My teacher says that I am good at speaking but not good at writing. I am preparing for a competitive examination and I need to develop my essay writing skills. Is it possible for everyone to write well? How can I develop my writing skills? I’ll be happy if you can share with me your tips on writing an effective essay.” This query is from a regular reader of this column. 

The reader is preparing for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) examination. It is true that all those who speak well need not be good at writing. A good piece of writing has many qualities including the following:

• Interesting, relevant and useful content
• Logical organisation of the content
• Appropriate tone
• Apt word choice
• Varied sentence structures
• Correct conventions

It can be explained in a simple way — both matter and manner. What we say is matter (content) and how we say it is manner (style). I have reviewed hundreds of essays written by candidates preparing for TOEFL and IELTS during the past two decades. One of the most common problems I have noticed in their writings is that their essays do not have a wide range of sentence structures. Some have a tendency to repeatedly use the same sentence pattern. Some use only a string of simple and short sentences or only a string of complex and long-winded sentences. Such pieces of writing lack variety. It’s important to have a wide range of sentence structures in a piece of writing because variety can kill monotony and make readers enjoy reading the piece. It is important to create a rhythm of writing by mixing short and long sentences.

Here are some useful tips for varying sentences:

- Start sentences with a prepositional phrase: By accident, By request, By the way, For the moment, For certain, From experience, From memory, In the first place, In a way, In addition to, In any case, In case of,

In comparison with, In conclusion, In fact

-Start sentences with an adverb or adverbial phrase: Very carefully, Initially, At first, Personally, Luckily,

Unfortunately, Therefore, Obviously

- Start sentences with a dependent clause: Even if, As if, If, Because
- Start sentences with conjunction: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So 
- Start sentences with an adjective or adjectival phrase: Based on, Based on my research, Slender and graceful, Grey-bearded and toothless

- Start sentences with verbal infinitives: To take the first step, To finish painting it
- Start sentences with participles (-ing form): Dashing through the snow, Preparing her proposal
package, Commencing with