10 Tips to Writing Better English

by Laura Fabiani @ NouveauWriter

For some of us, writing comes easy. For others, they are shocked when an editor can spot basic grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. If we are to succeed as writers, we had better learn to polish our writing. Competition is fierce. If we want to stand out for our quality writing, let’s learn to avoid those blatant errors that will scream across the page and brand us as unprofessional or amateurish.

The following are ten tips to writing better English:

Get a good grammar book

Then read it, study it and refer to it whenever you need to. With the vast selection of grammar books on the market, you are bound to find one that suits your style of learning. If you find The Elements of Style by Strunk and White too brief or dry, get Woe is I by Patricia T. O’Conner. You’ll laugh your way to better writing. If you get a kick out of building better editorial skills, The Chicago Manual of Style is a great book to add to your bookshelf.

Read your work out loud

You’d be surprised how many writers never do this. Sometimes using a tape recorder helps too. Usually, when we pause in our reading it’s because the sentence structure may be incorrect, or we have a run-on sentence, or we are using the same words and expressions too often. Get into the habit of reading your work out loud and you will catch these mistakes more readily.

Use a spell checker

It’s free with your word processor, people, so use it. If you want a more sophisticated grammar, punctuation and spell checker, just type in “grammar software” on Google, and you’ll have a variety to choose from.

Use active verbs rather than passive ones

There was a house in the middle of the forest. Boring, passive, basic.
The house nestled snugly among the tall pine trees. Better, active, arouses interest.

Avoid wordiness

Make each word count. Write shorter sentences. Say what you mean. You get the picture.

Write often

As the musician who practices conscientiously, a writer will only become a better writer by doing it often, getting feedback, learning from one’s mistakes and writing some more. Keep some of your first literary pieces, and in a few years from now, compare them with those you currently write. You will note a difference.

Reread your work the next day

Try never to submit your work on the same day you write it. It will be worth the wait. You will spot errors with a fresh pair of eyes if you read it the next day. This has proved true for me (especially since I’m a mom with lots of distractions around me) that I now make it a rule.

Read the English Essentials articles on NouveauWriter

(Okay, that was a bit of shameless self-promotion.) Our articles are short, concise, and cover grammar and punctuation rules which we may think are basic but form the basis of our language.

Know your audience

Your writing should reflect the reading level of your audience. If you are writing for children, your word choice, sentence structure and style will certainly be different than if you were writing for teens, or for professionals.

Read good books

Not only will it help you build an extensive vocabulary and develop an ear for what sounds correct, but your love of the English language will grow. And if you love the language, you will treasure it by preserving its beauty through beautiful polished prose.