Tips for writing when English is an additional language text description

Tips for writing when English is an additional language

Eight suggestions are provided.

1. Read English

Read intensively in English on your topic and familiarize yourself with the specific language of your field. Reading English fiction can also help strengthen your creativity in language choice. You can also watch English films, TV shows, and documentaries with subtitles.

2. Find on-campus resources

Familiarize yourself with the on-campus and off-campus resources available for learning and strengthening English writing skills.

3. Practice frequently

Write smaller pieces of writing and have Google Translate read them to you. Listen for awkward sounding phrases and fix them.

4. Use a grammar checker

Find a grammar checking software that tells you the specific grammatical issues in your writing. Many English language learners use Grammarly to help identify common grammatical errors in their Word documents, as well as in emails and other written content

5. Get help online

Look for YouTube videos, online help guides, or even Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which can help you become comfortable with more complex grammatical structures.

6. Talk to your supervisor

Be upfront about your concerns. They can make suggestions for how to proceed.

7. Talk to your peers

Ask someone who is more comfortable with written English if they will read portions of your work. Perhaps you can negotiate a trade by offering to help them in an area where you have knowledge or expertise that they might benefit from.

8. Revise

Leave lots of time for revising your writing.