I find that reading doesn't help with writing

Question

I find that reading a lot of English articles DOES NOT help with my writing at all. While I am able to understand 95% of any English articles without problem (For the rest of 5% it's only about the vocabulary I don't know and google or other dictionaries can help), I have hard time expressing what I think smoothly or without minor mistakes in writing.

It looks like while I am focusing on a professional English article written by native authors, I will feel that "Oh Yes, it's like that, I should write like this next time if I want to express the same idea", but I will not be able to write it next time. It's so frustrating.

I am talking about the style, the usage, the collocation, the combination. I am not talking about a single word.

Do I really need to write down the whole sentences on a paper or small book, keep revising and looking at the book like a student in order to strengthen my memory? Or is there any more effective method?

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

If you just read something, it does not automatically transfer to a writing skill, which is a muscular (kinesthetic) activity. In passive reading, the learning activity stops at cognition in the brain.

Writing skill requires generating the thought in the brain, translating the language (if required), and then directing the words and letters to the hand/finger muscles.

Try taking notes as you read. That helps the transfer to writing skills. It will slow down your reading, but you will get faster and more efficient.

After you write a sentence, read it aloud. That will form a stronger connection between reading and writing skills.

For another option, you can take a free writing skills class. That will help your confidence.

https://www.coursera.org/learn/english-composition?trk_ref=articleProductCard

https://www.coursera.org/articles/writing-skills

CalifJim · Answer

kenny1999I find that reading a lot of English articles DOES NOT help with my writing at all. While I am able to understand 95% of any English articles without problem (For the rest of 5% it's only about the vocabulary I don't know and google or other dictionaries can help), I have hard time expressing what I think smoothly or without minor mistakes in writing.

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger. This is common problem for all students, even for native speakers. It takes literally years to master writing skills. In fact, some researchers say that even native speakers need up to 30 years before they become really competent at it.

However, from what you've written in your post here, I don't think you need to despair yet. You are obviously able to put your thoughts into writing.

kenny1999It looks like while I am focusing on a professional English article written by native authors, I will feel that "Oh Yes, it's like that, I should write like this next time if I want to express the same idea", but I will not be able to write it next time. It's so frustrating.

Exactly. This happens quite often. Quick recognition while reading isn't the same as quick recall while writing. You can't expect your brain to remember everything you've ever read and then recall it exactly when it's needed. That's asking for magic.

kenny1999I am talking about the style, the usage, the collocation, the combination. I am not talking about a single word.
Do I really need to write down the whole sentences on a paper or small book, keep revising and looking at the book like a student in order to strengthen my memory?

I suppose you could keep a list of expressions or even full sentences on index cards and review your cards frequently. Pick those word groups that appeal to you most, word groups that look like they might be useful later.

Only you know where your weak points are, and those are what you need to concentrate on. For example, you may find that you get stuck with connecting thoughts. In that case, focus on expressions that connect one thought to another, like 'on the other hand', 'in spite of', 'nevertheless', 'in addition to', etc. Write sentences using each of these connectors and have someone check them.

Whether it's connectors or something else, you could try Reverso Context online. See if that website can help. When you start to type an expression, the system will sometimes suggest several common ways of continuing. I don't know if your native language is represented in Reverso, though, so I can't promise fantastic results. Still, it's worth a try for learning useful expressions because it gives a lot of examples of how that expression is used. Another website where you can see how a word group is used is fraze.it.

kenny1999Or is there any more effective method?

What is effective for one student can be just a big bore for others, so I guess you need to try a lot of different methods and see what works for you. Sometimes practicing conversation will help you with writing, so you should have someone to speak English with regularly, even if you need to hire a tutor who can see you at least once a week. I have even heard that some native speakers who aspire to become authors have found it helpful to copy, by hand , passages from books and articles and read them aloud to themselves from time to time.

By the way, I think that when you read, you should always read aloud to yourself. Hearing the words gives your brain yet another avenue for learning how English flows from one thought to another. You can use Google Translate to help with the pronunciation if you need some help on that.

CJ

I find that reading doesn't help with writing

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