Welcome to "writing tricks" podcast, the place where syntax, punctuation and meaning react with one another! Join me, and we will explore how to improve your English by experimenting with these things.
EPISODE OUTLINE: 1. Presentation and scope of the podcast 2. Contents that will be covered in future episodes
kEYWORDS: introduction, syntax, grammar, words, phrases, clauses, punctuation, sentences, linkers, paragraphs, whole texts, genres, meaning, linguistics, semantics.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE
Thank you for listening to this episode. I hope that it helped you discovering something about writing that you did not know, or that it helped you looking at things from a different perspective. If you enjoyed it, you might consider leaving a positive review wherever you are listening. It might seem simple, but it really helps.
If you know someone who is struggling with writing in English, you could also think about sharing this episode (or the whole podcast) with them. It might help them in their journey of becoming a better writer. Likewise, if you – or any of your friends – are taking official external exams, you will find valuable info and tricks for the writing part of your exams. You will find this especially relevant if you are taking the Cambridge Exams.
"WRITING TRICKS": MISSION, VISION AND STATEMENT
I am a born teacher. I have spent over a decade teaching English as a Foreing Language to teenagers in my native Spain. The most difficult part for them is writing.
The problem is not that writing is hard; the problem is that it is a completely different skill from speaking. One thing is speaking, and another thing is writing.
Most of the people I know jump directly into transcribing their oral thoughts into writing; therefore, they end up producing run-on sentences and imposible-to-digest, seventy-words statements.
There is an underlying assumption that needs to disappear, once and for all: speaking and writing are not the same thing. The tool to go from "written texts" into "spoken utterances" is called "reading". You need to learn how to read. You learn this at school. The tool to go from "spoken utterances" into "written texts" is called "the writing process". You need to learn how to go about this writing process. Chances are, you were never taught about this at school. That is why I have started this podcast, so that I can (hopefully) help people to communicate in written form.
My dream would be to help you understand that there is an inner logic and harmony between punctuation, syntax and meaning in English. Once you visualise and understand that, you'll be able to organise your thoughts and present them to others in a coherent and cohesive way.