It`s The First Impressions That Count

With my generation (born in the mid-`80s), the UK school system had a bit of an experiment. Methodologies were changed, prioritising the importance of ideas over the teaching of correct English "to help foster creativity," so it was said. Instead, however, what the nation has ended up with is a bunch of young people in their late-teens and twenties that cannot spell or punctuate to save their lives.

Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar are key to any piece of written work because they offer the first impression to the reader. Believe me, I know - I have taught university students and in marking their papers, the one thing that shocks me most is the absence of ability to create a coherent sentence. And these are students studying English literature!

I`m one of the lucky ones - I`ve always been fascinated by language and so I took the time to learn the rules of English; plus, as I studied foreign languages at school, I absorbed grammar lessons that were lacking in the content of the English courses that I took.

One of the best life skills that you can learn is to write accurately and that is where a tutor can help. Sometimes it isn`t our faults that we don`t know when or where to use an apostrophe or semi-colon; it`s just that no-one has taken the time to show us and explain how the language works.

I believe strongly that that first hurdle in overcoming any fears about English or writing is to learn these basic rules about the language and to use them. With this grounding, your written work will improve ten-fold without even beginning to consider the content beyond the grammar.

You can do it - just don`t be afraid to ask for help!