portfolio 4

(i thought i had posted it but until today i found my portfolio 4 was "missing", maybe there was a technical problem....)

I have a lot of problems in writing. There are language problems, content problems and grammar problems. I think the most serious problems I have are the language problems. Since English is not my mother tongue, sometimes I cannot express what I’m thinking about correctly. When writing essays, I always write in English (of course) but think in Chinese. As a result, people often cannot understand what I’m saying if they do not know Chinese well. Moreover, sometimes even my Chinese friends find it difficult to understand my essays. One common language problem is the choice of words. Usually, if I want to express something but do not know the exact word, I will check with my dictionary. However, as most words have their specific use, sometimes I will choose a word which makes the whole sentence wired unconsciously. Another big language problem is the use of phrases. There are many similar phrases which have different meanings and must be use in different ways. For example, “on the contrary” and “in contrast”. I always mix them up.In my opinion, there are a few ways for me to improve. Firstly, I need to improve my vocabulary. As I have mentioned, I often have word choice problems. To avoid such problems, I must learn more new words and master how to use them. Secondly, I need to read more academic materials. I can benefit from others by familiarizing how they convey their ideas in the right way with the right words and phrases. Last but not least, I need to use English more. The more I use it, the more I will be familiar with it and express myself naturally.