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I can't write sentences properly.. PLEASE HELP ME!

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Try asking for some more specific feedback on what you are doing wrong.

Common mistakes are writing excessively long sentences or sentences with too many ideas in them, this is baffling to the reader and often the writer too.

A sentence is supposed to be something you could speak out loud without pausing for breath.
Reply 21
Original post by Reality Check
I think you need to be a little more specific about what it is that you struggle with - it's not all writing, as these posts make perfect sense. Is it just academic/extended writing? And is it punctuation, grammar, word choice or all of it?


I think you summed it up tbh; punctuation, grammar, word choice is what I struggle with. It's weird because I used to got 100% in English Lit exams but only got low b's in language, ughh ;X
Reply 22
Original post by Joinedup
Try asking for some more specific feedback on what you are doing wrong.

Common mistakes are writing excessively long sentences or sentences with too many ideas in them, this is baffling to the reader and often the writer too.

A sentence is supposed to be something you could speak out loud without pausing for breath.


Yeah, I find it difficult expressing one idea clearly. I sometimes miss out certain words making the sentence hard to understand for the reader.
Original post by JustDoIt!
I can't explain it but whenever I am writing sentences they do not look right. Everyone says my essays make no sense. Do I need to read books or.. ( I've never read more than 3 books in my whole life)


What need you do to, is rearrange not sentence's the words, so look not it this like, if course of this familiar looks you to...?

I can't speak England...
Original post by JustDoIt!
I think you summed it up tbh; punctuation, grammar, word choice is what I struggle with. It's weird because I used to got 100% in English Lit exams but only got low b's in language, ughh ;X


That's very unusual then - clearly you have no problem in understanding English in terms of context and meaning; you just struggle with communicating this understanding in your own written English.

As well as reading well-written content (please - not, the Mirror or Mail but something a little better) take every opportunity to practice your writing skills. Keep a diary, or write letters (you don't even need to send them: it's the practice of writing connected prose that's important). It's also a really good idea to practice writing using a pen and paper, rather than on a screen because it forces you to marshal your thoughts in your head and connect the ideas before setting them down on paper. It's too easy to write a chunk of text and then move it, delete it or otherwise change it when using a computer, and this doesn't help you develop the ability to write fluently and naturally.

(PS look at my punctuation in the preceding paragraph and try to work out why I've chosen what I have :smile: )
(edited 6 years ago)
Read the newspaper, that's a start. And it's useful.

Do you think ahead of your writing too much because I do that, especially when typing. I tend to skip words because my mind's way too far ahead!
Reply 26
Original post by Reality Check
That's very unusual then - clearly you have no problem in understanding English in terms of context and meaning; you just struggle with communicating this understanding in your own written English.

As well as reading well-written content (please - not, the Mirror or Mail but something a little better) take every opportunity to practice your writing skills. Keep a diary, or write letters (you don't even need to send them: it's the practice of writing connected prose that's important). It's also a really good idea to practice writing using a pen and paper, rather than on a screen because it forces you to marshal your thoughts in your head and connect the ideas before setting them down on paper. It's too easy to write a chunk of text and then move it, delete it or otherwise change it when using a computer, and this doesn't help you develop the ability to write fluently and naturally.

(PS look at my punctuation in the preceding paragraph and try to work out why I've chosen what I have :smile: )


Thanks for the solid advice :smile: *puts thinking cap on*
Reply 27
Original post by BTAnonymous
Read the newspaper, that's a start. And it's useful.

Do you think ahead of your writing too much because I do that, especially when typing. I tend to skip words because my mind's way too far ahead!


yeah-something like that! I tend to leave sentences undeveloped? I find it hard expanding them whilst at the same time being clear about what I'm trying to say.
Original post by JustDoIt!
Thanks for the solid advice :smile: *puts thinking cap on*


:smile: You're welcome. And you'll be fine. These things take practice and a certain amount of commitment. But the more you practice, the easier it will become. Little and often.
Reply 29
Original post by Reality Check
:smile: You're welcome. And you'll be fine. These things take practice and a certain amount of commitment. But the more you practice, the easier it will become. Little and often.


Yeah, I guess practice makes perfect, haha! I just get sad/depressed and (being honest) a bit jealous when my mates write so elegantly and beautifully.
Original post by JustDoIt!
Yeah, I guess practice makes perfect, haha! I just get sad/depressed and (being honest) a bit jealous when my mates write so elegantly and beautifully.


I understand that. But with practice, there's no reason why you shouldn't be writing as well or better than said mates.
Paste an extract from one of your essays if you can :smile:
Reply 32
Original post by Petulia
Paste an extract from one of your essays if you can :smile:


I'll try to find something I wrote that isn't school related as I'm scared about plagiarism. *facepalms*
Original post by JustDoIt!
I'll try to find something I wrote that isn't school related as I'm scared about plagiarism. *facepalms*


Maybe just a piece of homework or classwork (not assessed) that you've already had marked or didn't understand the feedback for?
Original post by Tian1Sky
Yes, you should read books.

OP needs to read the right books though and it looks like he might have trouble sorting the wheat from the chaff. It's no good him reading Dan Brown or JK Rowling to improve his sentence structure and vocabulary.
Reply 35
Original post by applesforme
OP needs to read the right books though and it looks like he might have trouble sorting the wheat from the chaff. It's no good him reading Dan Brown or JK Rowling to improve his sentence structure and vocabulary.


When you recognise those authors -bops-
Original post by applesforme
OP needs to read the right books though and it looks like he might have trouble sorting the wheat from the chaff. It's no good him reading Dan Brown or JK Rowling to improve his sentence structure and vocabulary.


Original post by JustDoIt!
When you recognise those authors -bops-


Actually, for basic sentence structure and vocabulary, stuff like J. K. Rowling is fine (haven't read anything by Dan Brown). You'll want to move on to more "academic" books eventually, but if it's just formulating sentences people can understand you don't need high level literature. Seems to me like your priority right now should be to read a lot, not necessarily to force yourself into reading books that bore you or that you don't understand.
Reply 37
Original post by Tian1Sky
Actually, for basic sentence structure and vocabulary, stuff like J. K. Rowling is fine (haven't read anything by Dan Brown). You'll want to move on to more "academic" books eventually, but if it's just formulating sentences people can understand you don't need high level literature. Seems to me like your priority right now should be to read a lot, not necessarily to force yourself into reading books that bore you or that you don't understand.


On a side noteeeeee ( it may sound a bit obnoxious), why do they teach Shakespeare to year 8's? Doesn't it just put people off reading?
OP, have a look at this website:
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/punctuation/comma
I think it's quite clear, but you might find another website you prefer. Just be careful online that you're looking at British English grammar and not American English as there are some differences. I also have problems remembering the grammar rules so I always just check up again when I'm writing something formal. Doesn't matter how many essays I've written I just can't remember certain things. Send some of your essay writing via pm if you want and I can try to give you some pointers where you're going wrong.
Original post by JustDoIt!
On a side noteeeeee ( it may sound a bit obnoxious), why do they teach Shakespeare to year 8's? Doesn't it just put people off reading?


No idea, I suggest asking an English teacher!

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