Learning English is like an exploration that never ends. In my journey, I am constantly aided by the use of the dictionary and thesaurus and my common language at home was English. During my preschool, my parents enrolled me in phonics classes. Through phonics, I learnt how to pronounce difficult words with ease. However, words like 'rendezvous' still intrigue me.
As a child, I loved reading books written by ‘Dr. Seuss’ and ‘Roald Dahl’, and I found their books inspiring. This nurtured my passion for learning English and with continuous motivation and encouragement from my parents, I started reading the dictionary. It opened my mind to a plethora of words and I am still in awe of the richness of what the English language holds.
However, I was addicted to computer gaming during my time in primary school. This passion for learning was made secondary. I was overconfident as I thought that I had amassed enough grammar and vocabulary knowledge. I neglected the time to explore the English language anymore. This naivety was my Achilles Heel and my grades declined.
Looking back, I have wasted valuable time which I could have put to good use to acquire knowledge. Now that I am older and wiser, my resolution is to learn more and improve on my written and verbal communication skills. I believe the ‘Effective Communication’ module will greatly benefit me in my quest to master the English language. As the saying goes, “My attitude determines my altitude”! I am determined to give my best to excel.
Nate – Knowledge is Power
Learning English is like an exploration that never ends. In my journey, I am constantly aided by the use of the dictionary and thesaurus and my common language at home was English. During my preschool, my parents enrolled me in phonics classes. Through phonics, I learnt how to pronounce difficult words with ease. However, words like 'rendezvous' still intrigue me.
As a child, I loved reading books written by ‘Dr. Seuss’ and ‘Roald Dahl’, and I found their books inspiring. This nurtured my passion for learning English and with continuous motivation and encouragement from my parents, I started reading the dictionary. It opened my mind to a plethora of words and I am still in awe of the richness of what the English language holds.
However, I was addicted to computer gaming during my time in primary school. This passion for learning was made secondary. I was overconfident as I thought that I had amassed enough grammar and vocabulary knowledge. I neglected the time to explore the English language anymore. This naivety was my Achilles Heel and my grades declined.
Looking back, I have wasted valuable time which I could have put to good use to acquire knowledge. Now that I am older and wiser, my resolution is to learn more and improve on my written and verbal communication skills. I believe the ‘Effective Communication’ module will greatly benefit me in my quest to master the English language. As the saying goes, “My attitude determines my altitude”! I am determined to give my best to excel.
Nate – Knowledge is Power
Hi Nathaniel
ReplyDeleteIt must have been an amazing journey for you since young. From your reflection, I could see the usage of the amount of vocabulary you have been exposed to in your journey.
In my opinion, your reflection was clear and smooth. You started off with a brief introduction on your thoughts on the language. After which, you moved on to share details at the different stages of your journey before summarising your thoughts.
In short, I enjoyed reading your reflection especially in terms of the vocabulary you had used.
Hello Nate!
ReplyDeleteI REALLY love your reflection post. it was short and sweet. at the same time It was very detailed as you are very good at expressing what you felt and what you went through at a particular point of time.
I admire how you use a vast of vocabulary in your post. I like how honest you were when you told us about your gaming addiction haha! I can also relate to your second sentence "In my journey, I am constantly aided by the use of the dictionary and thesaurus." and I think I still may need those books to aid my English language. ><
I am looking forward to read your future post and learn from you. perhaps, you can be our class's walking dictionary? :D
-Siti Mardhiyyah
Hi Nathaniel! I like how you describe your journey of learning English. Indeed, everyday, we are discovering different aspects of the language and this journey is a never-ending one. It seems like i am not the one who had the dictionary as my BFF along our journey. It is great that we share a common point right here.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, reading through your reflection, i encounter a little difficulty with the vocabulary you used. Therefore, i can see that your command of English Langauge should be above average. I am glad that you found your passion for English while you are young and make use of this passion to understand and appreciate this language.
On a side note, I can understand that frustration when you can never understand why were you addicted to computer gaming back then and thus it resulted to a decline in your results. I can see that you have reflected on that, and like you said, now that we are older, we learn to no longer waste time and put in our best effort to learn and master this language. Let's work hard together! :)
Hey Nat, I envy the fact you come from an English-speaking family and you have had guidance by your teacher in phonics class while you were in the early stages of learning. Your family background and past experience must have empowered you to become a confident individual in communicating in English.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading your reflection, I notice a variety in your choice of words and varying sentence structure. I appreciate that you mentioned your grades declined due to own complacency, you reflected on what you think has gone wrong and you continuously make an effort to make amends. Cheers! :)
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ReplyDeleteThanks, Nathaniel, for this honest and detailed reflection. I appreciate how you compare learning English to 'exploration.' In fact, all learning is like that, and you aptly wax regretful when mentioning how you lapsed into a gaming 'addiction.' Of course, life is a series of episodes, and perhaps your gaming one was simply learning of a different sort. What's most impressive for me in your post is that you seem to truly embrace the need for a concerted effort in learning. To that end, please allow me to give you some advice on your reflection:
ReplyDelete1) However, words like 'rendezvous' still intrigues me. >>> (subject verb agreement issue)
2) As a child, I loved reading books written by ‘Dr Seuss’ and ‘Roald Dahl’. I found their books inspiring. >>> These are two simple sentences. Combine them to give your writing more sophistication.
3) Thinking that I had amassed enough grammar and vocabulary knowledge, there would be no need for me to read or understand anymore. >>> (dangling modifier: What is the subject of this sentence? Who is "thinking"?))
4) Can you rearrange the initial five or six sentences into a single paragraph by theme?
I look forward to working with you this term!
Hello Nathaniel!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog and also for the comment (: I'm here to return the favour (:
When I read your post, the first thing that came into my mind was; "Wow...This guy's vocabulary is amazing!". As much as I love English, vocabulary is the one thing that I don't really bother much with. I used to hate the dictionary. I rather ask someone what a word means instead of finding it out myself. But now with the advancing technology, finding out what a word means is at my fingertips!
Great post btw!
nurul