I never really had a problem with the
English language until secondary 3 when it was required that I paraphrase or
summarise passages in tests and exams. It thoroughly exposed the weaknesses
that I have in the language where my vocabulary does not suffice to express my
understanding of texts accurately in my own words. However, I do fully
understand that this problem resulted from the lack of reading and practice
from a young age. Ever since the start
of secondary school, I have not read books frequently, neither have I tried
improving my writing skills. I also did not take notice on my usage of grammar
in text messaging and daily conversations. Ultimately, my standard of English
remains so poor that every essay that I have to write now is a struggle and it gives
me that uneasy feeling in the stomach. To be honest, I often feel embarrassed
about how much I am lacking when reading the brilliant essays that my peers
were able to compose.
Without doubt, the strong grasp of the
English language that my peers have does not come naturally and it is the
reward for their hard work and persistent effort. Being in university proves
that there is nowhere to hide. It is time to confront the problem and put in some
serious effort to improving my standard of English for the better. Mr
Blackstone's words cannot be any truer, how much effort one puts in for this
course will determine how much one will gain at the end of this course. I’ll keep
that in mind and work hard! (Determined face)
(274 words)
Hi Chuye!
ReplyDeleteI like your post because I get what you are trying to say and I share the same sentiments as you when I see how my peers can come up with impressive essays and yet here I am struggling with grammar errors and the lack of vocabularies to build up my points.
I believe that if you are determined to do well, you will definitely improve! Let's work hard and conquer this language! (:
Hey Chuye,
ReplyDeleteWell, if you think you're alone, think again (smirks). I have the exact same problem as you too. Never truly enjoyed reading or writing and hence, I never had either as a habit.
Then again, it's never too late to start!
Since a couple of weeks ago (yes, just weeks), I've made it a point to read a couple of newspaper articles a day. Just so to improve my writing as well as to keep myself updated with the happenings around the world. Though I can't exactly evaluate its effectiveness now, I do believe it will help even the slightest bit.
Thanks for sharing (:
Thank you, Chuye, for this clear, concise and self critical reflection. I appreciate that you can communicate so fluently and succinctly so much information. It is interesting, too, that you feel insecure about your English, and yet, you do a fine job in this short piece.
ReplyDeleteThese are some very minor issues:
1) To be honest, I often feel embarrassed about how much I am lacking when reading the brilliant essays that my peers **were** able to compose. > (verb tense inconsistency)
2) Mr Blackstone's words cannot be any truer, how much effort one puts in ...
> (punctuation) Mr Blackstone's words cannot be any truer: How much effort one puts in ...
I look forward to reading more of your writing this term.
My English Language learning journey
ReplyDeleteI never really had a problem with the English language until secondary 3 when it was required that I paraphrase or summarise passages in tests and exams. It thoroughly exposed the weaknesses that I have in the language where my vocabulary does not suffice to express my understanding of texts accurately in my own words. However, I do fully understand that this problem resulted from the lack of reading and practice from a young age. Ever since the start of secondary school, I have not read books frequently, neither have I tried improving my writing skills. I also did not take notice on my usage of grammar in text messaging and daily conversations. Ultimately, my standard of English remains so poor that every essay that I have to write now is a struggle and it gives me that uneasy feeling in the stomach. To be honest, I often feel embarrassed about how much I am lacking when reading the brilliant essays that my peers are able to compose.
Without doubt, the strong grasp of the English language that my peers have does not come naturally and it is the reward for their hard work and persistent effort. Being in university proves that there is nowhere to hide. It is time to confront the problem and put in some serious effort to improving my standard of English for the better. Mr Blackstone's words cannot be any truer: how much effort one puts in for this course will determine how much one will gain at the end of this course. I’ll keep that in mind and work hard!