Abstract
In this international age, the ability to speak English is more important than ever. Driven by the necessity of teaching speaking in large classes, I examined the mechanism of speaking and compared the advantages and disadvantages of both speaking and writing in learning languages, noticing the possibility of using writing as a substitute activity for speaking. This paper introduces the idea of using writing to assist in the teaching of speaking and includes an outline of the lesson curriculum of an experimental study and its results, which lead us to believe that writing can be used to help students improve their speaking ability.
