Keep a dictionary nearby when you’re reading, and look up any word you don’t know. Read the whole definition for the word, and think about how the author is using it in context. Make a running list of words you encounter as you read. You can go back and study them later.
If you write words on flashcards, include a sentence using the word. Having context will help you better remember it. Rotate your flashcards regularly so that you don’t get bored drilling the same words. Don’t just learn the word in isolation – learn different forms of the word as well. For example, if you’ve learned the word depend, take note of related words such as dependence and independence. Find out what prepositions are normally used with the word as well. Incorporate words you like into your working vocabulary. For example, you could play a game with yourself where you choose a word and make an effort to use that word at least 3 times during the day.
You can buy relatively inexpensive crossword puzzle books at grocery and convenience stores. There are also crossword puzzle apps available for smart phones, many of which are free.
For example, if you always use the word pretty, you can expand your vocabulary by adding words such as beautiful and lovely in your writing. Watch out for clogging your writing with too many fancy words, though. It will make your writing more difficult to read, and some people may consider it pretentious.
Word games with a speed element will improve your recall of words, while also helping you discover new words. If you make a word during a game and you don’t know its meaning, remember to look it up in the dictionary and add it to your vocabulary drills.
Read sentences in backwards order if you want to focus on each sentence individually. Then read the whole piece from beginning to end, looking at how the sentences flow together. If you stumble over something as you read, go back and edit that part of your writing until you can read it smoothly.
Read actively, thinking about why the author wrote a sentence the way they did. Consider the effect of their punctuation usage. Look up the rules for any language conventions you notice that you’re not familiar with. Take out a piece of paper and a pen and copy a passage verbatim. It can help you get used to writing using correct grammar and punctuation.
Purdue University hosts the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL), which offers more than 200 free resources to help improve your written English. Visit https://owl. english. purdue. edu/ to explore. You can also find free exercises, tutorials, and ebooks at https://www. grammar. com/.
Grammar and spell checks also typically don’t teach you why a correction was made. They can’t improve your grammar or spelling because you don’t know the rules used. To reduce your dependency on these tools, turn them off while you’re typing – you can turn them back on once you’ve finished writing and read through your work at least once. Another way to reduce your dependency on grammar and spell check is to handwrite your first draft, and then type it into the computer if you need a digital copy of your work.
Contractions will make your writing more readable and less stuffy. Most people use contractions conversationally, and they’re appropriate for all but the most formal writing. Writing in active voice (subject-verb-object) will give you the simplest sentence structure. But you do want to vary the length of your sentences to avoid monotony.
Even if your writing itself still has room for improvement, your piece will read better overall if your thoughts are well organized and clearly communicated. Look over your outline before you start writing, and put yourself in your reader’s shoes. Think about anything you haven’t explained. Include enough context that you can get your message across.
If you proofread regularly, you’ll likely see that you repeat some of the same errors. Make a note of the areas that give you difficulty so you can go back and do additional study and drills. Reading backward is a good way to catch punctuation and grammatical errors in longer pieces.
Writing by hand also gives you the opportunity to work on improving your handwriting skills, so that you can write neatly and legibly.
For example, you might purchase a small journal and set aside a few minutes to write before bed. You can write about something that happened during the day, something you learned, or an activity or event you’re looking forward to later on in the week. While you don’t necessarily need to share this daily writing practice with anyone, you may want to publish your journal online in blog form so you can get feedback on your writing progress.
