Anyone explain the basics of english grammar, punctuation and general writing of english?
English is a hard language to learn, and very difficult to write. The best and only way to get better at writing is to practice, practice, practice. But you need to practice correctly.
There really isn’t a quick course on the basics of English grammar. If you are struggling with writing, you need to take a course or seek a tutor. There are also several books you can get that explain many of the key rules of writing, some of them very small and concise, while others, like the Chicago Manual of Style, are intimidating tomes. Get a book that makes sense to you, which isn’t filled with a lot of technical jargon and small enough to hold in one hand without straining your wrist.But the real secret to getting better at writing is to read a lot. Many people don’t like reading—they prefer other activities, or just like watching the tube. But if you want to get better at anything, no matter what it is (skiing, fishing, driving), you watch and learn from an expert before doing it yourself. So find something you like to read. Anything published will do the trick. I prefer to read fiction, but a lot of people love history books, biographies, science journals, or the dummy books. It doesn’t matter what you read, as long as you do it. You will learn how to write without a teacher crossing our your bad sentences and making you feel like a monkey.Then get down and write. Write anything. Write about your day, or a conversation you heard while you were at Starbucks. Then read it aloud to see if it makes any sense.One of my favorite English reference books is : A Writers Reference by Diana Hacker.http://www.amazon.com/Writers-Reference-2003-MLA-Update/dp/0312412622/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1198189512&sr=8-2Related
Comments
I thought that English is the easiest language to learn.
Writing is actually quite difficult. I find so many people, native Americans and foreigners alike, feel it is hard to write a coherent article or essay. So, in the speaking sense, it is relatively easy, taking into consideration that the spoken language varies greatly due to a person's demographics, and that the written aspect is the [accepted] "consensus" of English writing form. Writing is stricter because of how it must be written in order to be fully understood by everyone. That is why there are rules. Interesting article. O, and this comment is in reply to Rudra's post. =)
Hi,
No language can be described as easy or difficult. It is how one finds it while learning a new language. Some of us learn a new language fast, some take longer. It is also important to know what we want to do by learning a new language. Is it purely for reading pleasure? Are we going to write in it? We might just learn, say, Italian, because it is useful when we visit Italy. It's fun to talk to the local people in their language.
With regard to English grammar, or any grammar for that matter, it is a vague aversion to or impatience with rules and technicalities that explains why many avoid learning it. I strongly believe that grammar can be learnt easily with some effort and concentration at the beginning, after which it will surely be a journey of exploration and discovery. As a reaffirmation of my belief, I have just published a hub on English Grammar.
Vaidy
happy to know the your views about writing in English.thanks for posting. www.essayacademiatips.com blog gives a lot of useful information regarding how to write an essay effectively,writing a creative dissertation essay etc. All can make use of it and make writing easier
english is easy ............i my opinion u only need 2 percent of grammar, for writing in english u must have variety of words and that u can do by learning in phrases its a easiest way to learn english and one more important thing..............speak i front of mirror by taking any sentence from newspaper which will keep it simple and consequently at the end u will learn to make sentences on your own
5