What is the best way for an adult to learn to write English?

Question

My wife is Mexican, and has problems writing in English. Which is really strange, because she can read, but when she tries to write she can't visualize the spelling and grammar. What is the best way for an adult to learn? For children I normally recommend reading as much as they can so they get a better idea of what good writing is supposed to look like, but that's not working for her. She can write in Spanish fluently. We're not looking to write a novel yet, just learn enough to pass the immigration test.

Answer 1

As an ESL teacher of immigrants, I would make the following suggestions. Start small, learn how to fill in simple forms, write "pretend" postcards to her family, write "invitations" for all sorts of social events. Have her write down a short conversation she listens to. You have stated that you are not writing a novel, you just want her to pass the immigration test, so go online and see if you can find a website with practice immigration questions and work on those. Most of all don't panic and don't make a big deal out of it because she is already insecure. The more she writes the more she will get it eventually. As with anything, there are no magic bullets, no shortcuts, only practice. One more thing, and maybe I'm stating the obvious, but have you looked into any free community English classes offered by churches or volunteer organizations and perhaps that would be a good avenue for her. Good luck to both of you and keep trying.

Answer 2

I assume you have a word processor in your computer. Have her write her daily journal or whatever. Then she could do a grammar and spell check at the end. Hopefully that should help.

Also try Googling free online writing classes. Most likely there got to be some out there.

Like anything else - practice, practice, practice.

Answer 3

Really, you should start with simple worksheets of tracing the alphabet. As she progresses find worksheets to match her level.