W 047 F

Introduction

Few possibilities exist for a Hungarian student who would like to learn the rules of English essay writing. Writing is not taught in high schools, only for English majors at universities. Those people who would like to learn writing can choose between many books - but choices are difficult. Students often do not know which book is the best.

There are three major categories of English writing books. The first group contains just theoritical books. The second is the group of practical handbooks, and the third is a mixture of the two. Students have to study the rules of English writing because these are different than the Hungarian ones. After that, learners can start to practice. Best for doing this is to buy writing book which builds on those theories that he or she has studied earlier. This essay suggests such a book.

Method

Effective Writing by Jean Withrow, was written for intermediate students of American English. My aim was to evaluate the usefulness of this handbook using Jeremy Harmer's theories. Professor Harmer is a recognized ELT authority. One of his most successful books details his thoughts about English writing teaching: The Practice of English Language Teaching. This book contains many suggestions for writing teachers, six of which I used to assess Withrow's book.

Results and Discussion

Effective Writing contains a one page introduction to the students. There are eight suggestions in it which can help to do the exercises and improve the students' writing ability. Following this, learners can find eight units in this book. These themes are different and practical as well: Formal and informal letters, Writing a story, Reports, Articles, Instructions, Business letters and memos, and Stating an opinion I-II.

Each unit starts with a section on Organizing ideas. It contains exercises to put sentences into logical order. The task can be from a letter or an article or an introduction where sentences are in the wrong order and students have to rearrange them. These exercises are useful for improving students' vocabulary, and by the end of the book they can understand the structure of English sentences. The given expressions are repeated in the exercises so it is easier to memorize them. The whole text builds on group work, but students can do the exercises on their own. Harmer believes that written exercises should integrate skills development. As he says, "Information gap tasks, then, provide students with a reason to communicate with each other, and can be designed to practice..." (Harmer 93).

Following the section on Organizing ideas, there is usually a section entitled "Relating ideas: Linking words and phrases." (Withrow 2, 12, 21, 34, 55, 67, 79) As Harmer states, the "use [of] the information gap principle [is] to prompt the practice of specific items of language..., usually by writing information down." (Harmer 90) Students can study the usage of linking words or phrasal verbs. They can develop their vocabulary and learn how to join ideas and how to punctuate. Students should discuss these word-forms and their usage before they start to do the next exercise. Throughout the section, they have to find the missing words which are the most appropriate. Alternatives are always given. Learners should just concentrate on the meaning of sentences and phrases. By Harmer's opinion, "The concept of parallel writing is central to the teaching of connected discourse since it suggests that students should have a model from which to work... The original piece that they look at will show them how English is written and guide them towards their own ability to express themselves in written English." (Harmer 102)
Jean Withrow used this idea in several sections. (Withrow 6, 15, 22, 24, 35, 57, 70, 82) Students have to choose the best beginning or the end of a composition from a variety of given examples. Another way for practicing this kind of exercise in "Adding examples and details." (Withrow 41, 74, 87) Groups have to discuss texts and the writers' main points and their reasons. Then they have to make the essay longer by thinking of examples and details to explain and support each of those reasons. After that, they write an essay using the reasons. Each reason should be a paragraph. At the end they finish with a conclusion. Those students who do not like this kind of exercise can find a similar exercise where they have to complete an article. (Withrow 13, 84, 87) In one such exercise characteristics of each communicative style were given and students have to write examples for them. Learners can practice their stylistic writing with this exercise. It helps them to empathise with people and be more careful about their audience when they write.
Some units have so-called "Composing texts." (Withrow 8, 15, 28, 48, 60, 85) Their main idea is to decide which version of a given text is more appropriate and why. After readers analize the texts, there is given exercise based on the texts. They have to write a letter or an article. Slowly students study the technique of English writing. Organizing paragraphs show the learners how English sentences are joined together. As Harmer states, "The variety of exercises in the sequence gives students practice not only in working out the logic of such organisation but also in putting their newly acquired understanding into practice." (Harmer 109)

"Punctuating: commas, periods, and semicolons" is another section of Effective Writing. (Withrow 10, 18, 31, 43, 52, 64, 76, 89) Students have to punctuate the sentences correctly and add connecting words. This exercise also helps students to know the structure of English sentences and functions of punctuation marks.

Harmer thinks that writing about a picture is a useful exercise which "has the advantage of getting the students to use specific language... to make their own sentences..." (Harmer 101) "Writing text based on visual information is a section based on this point. (Withrow 17, 30, 39, 50, 62, 73) Generally, students have to write about an article from a newspaper. Themes are from everyday life (about computers, maps, tools). Groups have to discuss the text and the picture which is next to the article. Then they select topic and write a story about it. Harmer believes that writing reports and advertisements "is attractive because it involves all the skills, as well as the ability to order and organise ideas. It also involves current events and is thus interesting and motivating..." (Harmer 138) I think this exercise helps to improve students' speaking and writing ability. Again, they are practicing grammar and using new words.
At then end of each unit readers can find a so-called "Practicing writing" section. Many kind of topics are suggested, from letters to an opinion essay. Students can use all the information that they learned in the previous sections. This exercise is for showing how students' writing ability have improved.

Conclusion

Writing is one of the most essential abilities which students need to study if they learn a foreign language. A lot of exercises are needed to improve their writing skills. Using punctuation and learning the structure of the sentences, and writing an essay are some of the ways to practice writing language. Effective Writing is a handbook that I would like to suggest to everybody who wants to improve his or her writing ability. This book contains many kinds of exercises which can help us to practice this skill. I found a logical order in the book. As the learners' writing ability improves the author gives more and more complex exercises to them. At the end of the book the students have to write an essay alone. As this essay details, similarities between Jeremy Harmer's text and this book can assure the reader that Jean Withrow has made rules of English writing real in her text. It is hard to find a suitable handbook which is appropriate for practicing those theoritical rules that we have previously learned. Effective Writing steer the improvement of our writing ability as a pilot flies aircraft. The result activities is to achieve the top.