other people's writing samples (like really great authors or your friends that you know have gotten a good grade on a paper) and see what they did.
To add to that strategy, I used to look up a word, then I'd try to think of synonyms. Finally, I'd look in the thesaurus to check up whether I got any of the words. My logic is that when you can link a word you don't understand with a word you DO understand it's easier to remember the meaning and context of it--all the while you're expanding your vocabulary :)
Anyone struggling to increase his/her vocabulary should give this a try--I hope it works but I'm sure it will :teeth:
The rest of grammar is not so bad, but the verb tenses, I've noticed, are one of the key stumbling blocks in developing good writing skills.
It's always the small little things that you are mostly unaware of, like keeping subjunctives consistent (as an easy example), e.g. "I wanted to talk to the professor and to listen to what he had to say."
Even though I would understand the sentence, "I wanted to talk to the professor and listen to what he had to say", that is still not considered to be "proper" and it's kind of sloppy when it shows up in a paper; this sentence is what we would commonly use when we're speaking.
I think verb tenses seem to be so hard to catch because we tend to discard strict grammar rules when we're speaking; we become used to it, and the sloppiness creeps into our writing.
When writing, just be very aware of the message you are trying to send out, and be consistent with tenses!
if you want to keep it safe, stick to using one tense per paragraph...
ALSO I just want to add: DO NOT try to overuse big dictionary/thesaurus words if you think the word sounds better or sounds more intelligent. I've seen so many cases where people have clear ideas but they feel their vocab is "inadequate" so they try to plug in big, complicated words; consequently by plugging in these words, they complicate their ideas...
In my opinion, I think the most important aspect about writing a paper is to be able to write with clarity. Most profs will appreciate a paper with good/great ideas, but with poorer writing style, than a paper with poor/mediocre ideas but with good writing style.
Ideally, it's best to have both good ideas and good writing style :)