Improving English writing

How can I improve my advanced English writing for the competitive exam if I write simple English but cannot write advanced English?


Steve Istvan Horvath, former Adjunct Faculty, ESL Composition (1997-1998)

Four Advanced English Grammar Skills for More Impressive Writing

1. Master Compound and Complex Sentences
Understanding how sentences are put together will help you gain confidence in using more interesting and complex language. Like building blocks, English sentences contain smaller parts that are necessary to create a complete whole.
We get there by taking things step-by-step.
We begin with a simple sentence. It contains a subject and an action, makes sense and is relatively short:
I am replying to your email.
Compound sentences are the next level up. These are two simple sentences put together, joined by a conjunction. A conjunction acts as a connecting word. There are seven (7) conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Two ideas or messages are joined together to make one longer and more detailed compound sentence:
I am replying to your email and I will write up the report today.
Now we enter the more advanced range of English sentences. The next level sees us adding dependant clauses onto our sentences. When we add a dependent clause to our sentence, we create a complex sentence.

A complex sentence contains a dependent clause and an independent clause.
An independent clause is a sentence that makes sense on its own and contains a complete idea. In other words, if you read the independent clause alone, it makes perfect sense. In our example above, we connected two independent clauses into a complex sentence by joining them with a conjunction. I am replying to your email and I will write up the report today.
A dependent clause is a group of words or a phrase that need more information sentence to be understood. These usually use words like while, because, due to, even though and other similar words. A dependent clause might have a verb and a subject but it needs an independent clause to actually make sense.
Its job is to add information to the sentence. By using dependent clauses, you can add meaning and context to your writing. When I add a dependent clause to our sentence, it transforms into a phrase that adds meaning:
I am replying to your email and I will write up the report today while I eat my lunch.
You did it! This sentence is now a complex sentence.
Dependent clauses can appear at the end, beginning or even in the middle of sentences:
I am replying to your email and, while I eat my lunch today, I will write up the report.
When inserted at the beginning or middle of a sentence, use commas to separate the dependent clause from the independent part of the sentence.
Always read your writing to ensure the addition of your dependent clause makes sense! If it does not, move it to a position in the sentence where it does.
Important note! Although we used a compound sentence for this example, a complex sentence does not need to be one. It just needs a dependent and independent clause working together.
Here are a few more examples of complex sentences. The dependent clause has been underlined.
My toddler was singing while walking to school this morning.

Though the weather was cold, she wore her new summer dress outside. 

When he was young, he was very adventurous and went on many camping trips.
You try it! Can you make your own complex sentence?

2. Learn to Use Infinitives and Gerunds
Both infinitives and gerunds explain the action occurring in a sentence.
They differ in their verb form yet both are very helpful. Applying both of these advanced grammar techniques in your writing will help you master the art of writing.
An infinitive is a group of words that act as a verb. It follows a simple formula: It is created by using the word “to” + the base form of the verb.
To study, to work, to email, to meet, to eat and to become are all examples of infinitives.
A gerund is a verb used in its present tense, ending in -ing. It is special because it can sometimes be used as a noun. It names the activity that is being completed or the action being taken.
Studying, working, emailing, meeting, eating and becoming are all examples of gerunds.
Here are some common phrases, each expressed with infinitives and gerunds:
Infinitive: I like to email first thing in the morning.
Gerund: I like emailing first thing in the morning.
Infinitive: I am to meet her after lunch.
Gerund: I am meeting her after lunch.
Infinitive: He needs some time to study.
Gerund: He needs some studying time.
Many times, you can use either form of the word without much change to the meaning.
However, sometimes using the infinitive or the gerund can result in different meanings. For example:
Infinitive: He’ll never forget to spend his money.
Gerund: He’ll never forget spending his money.
Infinitive: She is to talk to her boss.
Gerund: She is talking to the boss.
The difference here is the infinitives and gerunds express the action happening at two different times. The infinitive describes an action that has not yet happened but will in the future, while the gerund describes an action that has already happened or is currently happening.
A less obvious difference between the two can be seen in this example:
Infinitive: I’m afraid to fly (to New York tomorrow).
Gerund: I’m afraid of flying (in an aeroplane).
Often, gerunds are used to say something in a general way (in this case, the fear of flying). Infinitives, though, are more direct and specific (in this case, the fear of a specific flight that is coming up).
Through use and practice, you will get a good understanding of the subtle differences between the two!
Get plenty of practice by hearing these concepts in action at FluentU. FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons. As we said before, learning how to write correctly is about more than just typing the right keys. Involve all your senses by watching (and listening to) authentic videos in English with annotated subtitles, helpful interactive flashcards and more. Make the leap to advanced today!

3. Add Color to Your Writing with Advanced Verbs
By now I am sure you have realised English can be difficult as there are so many grammar rules as well as exceptions to these very same rules!
Although learning to use more advanced verbs can feel difficult, understanding them will help you convey your high-level English skills.

Learning, practising and mastering advanced verb forms will take you towards the highest levels of English fluency, not just in your writing but in your speaking too!
There are two forms of advance verbs we will cover here: irregular verbs and phrasal verbs.
Irregular Verbs
English verbs have five forms: infinitive, simple present, simple past, past participle and present participle. The form you use depends on when the verb is happening.

Let’s take the regular verb “start.” In its five forms, it looks like this: to start (infinitive), starts (simple present), started (simple past), started (past participle) and starting (present participle).
It is easier to understand the differences when the verb is put into sentences:
Infinitive: He is to start the exam (soon).
Simple present: She starts the exam (in half an hour).
Simple past: He started the exam (an hour ago).
Past participle: She started the exam (while she was sick).
Present participle: He is starting the exam (right now).
Notice how the simple past and past participle have the same grammar rule applied (add -ed at the end to show past tense). The verb “start” is a regular verb so it follows this rule every time.
Irregular verbs, however, do not follow the rules. Irregular verbs have inconsistent changes to the simple past and past participle forms that you can learn through investigation, repeated exposure and practice.
Here are examples of irregular verbs in their 5 verb forms:

“Begin”: to begin (infinitive), begins (simple present), began (simple past), begun (past participle) and beginning (present participle).
“Choose”: to choose (infinitive), chooses (simple present), chose (simple past), chosen (past participle) and choosing (present participle).
“Come”: to come (infinitive), comes (simple present), came (simple past), come (past participle) and coming (present participle).
Some irregular verbs do not change at all! They do not take on the regular grammar rule of adding -ed or alter their spelling from the basic form of the verb.
“Put”: to put (infinitive), puts (simple present), put (simple past), put (past participle) and putting (present participle).
Although you may be thinking deeply about it now, this is one of those grammar rules you do not even realize you already use successfully! Developing this advanced grammar skill can be done by listening and identifying what sounds right when speaking and writing in English. In addition to this, understanding how the irregular verbs take shape will help you use these interesting verbs with greater success.

Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs are a combination of words that act as a verb.
Phrasal verbs follow a formula: verb + preposition or adverb.
The prepositions and adverbs used in phrasal verbs can actually be the same words. Examples of these include the words down, out, on, off, in and up. All these words can be used in a phrasal verb as a preposition (positional language) or as an adverb (description of the verb).
Examples of phrasal verbs include: get in, bring out, try on, calm down, put off, hold on.
We use phrasal verbs just like regular or irregular verbs in English sentences. Here are some examples you can introduce into your more advanced English writing:
Please switch on your laptop.
You left out a word in this sentence.
Are you about to take off (leave) soon?
She will hand out the worksheets.

Phrasal verbs are very commonly used in day to day language as well as in more advanced formal writing. It is always helpful to have a native English speaking friend you can rely on to explain the meaning and context of any phrasal verbs you do not understand. If you do not have one, consider finding a language exchange partner.
4. Change the Focus with the Passive Voice
Changing the focus or emphasis in your sentences allows you to direct attention to specific information. Highlighting information in this way changes its importance and can subtly change the message.
To understand how to use the passive voice you first need to understand two concepts within sentences: subjects and objects.
A subject is a thing in the sentence that is directly causing an action.
An object is a thing in the sentence that is being acted upon.
Look at the following sentence:
Lisa makes a phone call.
Lisa is the subject (she is doing the action) and the phone call is the object (the thing that is begin acted upon or the result of the action taking place). This sentence uses an active voice. With this understanding, we can alter our sentences to change the focus using the passive voice.
The passive voice is created by taking the focus from the subject and placing it on the object.
Using our previous example, by moving the focus to the phone call (the object) we can generate passive voice within the new sentence:
A phone call was made by Lisa.
This takes attention and importance away from the subject.
Sometimes the subject is even omitted, making it unknown or non-existent:
A phone call was made.
So why do we use passive voice in our writing to take the focus away from the subject?
Passive voice allows you to effectively shift the focus for the people you are communicating with. It gives you the control to subtly alter the meaning of your writing and engage the reader from a slightly different point of view. This is helpful when creating polite emails to clients or communicating with fellow students or co-workers. Using an active voice in your sentences is more to the point. It can sound more demanding and accusatory of the subject. Changing an active voice to a passive voice is much more respectful of the subject. It is more often used when writing to and speaking with your elders and superiors at school and in the workplace.
Though be careful not to overuse it! The passive voice can also make your sentences sound vague and lacking in confidence. Finding the right balance is important.
Once you understand how to shift the focus from active to passive, you can create a whole range of interesting sentences to use every day. Here are some examples to try:
Active: David is writing an email.
Passive: An email is being written by David.
Active: Sarah is exhausted from hours of studying.
Passive: Hours of studying have made Sarah exhausted.
Active: John felt very important because of the meeting.
Passive: The meeting made John feel very important. Although many advanced grammar techniques seem to only make minor changes in your writing, it is this subtly that gives you the power to direct the experience of your readers. Learning to apply these grammar concepts will make your learning journey more interesting and enjoyable while boosting your level of skill and moving you towards English mastery!
Better still, advanced English grammar knowledge provides you with the power to create something that really engages people and gets the unbreakable attention of your reader. Advanced grammar skills will help you seek respect in the workplace, prove your depth of educational knowledge and present yourself confidently when it really counts.