Talk about how to improve English writing ability

Keywords: principles and methods of English writing ability

Introduction: English writing ability is one of the four basic abilities of English listening, speaking, reading and writing, and English writing can effectively promote the internalization of language knowledge. Swain(1985) put forward the hypothesis of "comprehensible output", arguing that the productive use of language, including writing, helps learners to test the structure of target sentences and the use of words, promotes the automation of language use, and effectively achieves the purpose of language acquisition. Through writing, English knowledge is constantly consolidated and internalized, which is conducive to the all-round development of English skills. However, English writing is one of the most headache problems for English learners, and it is easily ignored by teachers. The author thinks that how to improve English writing ability deserves our serious study. This paper talks about the preliminary views on this.

first, the principle of improving English writing ability

(a) the principle of gradual progress. We should adhere to the training procedure of "sentence-paragraph-article", from easy to difficult, step by step. In the initial stage of English writing, we should always pay attention to cultivating students' good writing habits and paying close attention to basic skills training. After students have mastered the basic sentence patterns and can write simple sentences, they are asked to write short paragraphs according to some styles. In paragraph writing, students should be guided to analyze the structure of the paragraph, the central sentence of the paragraph, the logical relationship between sentences, writing techniques, etc., which is conducive to the next article writing. In writing articles, students should be taught how to conceive articles and how to use correct writing skills.

(2) the principle of diversity. We should adhere to the diversity of training forms and writing styles. Formally speaking, you can use oral composition to answer questions or continue to write stories; You can rewrite the text or imitate it; You can write an outline to train the layout of an article, or you can write an extended paragraph to train divergent thinking. Stylistically speaking, you can write expository, argumentative and narrative articles, and you can also write letters, notes, notices and other practical styles.

(3) the principle of combination. We should adhere to the combination of listening, speaking, reading and writing training. According to the theory of language acquisition, learners often learn language knowledge by listening and reading, so as to understand other people's thoughts, and then express their thoughts by speaking and writing, so that others can understand themselves. A lot of listening and speaking training can promote the improvement of reading and writing ability. Therefore, writing is closely combined with listening, speaking and reading, and diversified ability training can make students' abilities influence, penetrate and promote each other.

(4) control principle. We should adhere to the guidance before writing, control students' Chinese language thinking and develop English language thinking. Language learning is largely imitation, rather than free expression at will. Teachers should strengthen the guidance before writing, and give model essays for students to imitate, so as to familiarize themselves with the text structure. At the same time, it is necessary to control their Chinese language thinking, so that students can get used to English language thinking as much as possible, so that students can learn and master authentic and correct English.

(5) the principle of persistence. We should persist in long-term and correct writing training. The improvement of English writing ability is not an overnight event, but a long-term, arduous and gradual process. This requires that teachers and students should be fully prepared, have perseverance and confidence to win.

second, ways to improve English writing ability.

(1) improve English writing ability by accumulating vocabulary. Just as civil masonry is a building material, vocabulary is a necessary material for speaking and writing, and it is also a bottleneck restricting the improvement of writing ability. As you can imagine, if you want to write a sentence, 8 out of 1 words are misspelled or can't be spelled, and 2

words are not used properly, how can you clearly express your thoughts? Therefore, in the usual teaching, students should be emphasized to remember words, spelling, usage, meaning and so on. There are many ways to remember words, and everyone has his own memory methods and habits, which can vary from person to person. Teachers can encourage students to remember words by asking them to read aloud, dictate words, memorize words, choose words and make sentences, and contest vocabulary. Memorizing words is a long and repeated process. Only by persisting in it for a long time can we accumulate a large number of words and lay a solid foundation for English writing.

(2) Improve English writing ability by expanding reading. The ancients said, "Read 3 Tang poems by heart, even if you can't write poems", which is a learning method of Chinese and can also be used for reference in English writing. Reading more is a way for students to increase their exposure to English language materials, receive information, be active in thinking and increase their intelligence. At the same time, it is also a good way to cultivate students' English thinking ability, improve their understanding, enhance their sense of language and consolidate and expand their vocabulary, which is conducive to improving their English writing ability. In reading training, teachers should pay attention to the following problems: first, guide reading methods, analyze article structure, central idea, paragraph central sentence, writing methods, etc., and help students master the structure and writing methods of various articles. Second, we should combine intensive reading with extensive reading, and learn how to write and choose words by scrutinizing excellent articles; Absorb information and enlarge vocabulary through extensive reading. Third, we should expand reading. The materials provided for reading should cover a wide range, so as to continuously expand students' knowledge and make students adapt to writing on various subjects.

(3) improve English writing ability by improving listening and speaking ability. The four abilities of English listening, speaking, reading and writing affect and promote each other, and improving listening and speaking ability will certainly promote the improvement of writing ability. The key to improving listening and speaking ability lies in creating a good English environment. Teachers should teach in English as much as possible, carry out more specialized listening and speaking training, and at the same time carry out colorful extracurricular English activities, so that students can immerse themselves in English to appreciate, experience and use English. Over time, students can naturally talk and write in correct and authentic English.

(4) improve English writing ability by paying attention to the writing process. For a long time, THE PRODUCT

APPROACH has been in a dominant position in China. Teachers judge the success or failure of writing according to the final product of writing, pay attention to the technical details of writing (such as format, spelling, grammar, etc.), and ignore the guidance of writing process. According to the Connectionism theory put forward by D.Rumechart and J.McClelland, writing includes three basic processes: pre-writing stage, specific writing and article revision. These three processes are not linear, but cyclic and interspersed. Only by paying attention to the guidance of the three processes of writing can teachers improve their English writing ability better. In the pre-writing stage, teachers focus on guiding students how to dig up themes, train divergent thinking, and how to choose materials and plan the layout of articles. In specific writing, teachers focus on guiding students how to stick to the theme and use correct writing methods. In the revision of the article, the teacher focuses on guiding students how to correct grammar and word errors.

(5) improve English writing ability by writing more English abstracts. English abstract is to extract the main points of an article and make it independent into a short article in your own language. This is not a simple extract, but a re-creation faithful to the original meaning. Writing English abstracts is helpful for students to understand the cultural background, the central meaning and the textual structure of the original text, thus improving their logical thinking ability and layout ability.

(6) improve English writing ability by developing English language thinking ability. English writing is the creation of externalized output through thinking by using the internalized language knowledge and expression methods, so English language thinking ability plays an extraordinary role in English writing. For Chinese students, it is easy to be influenced by Chinese language thinking in English writing, so it is difficult to think directly in English language, which is not conducive to the improvement of English writing ability. Therefore, it is particularly important to develop their English language thinking ability. Teachers should pay attention to training students' English language thinking in many directions and angles: they should adopt various methods to train students' English language thinking to be broad, profound, divergent and creative; Students should be taught to think and answer questions in English. We should start with the training of image thinking and gradually transition to the training of abstract thinking; In the text explanation, we should use English instead of Chinese translation as far as possible to eliminate the influence of Chinese thinking; We should strive to create a good English environment and develop English thinking ability in English communication.

Three criteria for writing a good English paragraph

First of all, a paragraph must have a center, that is, the theme idea, which is expressed by the topic sentence, especially the theme in it. The whole paragraph must stick to the topic (stick or hold to the topic), which is the unity of the paragraph. Secondly, a paragraph must have several extension sentences, so that the theme can be fully developed, thus giving readers a complete feeling, which is completeness or adequateness. Furthermore, a paragraph is not chaotic, but an organic combination, the order of sentences must be logical, and the transition from one sentence to another must be smooth, which is coherence. Below we will explain these three standards respectively.

1. Unity

Every sentence in a paragraph must be subordinate to a central idea, and any sentence that is outside the central idea is not desirable. Look at the following example:

Joe and I decided to take the long trip we'd always wanted across the country. We were like young kids buying our camper and stocking it with. all the necessities of life. Bella bakes the best rhubarb pie. We started out in early spring from Minneapolis and headed west across the northern part of the country. We both enjoyed those people we met at the trailer park. Joe received a watch at his retirement dinner. To our surprise， We found that we like the warm southern regions very much, and so we decided to stay here in New Mexico.

The topic sentence in this paragraph is the first sentence. The central idea is to take the long trip across the country. In this article, there are two irrational sentences, one is Bella bakes the best rhubarb pie. This paragraph is about Joe and I, and it is inappropriate to have a Bella in the middle. Also, the sentence Joe received a watch at his retirement diner is irrelevant to the topic sentence. Candidates often lose points on the composition papers of CET-4 because they create irrelevant sentences, which deserves attention. Look at another example:

My name is Roseanna, and I like to keep physically fit. I used to weigh two hungry pounds, but I joined the YMCA for an exercise class and diet program. In one year I lost eighty pounds. I feel much better and never want to have that much we ight on my five-feet frame again. I bought two new suitcases last week. Everyday I practice jogging three miles， swimming fifteen laps， Lifting twenty-pound weights and playing tennis for one hour. My mother was a preparation baby.

The controlling idea in this paragraph is like to deep physically fit. However, there are two irrelevant sentences in the paragraph, one is I bought two new suitcases last week, and the other is My mother was a premature baby.

From the above two examples, it can be seen that native speakers will also create irrelevant sentences. If there are too many such sentences, the problem will be more serious.

2. Integrity

As we said earlier, the theme of a paragraph is realized by promoting sentences. If only the theme sentence is further explained and enriched without promoting sentences, a complete paragraph cannot be formed. Similarly, although there are promotion sentences, the theme idea has not been relatively satisfactorily explained, giving readers a feeling of wanting more. Such a paragraph cannot fulfill its communicative function. For example:

physical work can be a useful form of therapy for a mind in turmoil. work concentrates your thoughts on a concrete task. ideas, it is more useful to work —— you produce something rather than more anxiety or depress