An Empirical Study on the Writing Skills of Engineering Students and some Remedial Measures to Hone their Writing Skills

A person is accepted as a competent user of a language if he is proficient in all the four skills of the language – Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Though speaking fluently in English is widely recognized as a yardstick to measure a person’s language ability, writing skills is not far behind. Writing is an integral part of human communication. Documentation has become a much required tool in all sectors; hence, writing has gained increased significance in this context. The medium may be electronic but writing has become a very powerful medium of communication. We use written communication more regularly now than ever before. Text messages, social media posts, e-mails, blog entries and comments are all modes of communication that typically rely entirely on written words. In this increased demand for written communication, improving the writing skills in English has taken gigantic significance. Students learning English as second language have to be conscious of the nuances of English to write effectively. The habit of reading in general plays a vital role in acclimatizing one with the English language which in turn helps him think and express himself in correct English. Enriching one’s stock of vocabulary, gaining knowledge of English grammar and spelling are imperative for better written communication. Practising to write short passages helps the writer gain confidence to use the special features of English like similes, metaphors, idioms and phrases that make the text natural and effective.