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WRITING SKILL

In order to learn a language, there involves learning and acquisition of four basic skills which
are Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing (LRSW). Writing skill cannot be learned alone.
It has to be incorporated with reading skill.

Reading is the ability to recognise sentences and their meaning as linguistic elements and to
recognise how they function as a part of a discourse. It is a matter of discrimination as well as
assimilation (Widdowson, 1988).

In order to read and understand a piece of discourse, just knowing the language is not enough.
We need to have ‘pre-existent knowledge of the world’ (Cook, 1989) to make sense of any
text. Reading can be done extensively or intensively depending on the nature or need.

There are two ways of reading processing which are Bottom-up and Top-down. Bottom-up
process is to read intensively and to look for multiplicity of linguistic signals (letters,
morphemes, syllables, words and phrases, etc.). For Top- down, individual’s prior knowledge
and expectations are used to read comprehensively.

Reading is not a passive activity in which the reader strives to find only what the writer has
written. It is an interaction between mind engagement, language knowledge, knowledge of
the world of the reader and the writer. Reading involves a risk- a guessing game- because
readers must, through a puzzle-solving process, infer meanings, decide what to retain and not
to retain and move on. It also involves skimming (looking for main idea) and scanning
(looking for specific information).

Writing skill

We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect. (Anais Nin)

It would be a misconception to assume that written language is simply the graphic

representation of spoken language because the process of writing requires an entirely
different set of competencies and is fundamentally different from speaking.

Writing skill can be compared to swimming. We learn to swim when there is a water body to
swim and someone to teach it. Similarly, we learn to write when we are member of a literate
society and there are teachers to teach. So, writing should be learned or should be taught and
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the learner should be able to use this skill to produce written products that are the result of
thinking, drafting and revising procedures.

Writing is the process of creating correct sentences and transmitting them through visual
medium. It involves a great deal of time to think what has already been written and how to
develop an effective discourse from it. (Widdowson, 1988)

According to Bell & Burnaby (1984), writing skill involves control of content, format,
structure of sentence, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and also the ability to organise and
present information with coherence and cohesion.

Types of Writing

According to Widdowson and Davis (1974), there are two types of writing which are

1. Institutional Writing (IW)

2. Personal Writing (PW)

Traditionally, there are five types of writing

a) Descriptive writing: Provides details about places, people, events, concepts, things,
etc.
b) Narrative writing: includes stories, anecdotes, autobiography and science fiction
c) Persuasive writing: comprises political writings, advertisements, brochures
d) Expository: provides factual information, instructions
e) Argumentative: consists of evaluations, opinions, etc.

From the five types of writing, we can see that there are different forms or genres of writing
which are:-

 Non-fiction (reports, editorials, essays, articles)

 Fiction (novels, short stories, jokes, drama, poetry)
 Letters (personal, business)
 Greeting cards
 Diaries, journals
 Memos, messages, announcements
 Academic writing
 Forms, applications, questionnaires
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 Directions, labels, recipes, bills

 Manuals, schedules
 Invitations
 Comic strips, cartoons (Brown, 2004)

How is writing different from Speaking?

Writing is different from Speaking in many ways. It is way more complex and carefully
organised. The differences are discussed as follows (Tickoo, 2003 & Brown, 2004):

I. In speaking, there is a physical presence of the listener where the speaker can see
whether his speech is getting through the audience. While a writer has to
communicate with a distant unknown and unseen readers. Writers need to make a
different type of decision. They need to decide what and how much knowledge they
can expect their reader(s) to bring towards understanding the text. They need to
consider what and how much to include/ exclude and how best to organise their
intended meaning (s).
II. Unlike a listener, a reader gains processing time. A listener has to follow the speed of
delivery of the speaker and he/she cannot ask to repeat or slow down the pace of
speech most of the time. However, a reader can read in his/her own pace and reread
the previous pages in case they cannot understand.
III. Spoken language is normally not carefully planned. Correct grammar and careful
organisation are not important for casual communication. On the other hand, written
language is a more permanent record of events or happenings and its aim is to inform
and educate the reader. So, writing has to be carefully planned and meticulously
packaged.
IV. Normally, a speaker is supported by accent, intonation, rhythm and body language to
convey the intended meanings. But a writer must convey a similar range of meanings
without this kind of support. Hence, writing is more difficult and complex.
V. Wide knowledge of vocabulary is needed in writing than in speaking. Different genres
of writing require different choice of appropriate words.
VI. Writing can be of different types— academic, professional, creative writing, etc. each
type is governed by sets of more or less establishes rules and conventions. A writer
needs to be aware of these rules and conventions. On the other hand, a speaker is less
affected by these conventions. Writing is quite frequently more formal than speech.
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According to M.L. Tickoo (2003), the characteristics of a good writer are:

 A good writer thinks of the audience for their product

 He/ she focuses on the main purpose(s) in writing.
 He/she spends considerable time to plan and makes good use of reliable sources of
knowledge.
 He/ she lets the ideas flow unhindered and follow a rough organisational plan.
 He/she seeks and makes use of feedback on drafts.
 He/she gives a lot of attention to choice of words or phrases and willingly revises the
writing to perfection.

BOOKS/ ARTICLES CONSULTED

Bell, J. & Burnaby, B. (1984). A Handbook for ESL Literacy. Toronto: Ontario Institute for

Studies in Education Press

Brown, H.D. (2004). Language Assessment Principles and Classroom Practices. London:

Longman

Harmer, Jeremy.(2003). The Practice of English Language Teaching.3rd edition. London:

Longman

Tickoo, ML.(2003).Teaching and learning English: A Source book for Teachers and

Teacher-Trainers. NewDelhi.Orient Longman Pvt.Ltd.