ESL Basics

A friend of mine recently sent me an article entitled, "Writing English as a Second Language". It raises the questions of how our native languages affect the way we articulate our thoughts into writing. Perhaps you are an English language learner who has yet to grasp the English writing style. I will encourage you to check out this article and take note of how your culture informs your writing. In essence, languages value written thought and organization in their own unique ways. When you come to understand how your native language organizes writing, you can be released to write in another mode. This doesn't discredit your own language's way of writing and putting thought to page. It simply opens you up to an awareness that can positively impact your writing in English. The key sentiment in the article that enlightens ESL and EFL students to the ways of English writing is the author's affection for his native language. He writes, "I'm hopelessly in love with English because it's plain and strong." May you come to discover the "clarity, simplicity, brevity, and humanity" of English. 

Want to learn more about writing styles across cultures and how to write in an English mindset? Read William Zinsser's article, "Writing English as a Second Language."

Good writers are good readers. Famous novelist Stephen King once wrote, "If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write." I couldn't agree more! It is almost impossible to find a writer who doesn't have a love for reading. The best authors have read hundreds of books, taking in others' rhythm and plot and prose.

If you aspire to write in any lanugage, you must become a reader. For the second language learner, reading in the second language is essential. So much knowledge can be gained from reading, including grammar, vocabulary, and style. When you build a strong linguistic and sytlistic foundation through reading, you will find that writing will flow from a deeper place than it did before. Vocabulary will come from a place of context, rather than from a thesaurus. Cohesion will come from a background living through countless plots.

Successful writers who "pick up a pen" to write books, articles, and essays picked up a book long before then. So, if you would like to write well in English, read well first.

Essay tests are common in both high school and college. When taking an essay test, it's important to remember a few things.

1) Re-read the question several times. When you first approach the question on an essay test, make sure you understand exactly what it's asking for. Then, when you have finished writing the answer, re-read the question and make sure you satisfied what the teacher or professor has asked for. If you don't understand the question, just ask the teacher. He or she would be more than happy to help.

2) Watch the clock. It's important that you divide your time between the different questions on the essay test so that you don't end up with blank questions. So, know how much time you have, and stay within the time limit. It's more important to get the main ideas down for each question rather than writing down every detail on a couple of questions.

3) Write clearly. It is well-known that students with neater handwriting on essay answers often receive higher grades than students who write sloppily.

4) Just give the facts. Essay tests are not the time to give your opinion, unless the teacher asks for it.

5) Practice, practice, practice. To fully prepare for the test, practice some sample questions. Plan out what you will write, and try to complete it in a short amount of time. When the pressure is on during test time, you will feel more prepared and relaxed.

Hopefully, these tips will give you confidence as you approach your next essay test.  

The most important part of writing an essay is writing an effective thesis statement. A thesis statement is essentially a one-sentence summary of your essay, located in the introduction paragraph of your paper. In the thesis, there are a few important key ideas to remember while you're writing:

1) The thesis statement is the main idea of your paper.

2) The thesis statement foretells what the reader will read in your essay.

3) The thesis statement does not includes too specific of details. Rather, it gives a broad overview of the paper.

4) The thesis statement provides organization for the rest of your paper. For example, if your paper has three main supporting points, those will generally be written in the thesis.

One of the biggest mistakes a writer can make is not including a well-written thesis statement. Now that you are aware of what an effective thesis statement looks like, you can start building a strong paper.