ESL Writing: Comparatives, Most and Almost

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Here is the truth about writing for English students. Learning how to write English well takes time.  A lot of time.

Why?

Writing is a skill. It is not a bunch of facts. Unlike math, social studies or other school subjects, writing can’t be memorized. It is like learning how to play the piano or basketball. It often takes years of regular practice to see real improvement.

Here is the message for ESL students learning to write English. Be patient. Don’t give up. Your writing is getting better. It will get even better. I promise.

 Good Topic Sentences

  1. Koreans like fruit.
  2. The data in table 3 suggest that Korean consumption of fruit has changed during the past two decades.
  3. Table 3 suggests that Koreans’ fruit consumption has increased.
  4. Korean people consume more fruit now than 20 years ago.
  5. In Korea, the consumption of fruit has increased.

Writing Problems

A few students had trouble writing sentences with MOST and ALMOST.

What is the difference? MOST is an adjective. ALMOST is an adverb.

MOST is an adjective, is used in front of a noun and means a large percentage.

  1. Most people like apples.
  2. Most students dislike exams.
  3. Most of the people in this room are tired.
  4. Average annual consumption increased for most fruits, except for apples.

ALMOST is a adverb. It can modify verbs and adjectives.

  1. Average consumption increased for almost all fruit.
  2. Almost all students dislike exams.
  3. Almost everybody in this room is tired.
  4. Average annual consumption increased for almost all fruits, except for apples.

Paraphrase Writing

The last English writing assignment was about fruit. Many of the paragraphs were good. Some were great. Why do I think so? Here is the proof.

Students understand and use the basic paragraph writing model. Topic sentence, three sentences of reasons, details and evidence. Conclusion.

Now it is time to think about improving sentences. In particular, I want students to write careful sentences.

By careful sentences, I mean sentences that are easier to read and communicate an idea without too many extra words. To learn and practice that writing skill, let’s try some careful sentence writing exercises. These exercises teach students to write more carefully. They also build vocabulary and teach paraphrase writing skills with synonyms.

That worksheet is here: paraphrase writing worksheets.