Before I entered university, Chinese was the language that I used the most.
Almost all subjects were taught in Chinese in my primary school. Even when I
was in secondary school and college, I spoke in Chinese all the time except
with my teachers. Besides, I was not the kind of student that like to speak in
classes during those times, thus the chances of me using English was even lesser.
On top of that, I have a relatively greater interest in Chinese as well. Apart
from reading Chinese newspapers regularly, I also read quite a number of
Chinese books. In contrast, I do not read that much English material. As a
result, my command of English is pretty weak. I often face difficulties in
expressing my thoughts accurately. Due to a lack of vocabulary, I also tend to have
problems in finding the right words to use when I communicate in English.
As time
passes by, especially after I entered university, I started to be aware that
English is a very important language in my life. It is a language that I will
use now for the most of my time. I have many assignments in the forms of reports
and essays. Also, being a student under the Environmental Studies programme, I am
required to engage in discussions regarding different environmental issues
during my tutorials. It was while doing these assignments and activities that I
realised my language skills are insufficient. In order to do well in these
works, I need to be proficient in English. Apart from that, English will also
be a crucial element in my future career. A lot of communication has to be done
either through conversations or writings, and a good command of the language
will definitely help me to communicate effectively with other people.
Therefore, I
will do my best to improve my language skills. Since last semester, I have
started to read more English articles. Whenever I see an unknown vocabulary, I
will look for its meaning either through dictionary or internet. At the same
time, I will try to speak more in English. Although it may be a bit slow, I
believe that it is never too late to start. As long as I am willing to put in
the effort, I will gradually improve and finally be able to write and speak
fluently in English.
Hi Xiang Hui,
ReplyDeleteyour blog entry is well organised and clear to the readers. It was a joy reading your post and i can easily relate to the message you wished to put across.
Also, i admire your efforts and commitment in improving your English Language. Keep it up!
Dear Xiang Hui,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the sharing of your English learning journey. I actually encountered same problem as you. Mandarin language is my mother tongue and so, I faced difficulties in communicating with people in English when I first came to Singapore.
I like your perseverance and the 'never-say-die' spirit in learning English. It is good that you try to speak up more in English because I think that communication actually helps the most in learning language. You can use ES 1102 class as a platform to speak up more in English as well. :)
For your reflective writing, I think it would be better if you could cite with examples, like describe the situation where you took some time to find right words when communicating in English, as well as during assignments/activities. Overall, I like the way you organised your content and I enjoyed reading it. Good job!
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences in learning Chinese and English with us. You are absolutely right. It is never too late to learn and improve on your writing skills. Work hard and I am sure you will see an improvement in your writing. I look forward to seeing your progress with you in the next 10 weeks or so in ES1102.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog. Your work flows logically from past, present and future--great job, and you described your experiences very clearly. Generally, your ideas are expressed clearly. Just pay attention to the following language areas:
1. Use of relative pronouns: 'that' vs 'who'
Besides, I was not the kind of student that like to speak in classes during those times, thus the chances of me using English was even lesser.
2. Use of 'lesser' and 'fewer'. Do you know the difference between how they should be used with countable and uncountable nouns (in this case 'chances'):
thus the chances of me using English was even lesser
3. Pay attention to nouns that can function as uncountable and countable nouns (e.g. works)
In order to do well in these works,...
Angela and Li Hua,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. I agree. Xiang Hui's reflection is very good. Ideas are well explained and clearly expressed. Perhaps Xiang Hui can include examples in future blogs.
Thanks everyone for the comments. I will continue to improve myself along the way.
ReplyDeleteHere are the corrections that I have made:
1. Besides, I was not the kind of student who like to speak in classes during those times...
(I found this explanation from purdue OWL: "...when speaking about a particular person in formal language, 'who' is preferred." Is this the reason why I should use 'who' instead of 'that'?)
2. ...thus the chances of me using English was even fewer.
(fewer should be used with countable nouns, while lesser should be used with uncountable nouns)
3. In order to do well in this work...
(I found out that the 'work' I am referring to is uncountable, so it should be 'work' instead of 'works', but I am not sure whether it is correct by changing 'these works' to 'this work'.)
Xiang Hui,
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome indeed. Great job on the corrections! See my feedback below in brackets:
Here are the corrections that I have made:
1. Besides, I was not the kind of student who like to speak in classes during those times...
(I found this explanation from purdue OWL: "...when speaking about a particular person in formal language, 'who' is preferred." Is this the reason why I should use 'who' instead of 'that'?)
Misty: Correct--great job. There is a SVA/tense problem. I was not the kind of student who likeD
2. ...thus the chances of me using English was even fewer.
(fewer should be used with countable nouns, while lesser should be used with uncountable nouns)
Misty: Correct, but it is better to word the sentence like this:
…. chances of me using English was even fewer..,
Put the adjective next to the word it describes:
even fewer+ chances of me using English