However, as I slowly began to learn more about English, it was also the same time when I started to lose interest as I had come to believe that the sole purpose of learning a language is for communication. Why do we have to write all those ridiculous argumentative essays? Wasn't it a complete waste of time? I could spend more time on my other subjects which are going to be more useful in my future studies or career. As a result, I only placed bare minimum effort so I could pass the subject.
As I grew older, I gave more thoughts about English language and realised that writing argumentative essays was not a complete waste of time. It is to polish our critical thinking skills and being able to come up with logical and coherent arguments for a topic to convince and persuade people. Being able to come up with great arguments is one thing, translating it onto paper is another set of skills which takes a lot of practice. These are very useful set of skills that will be able to help me in studies and even in my career next time.
Even though I know being good at English, especially in the area of argumentative writing, would be a great thing. However, the inertia to start was too great. I would rather spend more time in areas I am already good in such as Maths and Sciences. This was to ensure that I could secure a place in the course I want in university as the weightage of GP is rather low compared to my other H2 subjects.
Ending up in ES1102 is the result of me not putting in sufficient effort into studying for GP. But since I am already here, I hope I can make the best use of this opportunity to brush up my critical thinking, and argumentative writing skills, and at the same time correct any grammar mistakes that I may not know of.
Hi Zhikang. Great post. Just some little comments:
ReplyDeleteFirstly, you addressed the topic correctly. However, I noticed that some sentences were rather long. I felt that you could split these sentences up into two, such that the explanation is in another sentence. Having said that, you should try to have only one conjunction in a sentence. This could make your writing clearer and readers could read it with greater ease.
Also, a few errors in tenses such as in the second paragraph, "However, as I slowly began to learn more about English, it is also the same time when I start losing interest in the language......" In this sentence, we should say "started" because the event (i.e. you losing interest) has already happened.
In the last sentence of the same paragraph, "....and hence I only placed bare minimum effort so that I can pass the subject." "and" and "hence" should not be used together because they are both conjunctions. In this case, "and" should be omitted. This is because you are trying to convey cause-and-effect. Therefore, "hence" is a more appropriate conjunction to use.
Lastly, I felt that your use of language was apt - neither too formal nor too casual. Also, your post has a decent level of coherence as you were able to express and link your ideas from one paragraph to the next. Good read, Zhikang :)
Hi ZK,
ReplyDeleteI like how you used a chronological order and transitioning words in your post to convey a clear flow of thoughts. I agree with you on how we humans tend to not pursue certain things despite knowing that these things (ie. learning good English) are beneficial for us. Personally, I have always wanted to develop a reading habit to improve my English, yet I kept experiencing hiccups along the way such as a lack of time, determination and more. I guess we just have to find a way to balance things that we are passionate about as well as the ones that we might not be good at but are beneficial for us, heh.
I noted that that are some redundancies in your post, such as the first sentence in second paragraph. Perhaps, it can be reduced to "However, as I learnt more about English, I also started to lose interest...". The phrase "even though" in the fourth paragraph can also be shortened to "though".
That aside, the post has been a pleasant read and insight into your English journey thus far. Hope to know you better in the upcoming classes!
Regards,
Jiewei
Hi Zhikang, thank you for sharing your thoughts on English. Your thoughts and post flow well, and I agree with the many points you have raised! While focusing on your favourite subjects, you can also look at English to cultivate your interest in it, as well as brushing up important skills such as critical thinking! All the best in this journey and remember to enjoy! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Zhi Kang,
ReplyDeleteAs I read your post, I sensed that we both share the same thoughts on English. I also believe that many of us focused more on the academic result rather than the benefit of it when we were learning English in our primary school days. Your reflection generally flows well. You clearly detailed your difference views about English in each stage of your life from a kid to a teenager, and to an adult. Hope that you can achieve what you want in this English course, as well as your dream in future. Cheers!
This is an informative description of your journey, Zhi Kang. It's clear that you have made lots of progress, from the start. Now you just need to sort out the appropriateness of your verb tense usage while you edit your own work:
ReplyDelete1) However, as I slowly began to learn more about English, it is also the same time when I started losing interest as I have come to believe that the sole purpose of learning a language is for communication. (tense)
2) Why do we have to write all those ridiculous argumentative essays? Isn't it a complete waste of time? (tense---you are presenting questions that you had IN THE PAST, right?)
3) As a result, I only placed bare minimum effort so I can pass the subject. (tense)
4) paragraphs 3 & 4 > (verb tense)
5) But since I am already here, I hope I could make the best use of this opportunity to brush up my critical thinking, and argumentative writing skills, and at the same time correct any grammar mistakes that I might not know ... (verb tense)
Thanks for your effort!
Check out this sentence, Zhi Kang: Even though I know being good at English especially in the area of argumentative writing would be a great thing, however, the inertia to start was too great. (run on)
DeleteHi Zhi Kang,
ReplyDeleteReading your post now made me realised how far you have come since August.
Knowing that you have a problem with writing is a step closer to writing well, don't you think?
It has been a pleasure knowing you and let us continue to work hard and try to improve on our language skills even after this course has ended.