When someone asks, “How are you?”, is your automatic response, “I’m fine. Thank you. And you?”

That means you’ve fallen victim to textbook English. Of course, if you’ve learned English through textbooks at school or at an English academy, it’s probable that your English will sound rehearsed and perhaps, awkward. But with just a few changes, you can make your English sound more (natural) like a native speaker’s.

These tips work for both speaking and writing, but work especially well when you want your writing to be a bit more casual, yet engaging. When we apply these tips to writing, it is called conversational writing-- writing as if you were speaking or having a conversation with the reader.

Some benefits of conversational writing:

1. Easier to understand for both you and your audience.

2. Sounds less awkward and helps the audience relate to you.

3. Seems more credible to your audience.

4. Your personality is shown through your writing so you don’t sound boring.

5. More engaging for the reader so they want to continue reading.

Although conversational writing may sound more natural, it isn’t always appropriate to use. If you’re writing a professional letter to a superior, you don’t want to sound casual, so use accordingly!



Here are 5 tips to help your English sound more natural:

1. Use common words, no jargon

Jargon means special words or expressions that are used by a specific profession or industry that are difficult for others to understand. If you are talking to people in the same industry as you, it’s okay to use jargon. But if you are talking to an outsider, use common words so it is easier to understand.

Example: He suffered a myocardial infarction. → He suffered a heart attack.



2. Break up long sentences into shorter ones

Writing in long sentences can tire out the reader/listener and also make them confused. Instead of trying to fit a lot of ideas into one sentence, break up the sentences into shorter ones.

Example: A grapefruit is a round bitter fruit, which is yellow on the outside and pink on the inside, and contains vitamin c, essential for the immune system of the human body. → A grapefruit is a round bitter fruit that is yellow on the outside and pink on the inside. It contains vitamin C which is essential for the body’s immune system.



3. Use contractions

Contractions are two words made shorter by placing an apostrophe where letters have been removed. For example, “cannot” → “can’t,” or “he is” → “he’s.” Contractions not only shorten the sentence, but make it sound less rigid.

Example: I do not want to attend the conference. → I don’t want to attend the conference.



4. Use active voice

Active voice is when the subject of sentence is doing the action. Passive voice is when that action is being performed upon the subject. Writing or speaking in active voice makes it easier to be clear, concise and get your point across.

Example: The presentation was given by Jason. → Jason gave the presentation.



5. Use examples, similes or metaphors

A simile is a figure of speech when you compare two things using the words “like” or “as.” A metaphor is basically the same thing without using the words “like” or “as.” When you use these devices, they give your audience something to visualize, making it more impactful .

Simile→ Wow, it feels like a desert in here.

Metaphor → The hospital was a refrigerator. It was freezing in there.

Example → A lot of billionaires dropped out of college. For example, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard after 2 years.



Have questions? Ask it in the comments section or go to ChattingCat.com for personal assistance with a tutor!



ChattingCat Web

Android App

iPhone App