Jean Reynolds is a longtime English instructor, editor, consultant, and professional writer. She offers a new approach to building your writing skills and confidence quickly and efficiently. She is the author of "What Your English Teacher Didn't Tell You," a guide to excellent writing for tasks in school, college, the workplace, the community, and personal enrichment.

1. The Writing Crisis
by Jean Reynolds, Ph.D.

2. We spend our lives surrounded by words.

3. Language—both spoken and written—
makes everyday life happen.

4. Whether you’re enrolled in school or climbing the
career ladder…

5. …you probably spend much of your time
speaking and writing.

6. We start acquiring language skills in
childhood…

7. …and spend many hours learning how to
read and write in school.

8. If you’ve been to college, you’ve taken
additional English courses.

9. Do you have confidence in your writing
skills?

10. For many people, the answer is no.

11. The sad fact is that despite years of workbook
exercises, grammar tests, and essay
assignments…

12. …many people continue to feel anxious
about writing tasks.

13. Businesses, government agencies, and
nonprofits say they’re seeing more writing
problems than ever before.

14. We’re experiencing a writing crisis.

15. I’ve seen these problems many times during my
years as an English instructor…

16. …and a professional writer and editor.

17. I’ve watched my students struggle…

18. …and I’ve faced some challenges of my
own in graduate school and the publishing
industry.

19. Over time, though, my writing and teaching
started to get better.
I discovered
strategies for
successful writing…

20. …that didn’t require sentence diagrams or
workbook exercises.

21. I learned that writing is about showcasing
your:

22. How do you accomplish this?
By learning strategies
for:
 planning a writing
task
 organizing your
ideas and
information
 presenting your best
points

23. You learn that effective writers don’t just
string their sentences together. They…

24. …manage a writing task step-by-step.

25. Understanding how the parts of an essay or
report work together helps you:
 tackle writing tasks
with confidence
 showcase yourself
and what you know
 get ready for new
writing challenges

26. The A block connects you to your readers.
In your first paragraph you…
…draw your readers
into your topic and
state your position or
point of view.

27. The B block is where you develop your
ideas.
This is your
opportunity to
showcase yourself—
what you know, what
you think, what you
can do.

28. The C block wraps up your writing task.
You restate your main
point and point your
readers to the future.
How can they apply
what they’ve learned
from you?
What lies ahead?

29. Strategies for effective writing aren’t hard to
learn.
Remember—you’ve
been using language
all your life.
You already have a
strong language
foundation.

30. But what about grammar? Surely you have
to master concepts like:
 antecedents
 case and number
 adverbial clauses
 copulative verbs
 adjectival phrases

31. No, you don’t!
Professional writers
don’t circle clauses
and underline phrases,
and you shouldn’t
either.

32. Experienced writers know some useful tricks for
solving sentence and usage problems.

33. You can learn those tricks too.

34. Here’s one: Many sentences have “loud”
and “soft” elements that can help you insert
commas.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is
to intercept the shipment.

35. Read the example aloud. Can you hear the
commas?
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is
to intercept the shipment.

36. Now try this one yourself. (Read it aloud
before you insert the commas.)
My cousin Alec who grew up in Quebec has
been helping me with my French homework.

37. Did you listen for the “loud” and “soft”
elements?
My cousin Alec, who grew up in Quebec, has been
helping me with my French homework.

38. Traditional grammar books make these
sentences seem complicated…
…with bewildering terms
like “restrictive” and
“non-restrictive” clauses.
But you’ve been doing
“loud” and “soft” parts of
sentences all your life.

39. You can master English usage by building
on what you already know.
Start listening to
yourself and others
talking. Can you hear
the parts of
sentences?

40. Let’s look at another trick.
This one involves the
beginnings of
sentences.

41. The first part of a sentence is packed with
information.
Looking there can
often tell you
whether you have a
sentence (✔) or a
fragment (X).

42. Can you tell which word-groups are sentences,
and which are fragments? (Hint: Look at the
beginning.)
Charlene and I went to the dance but didn’t stay
long.
Went to the dance but didn’t stay long.
Because the band didn’t sound good.
The band didn’t sound good.

43. Sentences almost always start with a person,
place, or thing.
Fragments start with other words.
Charlene and I went to the dance but didn’t stay
long. ✔
Went to the dance but didn’t stay long. X
Because the band didn’t sound good. X
The band didn’t sound good. ✔

44. Here’s another way to use this “Look at the
beginning” trick.
The procedure for dispensing prescription
medicines (need, needs) to be updated.
Which is correct: need or needs?

45. Look at the beginning of the sentence, and
you can figure it out:
The procedure for dispensing prescription medicines
(need, needs) to be updated.
The procedure…needs to be updated.

46. You can also call upon your thinking skills
to answer questions like this one.
The procedure for
dispensing
prescription
medicines (need,
needs) to be
updated.
What needs
updating: the
medicines or the
procedure?

47. The procedure for dispensing prescription
medicines needs to be updated.
There’s nothing wrong
with the medicines!
The procedure needs
to be changed.

48. The procedure for dispensing prescription
medicines needs to be updated.
The beginning of the
sentence helps you
find the correct word.

49. Chances are you weren’t taught these
common-sense writing tricks in school.
I wasn’t either.

50. The teaching of writing has a long tradition
going back to Roman times.
Two thousand years
later, many textbooks
and curriculums still
approach writing the
way Julius Caesar and
Marcus Aurelius did.

51. But changes are coming.
Many teachers and
writers are trying a
fresh approach.

52. You can learn more—much more—in my
book…
What Your English
Teacher Didn’t Tell
You
by Jean Reynolds, Ph.D.

53. Go to Amazon.com for a free preview.
“Jean’s voice is personable
and readable. She knows her
subject forwards and
backwards.”
- Adair Lara, author of
Hold Me Close, Let Me Go
“Practical and accessible”
- Marcella Cooper, Temple
University, Osaka, Japan

54. And take a look at the free online resources
I’ve created:
 The How to Write
an Essay Series
 The Writing Your
Research Paper
Series

55. View the How to Write an Essay series at
www.PlanYourPaper.com.
I Getting Started
II Planning Your Essay
III Putting It All Together
IV Write Like a Pro

56. View the Writing Your Research Paper
series at www.ResearchPaperSteps.com.
I Researching Your Topic
II Focusing Your Research Paper
III Organizing Your Research Paper
IV Drafting Your Research Paper
V Documenting Your Sources

57. And remember to check out the free
resources at www.WritewithJean.com.

58. Best wishes for your writing success!