When people think of English they usually think about literature, poetry, and spelling. However, the English language is much more than this and is a language in its own right. In the last decade, technical writing has become very popular and for good reason. There are a lot of English language rules that make writing much smoother and more enjoyable. Unfortunately, many copywriters completely disregard these rules and have a hard time seeing the benefits of a well-written document. Hopefully, this article will convince you to try out these basic English rules and increase your productivity as a copywriter.
Spelling And Grammar Are Important
English is a flexible language and as a result, it has developed thousands of slang words and spelling variations. If you want to be completely sure that you are using the correct spelling and grammar, you can always look it up in a dictionary. Nevertheless, this is a very time-consuming process that some people find incredibly frustrating. A much easier solution is to simply train your ear to recognize spelling and grammar errors. Do this by reading regularly and listening to English-speaking podcasts and lectures. This is not only beneficial for improving your English, but it will also improve your listening comprehension. When you have a group of people in a meeting and you have to listen to them talk, but you aren’t sure of the grammar, you’ll have to pause the podcast and ask someone for help. This is extremely frustrating and can seriously damage your productivity.
Vary Your Vocabulary
If you’re going to master any language, you’re going to have to expand your vocabulary. When writing, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of using the same words over and over again. To avoid this, vary your vocabulary and don’t be afraid to use a thesaurus. This way, you’ll make your writing much more interesting for the reader. Varying your vocabulary also has the added advantage of making your writing more precise. When you write and do not vary your vocabulary, you’re writing in a very general and abstract way that makes it very hard for the reader to understand. If you want your writing to be easy to understand, go in the opposite direction and add more abstract words and phrases.
Organize Your Sentences
A lot of people write in a really haphazard way. When you write in a very sloppy manner, it’s almost impossible to maintain any sort of formal structure in your writing. To avoid this, take the time to really think about how you’re going to organize your thoughts before you start typing. This will help you create a more coherent piece of writing that is easy to follow. When you write in a very sloppy manner, it’s very easy to write in a way that doesn’t make sense. For example, if you want to write about the difference between men and women, but you haven’t quite figured out how to start your sentence, you might end up writing something like, “It’s really hard to explain the differences between men and women, but…” The problem is that when you start writing in this manner, it’s very difficult to keep track of what you’re saying. This is why you want to start your sentences in a way that makes sense and is easy to follow. For example, you could write, “Men and women are two very different creatures, but it’s important to understand the ways in which they are alike, as well as how they differ.” Now, this type of sentence makes perfect sense; moreover, it has a logical structure that’s easy to follow. It would be a shame to write something so complicated in such a careless manner because the sentence structure could have been easily misunderstood.
Learn From The Experts
There are many English gurus and language experts out there who can help you improve your productivity and enjoy your writing more. One such person is William Safire. Mr. Safire is well-known for writing the language column for The New York Times and is also the author of fourteen books on English language and usage. If you ask me, Mr. Safire is one of the masters of the English language and makes a terrific example to follow.
Another person whose advice should be heeded is the great American essayist and wit, Robert Frost. In his classic poem, “Poetry,” Mr. Frost writes:
- “Make every word count.”
- “Use the perfect tense — never the present.”
- “Don’t expect that pain will go away.”
- “Remember, if you write about love, you will lose.”
- “And above all, make sure your dictionary is near at hand.”
These two masters of the English language both emphasize the importance of being precise and avoiding pointless language. If you want to become a better copywriter, find an English tutor or language school and enroll in a class. In this way, you’ll be able to follow their advice and make your writing much more effective.