How to Improve English Writing Skills (4 Best Ways)

1. Read in English

This is the first thing you must do.
If you want to write English well, you need to read in English a lot.
I’m not talking about reading a little…every now and then…for a couple of weeks.
That’s not enough.
Your reading has to be consistent and ongoing.
Which means you need to adjust your routine so you can read in English every day.
This is NOT optional.
It’s impossible to improve your writing without a lot of reading!

How Reading Improves Your Writing

First of all, reading increases your vocabulary.
Without a strong vocabulary, it’s impossible to write English well.
Imagine having to write an English essay titled “The Best Diet for Weight Loss” without knowing words like calorie, appetite, nutrition, supplement, or intake. It’s going to be difficult.
More importantly, reading helps you write in a way that conforms to grammar rules.
The reason non-native speakers make many writing mistakes is that they don’t have enough exposure to “correct” English.
To make my point, let’s discuss the word “advice,” which some people use incorrectly:
The above example uses “advices,” which is incorrect; the word has no plural form.
For people who read English a lot, they rarely make obvious mistakes like this.
This is because the more you read, the more you’re exposed to the proper usage of the word:

• “His advice was very helpful.” (Not “His advices were very helpful.”)
• “Let me give you some advice.” (Not “Let me give you some advices.”)
• “That’s a good piece of advice.” (Not “That’s a good advice.”)

So if you want to write correct English, spend more time reading English.

But Why Not Study Grammar Instead?

Now you might be wondering, “If I want to write grammatical English, isn’t it faster to study grammar rules?”
No, you cannot replace reading with studying grammar.
You see, the English language has a lot of subtleties (rules or details that are complicated or difficult to explain).
It’s hard to understand these subtleties by simply studying grammar.
Let me give you an example.
Consider the words say, speak, tell, and talk. To a beginner, the differences between these words are subtle and confusing. It’s difficult to teach someone these distinctions through explanation alone.
The best way to master these words is to read a lot so that you see countless usage examples.
That’s why reading is irreplaceable.