The English
language was always my least favourite subject during all my education years.
Firstly, I had lived with my dialect speaking grandmother up till preschool and
hence I was more comfortable with mandarin and dialect rather than English. After
entering primary school, I had a hard time trying to understand why we had to
learn grammar and all. That made loving to learn English really difficult for
me. Even in secondary school, every English lesson was like a torture for me as
I could not see the importance and enjoy what I was learning.
Despite that,
one thing I do enjoy was reading books. That was the only way I could enjoy using
the English language. Reading was also probably the only reason I was able to
pick up the basic English writing skills while enjoying it.
However, after entering polytechnic my perception of English changed as we had to do many presentations
and reports. That was the first time ever that I realised I have to put in more
effort in writing and speaking so that I would not embarrass myself during
presentations due to the lack of my command in English. I started appreciating
the language more and was able to focus much better in classes since then.
All in all, I am not
proficient in the language as of yet, but I am glad I was able to finally
understand why English is important and now I want to be better at it.
Especially in Singapore where it is a country with people from different races,
English serves as the linking bridge for all races to communicate and live
together as one. With hard work and determination, I believe one day I will be
able to love and be much more competent with the language.
Edited: 15/09/2016
Edited: 19/09/2016
Commented on Rafianah and Cherlyn blog.
Edited: 15/09/2016
Edited: 19/09/2016
Commented on Rafianah and Cherlyn blog.
Dear Camille,
ReplyDeleteI found your post very relatable as I had went through similar experiences in my polytechnic days. I also feel that the blogpost written is very courteous as you emphasized how you want to continue to improve yourself. The post is very systematic showing the chain of events for example, how you felt embarrassed with lack of English skills.
The sentence:" However, entering polytechnic changed my perception of English." should be:"However, after i entered polytechnic..." as you are already over the phase of entering polytechnic.
Best Regards,
Clarabelle
Dear Camille,
ReplyDeleteIt was great reading your article about your past experience.Your article flows smoothly and it is clear and concise. It is nice to know that you enjoy reading books to improve your English.
However, just a few points for you to note will be this sentence:" However, entering polytechnic changed my perception of English. We had to do many presentations and reports. ". I feel that you should connect these two sentences together instead of leaving it as a stand alone sentence. E.g. By using the word "as" to connect the sentences together.
I also agree with your last sentence" with hard work and determination", you will be able to improve on your English.
All the best!
Regards
Cherlyn
Dear Camille,
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, your descriptive reflection is short and sweet.
I think there is an error in this sentence:
""However, entering polytechnic changed my perception of English."
Instead, it should be:
"However, entering polytechnic had changed my perception of English."
Sincerely,
Nana
Dear Camille,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for this article. It was a pleasure reading your article about your past experience.Your article flows smoothly and it is clear and concise. It is nice to know that you enjoy reading books to improve your English.
However,some points for you to take note will be:
" However, entering polytechnic changed my perception of English. We had to do many presentations and reports. ". I feel that you should connect these two sentences together instead of leaving it as a stand alone sentence. E.g. By using the word "as" to connect the sentences together.
For the first paragraph, instead of writing" I had lived with my dialect speaking grandmother", I believed it should be I lived with my dialect speaking grandmother.
For the third paragraph, instead of using the word "from then" , I believe a better word will be since then.
I also agree with your last sentence" with hard work and determination", you will be able to improve on your English.
All the best!
Best regards
Cherlyn
Edited comment 17/9/2016
Thank you, Camille, for the self-critical and detailed reflection. You describe tour experience with clarity and honesty, and you've received lots of valuable feedback.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all the advice!
ReplyDelete