English at Home

Wednesday, 18 June 2025

✍️ 10 Ways to Improve Your English Writing Skills at Home

1. Keep a Daily Journal

Write a few sentences or a paragraph each day about your thoughts, your day, or something new you learned. Don’t worry about being perfect — just get used to writing regularly.

➡️ Useful tip: Try journaling in Google Docs so you can use grammar tools while writing.

2. Use Grammarly for Instant Feedback

Install Grammarly (free version available) to help you spot grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary mistakes as you write. It also gives you suggestions to improve tone and clarity.

3. Practise with Online Writing Prompts

Use prompts like:

“Describe your dream home.”
“Do you think technology makes life easier or harder?”
You can find new prompts every day at:
📝 https://writingexercises.co.uk
🎯 https://www.dailywritingtips.com

4. Rewrite and Improve Sentences

Take simple sentences and practise making them longer or more formal. For example:
➡️ “I like coffee.” → “I enjoy drinking coffee in the morning because it helps me feel more awake.”

Try tools like Quillbot to explore sentence rewrites and synonyms.

5. Learn and Use Linking Words

Connect your ideas more smoothly with words like:

Furthermore
Although
For example
As a result
Practise writing short paragraphs using at least 3 linking words.

👉 Guide: Cambridge Linking Words List (PDF)

6. Write Short Essays or Opinion Paragraphs

Choose a simple topic (e.g., “Should school uniforms be required?”) and write 100–150 words giving your opinion and reasons. This is great IELTS/TOEFL-style practice.

Get feedback from:
🧠 https://www.langcorrect.com (Submit writing, get corrections from others)

7. Practise with Song Lyrics or Stories

Rewrite the lyrics of your favourite song into formal language, or change a story’s ending. This helps improve creativity and vocabulary. Use:
🎵 https://www.lyricstraining.com (to practise with lyrics)

8. Use AI Tools like ChatGPT to Check or Improve Writing

Paste your writing into ChatGPT and ask:

“Can you check my grammar and explain my mistakes?”
“Can you improve this to sound more academic?”
This helps you learn why something is wrong — not just that it is.

9. Read More — and Copy Good Writing

Good writers are often good readers. Read blogs, articles, or short stories. When you see a nice sentence, copy the structure and make your own version.

📰 Try: https://breakingnewsenglish.com (Short news for learners)

10. Join Online Writing Communities

Being part of a writing group motivates you and helps you learn from others. You can:

Share your writing
Get corrections
Read others’ work and give feedback

🗨️ Try joining:
💬 Reddit: r/EnglishLearning
📝 Lang-8 (Archived site, now see LangCorrect)

🌿 The Secret Garden – Chapter 3: The Cry in the House

Mary was beginning to feel a little different.

Martha came every morning to help her dress and talk about life on the moor. Mary still didn’t smile much, but she started asking more questions.

“Why does no one see Mr. Craven?” she asked one day.

“He’s a sad man,” Martha said. “Ever since his wife died, he hates being at home. He travels a lot. People say he has a crooked back and walks with pain.”

“Why doesn’t he want the garden anymore?” Mary asked.

Martha looked around and lowered her voice. “That garden was her favorite place. He locked it after she died. No one’s allowed in.”

That night, Mary lay in bed listening to the wind. The house was so big and quiet. Every sound seemed louder at night.

Suddenly, she heard something.

It was soft at first… like a child crying.

She sat up and listened. The sound came again. A long, sad cry. Then silence.

Mary had never heard it before.

She got out of bed and opened her door. The hallway was dark, and the wind blew through the windows. She took a step outside but stopped when she heard footsteps.

Mrs. Medlock appeared with a candle in her hand. She looked surprised and angry.

“What are you doing out of bed?” she asked.

“I heard someone crying,” Mary said.

“Nonsense,” Mrs. Medlock said. “This is an old house. It makes strange sounds. Go back to bed!”

Mary wanted to ask more, but Mrs. Medlock’s face was stern.

She returned to her room, but the sound stayed in her mind.

The next day, she told Martha about it.

“I heard someone crying last night,” Mary said. “It sounded like a child.”

Martha’s face changed. She looked nervous.

“It was the wind,” she said quickly. “Nothing else.”

Mary stared at her. She didn’t believe it.

“There’s a secret in this house,” she said to herself. “And I will find it.”

Later that day, Mary went into the garden again. She walked along the paths, behind bushes and trees, looking for a door in the wall. She touched the bricks and pulled at vines, hoping to find a clue.

The garden was still locked. But now, there were two mysteries.

One behind a wall.

The other behind a door in the house.

📖 Glossary

Word/Phrase	Meaning
Crooked	Not straight; bent or twisted
Stern	Serious and strict
Hallway	A long passage inside a building
Clue	A small piece of information that helps solve a mystery
Vines	Long climbing plants
Lowered her voice	Spoke more quietly
Nervous	Worried or unsure

❓ Comprehension Questions

What does Mary ask Martha about Mr. Craven?
Why was the secret garden locked?
What sound does Mary hear at night?
How does Mrs. Medlock respond when Mary tells her?
What does Martha say when Mary mentions the crying?
What does Mary decide to do?
What are the two mysteries Mary wants to solve?

✅ Answers

She asks why no one sees him.
Because it reminded Mr. Craven of his wife, who died.
She hears a child crying.
She tells Mary it’s nonsense and to go back to bed.
She nervously says it was just the wind.
She decides to find out the secrets of the house.
The locked garden, and the crying behind the walls.

Tuesday, 17 June 2025

🌿 The Secret Garden – Chapter 2: The New Housemaid

The next morning, Mary woke up in her new room. It was still dark outside, and the wind was blowing hard. The sound of it made her feel lonely again.

A knock came at the door, and a young girl entered the room. She had red cheeks, bright eyes, and a friendly smile.

“I’m Martha,” she said. “I’ve come to help you dress. The bell rang an hour ago.”

Mary sat up in bed and looked at the girl. She was surprised. In India, only Indian servants had dressed her. She had never seen a girl like Martha do such work.

“Who are you?” Mary asked.

“I’m from the moor,” Martha replied. “My mother has twelve children. I’m used to helping out.”

Mary didn’t like the idea of dressing herself. She had always been waited on.

“I don’t know how,” she said angrily.

Martha laughed. “That’s funny. A big girl like you! I’ve been dressing myself since I was little.”

Mary was quiet. She didn’t like being laughed at.

Martha began to talk as she helped Mary wash and get dressed. She spoke about her family, her brothers and sisters, and her home on the moor. Mary had never heard anyone speak like that—so free, so happy.

“What’s a moor?” Mary asked.

“It’s wild land,” Martha said. “Open fields, hills, and sheep. Wind and sky all around. You’ll see it from your window.”

Mary walked to the window and looked out. The land outside looked grey and endless. The trees shook in the wind. It didn’t look friendly.

“I don’t like it,” she said.

“You will,” Martha replied. “It’s lonely, but it’s good for the soul.”

Later, Martha showed her to the breakfast room. Mr. Craven was not there. Mary sat alone and ate her food quietly. She didn’t know what to do afterward.

Martha returned to clean her room.

“Can I go outside?” Mary asked.

“If you like,” Martha said. “Put on your cloak. But don’t go too far. The gardens are big.”

“Are they pretty?” Mary asked.

“They used to be,” said Martha. “But some are locked. Especially the one behind the tall wall.”

“Why?” Mary asked quickly.

“It was Mr. Craven’s wife’s garden. After she died, he locked the door and buried the key. No one goes there.”

Mary’s eyes lit up. A secret garden? She had never heard of such a thing before. Something new stirred inside her—curiosity.

She went out into the cold wind. The sky was grey, and the grass was wet. She wandered through paths and trees, looking at everything. She saw high walls with ivy and roses, but no doors.

She felt alone—but also awake, like something was beginning.

And now she had a mystery to think about.

📖 Glossary

Word/Phrase	Meaning
Moor	Wild, open land with grass and hills
Servants	People who work in someone’s house
Cloak	A warm, loose coat
Ivy	A green climbing plant
Stirred	Moved or awoke (usually emotions or thoughts)
Curiosity	A strong desire to know or learn something
Buried	Put underground

❓ Comprehension Questions

Who is Martha?
What surprised Mary about Martha?
What does Martha say about the moor?
How does Mary feel about the outdoors at first?
What does Martha say about the locked garden?
What new feeling does Mary experience at the end of the chapter?

✅ Answers

A housemaid who comes to help Mary dress and talk with her.
She had never seen a servant who spoke so freely or happily.
That it’s wild, open, and good for the soul.
She doesn’t like it—it looks cold and unfriendly.
That it belonged to Mr. Craven’s wife, and after she died, he locked it and buried the key.
Curiosity—she becomes interested in the secret garden.