Video · ~5 min

Write like you speak!

Dr Clare Lynch (Doris & Bertie Writing School) · YouTube Free Beginner

Write like you speak!

This is a short, plainly delivered walk-through of turning stiff, formal writing into copy that sounds like a real person, which is exactly the fix when English is your second language and everything comes out too proper. Clare Lynch runs seven concrete swaps on live examples: drop the preamble, use "you", use contractions, pick the simple word, keep sentences and paragraphs short. Watch it once, then rewrite one paragraph of your own using the same moves.

  • Cut the polite preamble and just say the thing: "Come to my party" beats "I would like to invite you to my party".
  • Contractions and simple word choices (use, not utilise) instantly make written English sound spoken.
  • Short sentences and short paragraphs, even one-line ones, are what make the copy read natural rather than translated.
Watch on YouTube ↗

The question it answers

  1. I keep getting told my copy sounds like a translation. How do I write English marketing copy that reads natural when English isn't my first language?

Read with it

  1. When people say your copy reads like a translation, they usually mean it reads like writing, not like a person talking. This... Content Marketing Institute Article · ~10 min read Write Like You Talk: 12 Tips for Conversational Content Darek Black
  2. If you cannot yet hear which of your sentences read as translated, this free tool shows you. Paste your draft and it highlights... Hemingway App Tool · Free web version, paid desktop app Hemingway Editor Hemingway App
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