photo: keeping a journal to improve your English
If you're like most people,
you probably don't enjoy
writing too much. You may
not even like it at all.
Putting
your thoughts on paper or typing them out
just is
n't your thing. You think it's boring,
tedious, and completely unnecessary. Does
this describe you? If it does, then the idea
of
keeping a journal and writing regularly to
improve your English may not
appeal to
you. Surely, there are other activities that
work just as well to help your English. You
can speak English as much as you can; you
can read; you can watch the news and TV
shows, and these are just as
effective in
improving your English, right? Well,
perhaps. However, there are some
compelling reasons why you should keep a
journal if you are serious about improving
your English.

Speaking, reading, listening, and watching
are all excellent activities to improve your
English. If you do them regularly and often,
your brain will eventually pick up the natural
sounds and structures of English, which is
definitely an important goal in achieving
English
proficiency. However, you
accomplish things in writing that you don't
in these other activities. When you write,
you are forced to be specific with your
language, you have more time to think
about what and how you are going to say
things, and you can keep the grammar and
vocabulary you've learned in class in mind
and put them to use. In addition, you can
have it checked by a teacher or an  
English-speaking friend, which allows you to
fix your errors thoughtfully and
systematically. This is hard to do when you
simply rely on speaking to practice
expressing yourself in English.
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TIP#1: Write down your thoughts
Writing regularly or keeping a journal doesn't have to be tedious or
boring, and it doesn't have to take a lot of time and energy.
Keep
in mind
, you are not writing a research paper or an essay. Your
writing can be one or two sentences long, or it can be a couple of
paragraphs on days when you feel more energetic or motivated to
write. In addition, you can write about anything you want, so you
can make the activity fun and stimulating. You decide the topic.
It's
all up to you
. The important thing is to write something however
short or long, so you can put the English that you know now, the
words and expressions that you've learned, to use.


    vocabulary:
    not your thing (You don't like it)
    tedious ( )
    keeping a journal (
    may not appeal to you (you may not like it)
    effective (something that works)
    perheps (maybe)
    compelling (good, convincing)
    proficiency (ability)
    systematically (following a process)
    keep in mind (remember)
    It's up to you. (You decide.)
    however short or long (it doesn't matter if its short or long)
Don't know what to write about? Pick
one of these topics and write a
sentence or two, a paragraph or two,
or a page or two. It's all up to you!

1. The best part of your day.
2. The worst part of your day.
3. An interesting person you've met
recently.
4. Why you are happy right now.
5. Why you are unhappy right now.
6. Why you are angry right now.
7. Why you are tired right now.
8. An interesting movie or show you've
watched recently.
9. A boring movie or show you've watched
recently.
10. The best part about living in your city.
11. The worst part about your neighborhood.
12. Describe your favorite restaurant right
now.
13. Your dream vacation.
14. Your dream job.
15. What you love to do on your day off.
Your name:
Your email address:
Your country
Your writing topic suggestions:
Any suggestions?
Do you enjoy writing about a particular
topic in your journal?
Share it with us!
blog, on our Facebook page, or on Twitter.

We'd love to know who you are, but you
may post as anonymous if you prefer.
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the small guide site is maintained by Joseph Yu. All articles & lessons are written by Joe unless noted otherwise.
Copyright 2009 - 2014 Joseph Yu. All rights reserved.
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