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Writing in English

Why do second language people struggle with writing? The three main reasons that I see in lessons are these:

1) Trouble with prepositions (in, on, from, with, to, at, behind, before, after, over, under, through, and more)

2) Trouble with articles (a, an, the)

3) Trouble with advanced verb tenses ("He might have been going." or "I would have had time.")

Many prepositions are tied (through common use, not necessarily a logical reason) to certain verbs, nouns and adjectives. For instance, we say "in defeat," "with care," "work toward" or "dream about." Some books have great reference lists for these combinations, but a lot of it is also practice.

The articles (a, an, the) also have many rules developed through common use and that are not so logical. For instance we say "the flu," but we do not use "the" with a named illness like "heart disease." Or we use "the" with names of rivers, but not with lakes: "The Mississippi River is far from Lake Tahoe." Like prepositions, these rules can studied, but also just require a lot of practice.

Advanced verb tenses are at least more logical than prepositions and articles, but again practice is needed.

If you struggle, remember this: Language came first, grammar second! From languages that were fully in use, people chose to define rules based on what was common. And as languages evolve through use, the rules change.

Send us your writing and get it edited. See online classes.

Learn English Pronunciation and Writing

If you enjoy writing--a daily journal, business notes or literature, combine that joy with classes in pronunciation. You can get your work edited while speaking it out loud and getting feedback about the clarity of your voice. You can send us your writing by email and then include it during your lessons for no extra cost.

Sign up for one-on-one video classes or in-person lessons. Go to online classes.

We also offer editing for professional documents, such as business forms, student essays or dissertations. Back to Speakmethod home page.

Speakmethod.com: Resources in English Pronunciation, Seattle, WA