If you learned English informally (through conversation rather than in a classroom) or if your middle school and high school classes did not cover English grammar thoroughly, you may need to pay special attention to the differences between spoken English and academic written English. The skills you use when speaking English are different from those you use when writing English. You need to train your ears to know what sounds natural, but you also have to train your eyes to know what Standard English forms look like.

If you speak English well but are having trouble using standard forms or correct English spelling when you write, you might practice reading and listening at the same time. Most libraries carry audio books, and some libraries even package the paper books and audio books together. If you read a book while you listen to the audio version of the book, you can begin to connect the visual forms with words you have already heard before. If you purchase a paper copy of the book, you can also underline or highlight new words—or words that look different from the way they sound—while you listen. After finishing a few pages or a chapter, stop the audio and review the new forms you’ve marked. Combined reading and listening practice can help you understand Standard English forms and use them in your own writing.

The following Web sites provide text and audio—you can listen to someone speak the words as you read along.