Writing in a language other than your own can be a challenge. A few sentences or a paragraph is difficult enough, but putting together an entire composition can be a daunting task. Follow these tips to learn to write English more smoothly and confidently.

5 Tips to Learn to Write English Compositions

1. Designate Writing Time

When is the best time for you to write? Are you more creative in the morning, afternoon, or evening? Decide a time each day that you will sit down and focus on writing in English. Be realistic and don’t overdo it. You only need to designate 10-30 minutes each day.

Then, most importantly, commit to writing during this time every day.

2. Write Often

Write in English as often as you can. When you write a lot, it allows you to become more used to writing and gets you thinking in English.

To get started, choose a different topic each day and set aside 5-10 minutes during your designated writing time to just write. While you are writing, don’t worry about mistakes, don’t erase, and don’t stop to look up unknown words. Just write!

3. Learn Synonyms

Learning synonyms can improve your vocabulary and ultimately make you a better writer. If you use one word too many times, your writing becomes dull and boring. Being able to use different words makes your writing more interesting.

Start by keeping a vocabulary notebook to write down unknown words. When you write down a new word in your notebook, write the definition, use it in a sentence, and write two or three synonyms.

4. Create Topic Sentences

Topic sentences are essential to all kinds of writing, not just compositions. When learning to write English, you need to master topic sentences.

What you need to know is that the first sentence of any paragraph summarizes the main idea of the paragraph. All of the sentences in the paragraph must be about the topic sentence.

To practice, choose a topic (e.g., apples) and create two or three points about the topic (e.g., health benefits, nutritional benefits). Then, write one sentence for each of the points.

For example:

1. Apples have many health benefits.

2. Apples are very nutritious.

These are topic sentences! Now for each topic sentence, you can write a paragraph giving reasons and examples.

5. Revise and Edit

It’s important to revise your work whenever possible. Revising and editing can help you learn to write in English, because you can see areas where you need to improve.

On your word processor, do a check for spelling and grammar.

Then, read your composition out loud. This will help you hear problems that you might not see, such as grammar, tone, and word choice.

For best results, ask a friend, classmate, or co-worker to read your writing. It can help you both to learn to write English better.