Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[UKbug]

i just took the GEPT test...it's the test that show u how's ur english ability!!
well, i took the high-intermediate lever, yop, i was lucky enough to pass the first part(listening 'n' reading), now i have to prepare the second part -writing..........this is my headache.........my writing is poor.....wut should i do.................any suggestions???
tks la!
Linda

[CP]

My first suggestion would be to write using proper English words, not e-mail / blog abbreviations. It is too easy to fall back on bad habits like "ur" for "your / you're" and "wut should i do" for "What should I do?". On a test, your grade will plummet if you don't follow ordinary spelling and punctuation, and really, there is no excuse not to.

The two best ways to get good at writing are (1) to write as much as possible, and (2) to read good English and pay attention to how good writers write.

A good newspaper, like the Los Angeles Times or the New York Times, will use a straightforward, informative style, worth trying to emulate when you are supposed to answer questions with factual information. An entertaining novelist like Kurt Vonnegut or John Fowles will make good use of the language to protray persons and places and moods, which comes in handy for telling others about your own adventures, dreams, and hopes. Other types of writing will be different from news and from novels, and they are important to read carefully, too.

Keep a diary, and write in it every day, using your best English. Write at least one letter every day, telling your friends what you have been doing or what you want to do. Write a how-to, a little essay that explains how to tune a violin, or how to wash dishes, or how to ride a bicycle -- anything you know how to do. Write a story about yourself, but from the perspective of your neighbor, or your teacher, or your cousin. Write a short news report about the price of tomatoes or the death of a neighbot's pet. Write, write, write.

You will have to write using the appropriate style and vocabulary, and you will have to think about how best to express yourself, every time you write something purposeful. Like anything else, practice makes better -- not perfect, but better, at least -- so the way to improve your writing is to pay attention to what is good and then practice, practice, practice.

Hope this helps.
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You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[UKbug]

tks soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!!!!
i read the Advanced magazine, do u mean to analize the article???