“Learning how to write a coherent, effective text is a difficult and protracted achievement of cognitive development that contrasts sharply with the acquisition of speech” (Kellogg, 2008, p. 2). Writing is one of the forms of communication that follows a person throughout life. It supports the interchanging of ideas and thoughts between people through time and space. Like all the other forms of thoughts expression, it plays an important role in the society. Writing can be artistic, and, at the same time, it can be utilitarian. The forms of writing vary in the purposes, styles, and the scopes of implementation.
There are many ways to perceive and understand it. Either way, the expression of oneself in writing requires a particular set of skills. It involves more than just knowledge of the language system – the composition of the complex writings includes memory and creative thinking processes (Kellogg, 2008, p.2). However, in my opinion, the correct usage of language units and compliance with all the grammatical rules is the basis for the writer’s success.
A pronounced or written sentence is the embodiment of a thought. Grammar and punctuation are meant to make the written expressions clear and understandable for others. Following the grammar rules ensures a better understanding of the ideas put in the written text. And since the main purpose of any form of communication, any writing, and any speech is the conveyance and exchange of thoughts between people, the compliance with the grammatical rules make it more efficient.
At this point in life, I do not feel comfortable with writing. However, I have a lot of bright ideas that I feel need expression. I perceive myself as a creative person, but writing is certainly not my strength. When I was a child, I enjoyed writing songs, poetry, plays, and short stories. But the inspiration for writing disappeared when I grew older. It happened for different reasons. The main reason I see in the lack of demand for writing in the society I grew up in. For the majority of people, creative writing seemed useless, and they perceived it as something irrelevant. Being a child, I couldn’t resist the common opinion, and the sense of fun and pleasure has vanished from my perception of writing. Like the others, I began to perceive it as an encumbrance or a daunting task.
Along with childhood’s creative short stories and poems, I wrote plenty of other types of texts in my personal and professional life. I’ve written many academic papers: essays, research papers, college assignments, etc. And I often use online services, such as emails, for everyday communication. According to my experience, writing is essential in many aspects of life, especially in education and work. And I understand that developed writing skills will be in handy on the way to goals’ achievement. Therefore, I would like to spend more time and pay more attention to practicing writing and training skills of the correct grammar usage, formatting, and styling.
The impeccable grammatical presentation of a text demonstrates a high level of writer’s erudition. Grammatically correct writing is perceived more seriously, and it is very important for professional growth. To some extent, the grammatical forms determine the semantic content of the language units. Therefore, the skills of free grammatical orientation develop the ability to read and understand texts, and, at the same time, they refine skills of composing, creating, and writing (Fillmore, 1988, p. 36).
I have found the grammar practice sections extremely helpful in this regard. There are the parts that I feel confident in and some parts that need a little bit more improvement. At first sight, the plural and singular forms of words seem very easy to understand. Nevertheless, matching a subject and a verb can be tricky and confusing in practice. The basic principle of the singulars and plurals has many deviations. The singular and plural forms are often contextually dependent, and it always must be taken into consideration.
I feel confident with the indefinite pronouns (anyone, somebody, no one, each, etc.). They are easy to remember. I also understand the usage of phrases with “there” and “here” well. I always remember that the verb is followed by the subject in the expletive constructions, yet the form of the verb, as usually, must be determined by the form of the subject. I have well learned the seventh section of the paper that explains the arrangement of the third-person subjects with the “s” ending verbs. And I perfectly understand that the modifiers that split the subject and the verb in the sentence. In my opinion, I effectively realize these grammatical aspects in speech and writing. Nevertheless, there is no limit to perfection, and further practice, constant awareness, and monitoring of mistakes will help me to sharpen the skills.
I still need to improve the skills of using the right forms of verbs with the collective nouns. At this point, it can be difficult. It happens because sometimes I can confuse the collective noun and the singular noun ending with “s.” It is a matter of habit to put the plural verb after noun with “s” at the end. It is the reason for doubt and confusion. I need to pay more attention to the combination of the collective nouns and the indefinite pronouns “all” and “some” for the same reasons. I also need to practice the usage of phrases “together with,” “along with,” and “as well as” more. However, I see the solution in an in-depth and detailed investigation of this issue. It is important to understand the meanings of all the words that may be confusing. Building an extensive vocabulary and constant practice will lead to a better understanding and confidence.
I believe that the attendance of the course will be very helpful in the development of my writing skills. It will help to overcome the language barriers and diffidence. Mastering the impeccable skills of the grammatical arrangement of the text will inspire confidence. I hope that acquiring confidence will provoke a new motivation for the writing activity.
Acquisition of the grammatical confidence lies in the combination of theory and practice. I think the feeling of mess and confusion is familiar to most of the language students. Learning grammatical rules, its constant practice, and refinement of skills are like putting the pieces of the puzzle in the right places inside your head. In my opinion, when a person masters grammar, he or she becomes more perceptive to the language. A grammatically skillful person is capable of learning through listening and reading. The application of the language knowledge helps “to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style and to comprehend more fully when reading and listening” (Vasquez, Hansen, & Smith, 2013, p. 59). The knowledge of grammar creates the order in the person’s head, and it consequently helps to grasp the thoughts and express them clearly. It is crucial for the development of good writing skills.
There are three commonly accepted stages in the development of writing skills: “the beginner’s stage of using writing to tell what one knows,” “the intermediate’s stage of transforming what one knows for the author’s benefits,” and “the final stage of crafting what one knows for the reader’s benefit” (Kellogg, 2008, p. 3). During the process of learning, I aim at the development of the advanced level of writing skills. I determine the success of the text by the combination of the author’s and readers’ benefits that are comprised of eloquence, the skillful application of the language tools, a high level of readability, and easiness for understanding.
The development of writing skills is one more step in personal and professional growth. Writing helps to reveal creativity, and, at the same time, it requires a logical and rational approach. The excellent writing skills are grounded in the impeccable language operability. Studying grammar provides this solid ground and support for the development. Grammatical units comprise the meanings and create contexts that ultimately form the textual style. Understanding of every single constituent of the text and sentence leads to successful writing. And the comprehension of the basic grammatical language elements and the connections between them is essential in this regard.
References
Kellogg, R.T. (2008). Training writing skills: A cognitive developmental perspective. Journal of Writing Research, 1(1), 1-26. Web.
Vasquez, A., Hansen, A., & Smith, P. (2013). Teaching language arts to English language learners. New York, NY: Routledge. Web.
Fillmore, C. (1988). The mechanism of “Construction Grammar. Web.