THE IMPORTANT OF WRITING

The writing skills are complex and sometimes difficult to teach, requiring mastery

not only grammatical and rhetorical devices but also of conceptual and judgemental elements. The following analysis attempt to groups the many and varied skills necessary for writing good prose into five general components or main areas.

·         Language use: the ability to write correct and appropriate sentences

·         Mechanical skills: the ability to use correctly those conventions peculiar to the written language – e.g. punctuation, spelling

·         Treatment of content: the ability to think creatively and develop thoughts, excluding all irrelevant information

·         Stylistic skills: the ability to manipulate sentences and paragraphs, and use language effectively

·         Judgement skills: the ability to write in an appropriate manner for a particular purpose with a particular audience in mind, together with an ability to select organize and order relevant information.

The actual writing conventions which it is necessary for the student to master relate chiefly (at the element stage) to punctuation and spelling. However, in punctuation there are many areas in which personal judgements are required, and test of punctuation must guard against being too rigid by recognizing that several answers may be correct unfortunately, test of punctuation and spelling often tended to inhibit writing and creativity.

Of far greater importance in the teaching and testing of writing are those skills involving the use of judgement. The ability to write for a particular audience using the most appropriate kind of language is essential for both native-speaking and foreign student alike. The use of correct registers becomes an important skill at advanced levels of writing. Failure to use correct register frequently results in incongruities and embarrassment: whereas native speakers learn to make distinction of registers intuitively, student of foreign languages usually experience problems in mastering this complex area of language. The various kinds of registers include colloquialisms, slang, jargon, archaic words, legal language, Standard English, the language used by educated writers of English. The purpose of writing will also help to establish a particular register: for example, is the student writing to entertain, inform, or explain?

A piece of continuous writing may take the form of a narrative, description, survey, record, report, discussion, or argument. In addition to the subject and the format, the actual audience (e.g. an examiner, a teacher, a student, a friend) will also determine which of the various registers is to be used. Consequently, the use of appropriate register in writing implies an awareness not only of a writing goal but also of a particular audience.

After the purpose of writing and the nature of the audience have been established, judgement is again required to determine the selection of the material which is most relevant to the task at hand (bearing in mind the time available). Organization and ordering skills then follow the selection.