人们常说：要真正学好英语，就要培养用英语思想的能力。但是，要做到这一点是不容易的。有一个简单易行的办法可以帮助我们练习用英语思想，那就是用英语写日记。日记是十分自由的文体，不像作文，必须有正式的主题，讲究文体。日记是思想，是感情，是内心的一切。有朋友来你家作客，你可以写：We had a wonderful time together． 春节快到了，你或许可以这样写：The Spring Festival is around the corner. It’s the most important occasion for the family reunion．甚至在夏天与蚊子的“斗争”也可以成为日记的内容：These annoying mosquitoes didn’t seem to be afraid of the mosquito coil(蚊香)I burned. So I had to hang up a mosquito-net. It was fun to lie inside the net reading a favorite magazine while those unpleasant small insects were looking at me helplessly outside.
实际上，用英语写日记是最有效的练习英语写作的形式。它能够让你从各种生活细节及感受中学到最生活化、最地道的英语词语。比如：你今天吃了龙虾，英语是 lobster；你想说某个女同学堪称“校花”，那是 school beauty；考试作弊是 cheat in the exam，等等。因此，可以这么说：如果你能流利地写出好的英语日记，你的英语就已经成功了一大半。
2．写好英语日记的要点
1)养成积累词语的习惯
从某种意义上说，写英语日记又是最难的写作，因为它包罗万象，涉及到生活的各个方面，对词汇的要求特别高。因此，在日常学习中，必须做一个“有心人”，准备一本笔记本，对一些英语的习惯表达法及时记录下来，以便在以后记日记的时候可以使用。在开始记日记时，碰到一两个英语词汇不会写，不妨用汉语先写上，以后学会了英语表达，再补上去。千万不要因为一两个词写不出，就没了记英语日记的兴趣，以至放弃用英语记日记。只要你注意积累，一定会发觉自己英语日记中夹杂的汉语会越来越少，最后变为全部地道的英语日记。
2)英语日记的写作格式
日记的第一行，要写明年、月、日与星期，然后要写明当天的气候状况，如果是游记，还要写明地点。这一部分中天气状况比较难写。下面是一些常用的描写天气的英语词语：
晴 clear 阴 overcast 多云 cloudy 小雨 light rain
大雨 heavy rain 毛毛雨 drizzle 阵雨 shower
东风 east wind 南风 south wind 西风 west wind
北风 north wind 西南风 southwester 东南风 southeaster
东北风 northeaster 西北风 northwester
气温 temperature
炎热 scorching heat 寒冷 icy cold 下雪 snow
冰雹 hail 虹 rainbow
日记正文可以是叙事、描述、说明、议论等各种形式。其实，由于日记是非常随便的，因此上述文体常常结合在一起使用。日记内容取自生活，可长可短，有时无事可记，一两句也可以。切忌今天记，明天不记，三天打鱼，两天晒网，破坏了记日记的情趣。另外，日记也应该尽可能讲究一些文采，切忌写成流水账。
3)英语日记中的缩写与省略
英语日记中的第一行的月份与星期通常都是缩写的：
Sunday----Sun Monday----Mon.
Tuesday----Tues. Wednesday----Wed.
Thursday----Thur. 或 Thurs. Friday----Fri.
Saturday----Sat. January----Jan.
February----Feb. March----Mar.
April----Apr. May----May. June----Jun.
July----Jul. August----Aug.
September----Sept. October----Oct.
November----Nov. December----Dec.
另外，英语日记中由于频繁出现I，因此，常常省略，如：In the evening went with Xiao Li to the cinema. Finishing exercises, went to play tennis. 但如果省去I，会造成语义不清时，则不可省去：
My sister is good at English, but I am just so-so.
实际上，省与不省I，只是作者的一种习惯，为了记日记的方便。
最后需要一提的是，英语日记习惯一年一本，因此日期不必写年份，而只是在每年一本的日记本封面上或者在日记的第一页和最后一页加以注明即可。
下面三则学生日记供读者参考：
Sun., Feb. 1
Overcast
The night before the examination
The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked gloomily before me at a huge pile of that disgusting stuff they call“books”.
I was going to have my examination the next day. “Whencan I go to bed ” I asked myself. I did not answer. In fact I dared not.
The clock struck 12.“Oh, dear!”I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed!”We students are the most wretched creatures in the world.
考试是学生日记“永恒的主题”，写得真实有趣。
Mon., May 9
Clear
A watermelon
Got a present of a watermelon cooled down in the well(在井里冷却过的)from my next-door neighbour. As I was very thirsty, enjoyed it very much. They say the watermelons have turned out very well this summer due to the dry weather.
“邻居送西瓜”这样一件小事，充满生活乐趣。当然可以作为日记的材料。文中有省略I的地方。
Thurs ., Jan . 7
Very fine
A sunny day
I got up early today to watch the sunrise. While I waited for the sun to rise, I sat beside my window and thought of my future. Soon I will be a grown man and I won’t be a baby anymore. Maybe I’ll be going to college if I pass the college entrance examination. I didn’t want to think of not passing this important examination, for my parents are counting on me to do so.
Anyway, if I don’t pass this one I should try again next year. I thought about my parents too. They have worked so hard to give us children a good life. Now, they are getting older little by little. There are more grey hairs now in Mother’s hair. As for my father, he’s beginning to have a hard time reading the newspaper. He uses a pair of glasses now. All these thoughts touch me and tell me that time is indeed swiftly passing.
The sun was coming out of the horizon. First it was just a ray of light. But little by little the whole circle started coming into view. The sky was a bright orange with a blue haze surrounding the emptiness. Soon I could feel the warmth of the sun as its rays passed through my window pane. The view was really beautiful, more beautiful than any picture I had ever seen. In a few minutes everyone was awake and everyone went on their own way with their lives. Another day started and it was another beginning for all of us.