Jack's avatar
Jack

July 16, 2023

0
A Reply

Speaking of how serious I am about learning English, I want to say more about myself in this aspect.

I was born in a farmer's family and I lived in the countryside until I turned fifteen.

When I was a child, I had a weak body so that I often got sick. I knew I was not qualified to be a farmer. You know, at that time, there were no advanced technologies and agricultural machines for farm work. So, people did farm work only with their hands and legs. That was really tough work. It needed farmers to be very strong.

Knowing that I couldn't do farming, I made the idea that I must study hard to get an opportunity to work for the government.

When I was in school, I was always one of the top three students in my class, even in the grade in the school.

In the high school entrance examination, I got the number one student in the school among two hundred students. With the good performance, I could learn in the only provincial key high school in my city, or learn in a specialized secondary school.

The only difference between these two schools was that if I went to a specialized secondary school, it meant that I had already won the opportunity to work for the government. The only thing that I needed to do before I started working for the government was to study in the school for three years. If I went to the high school, I needed to take the university entrance examination after three years of learning. If I failed the exam, I still had to go back to my village to be a farmer.

Back then, middle school students who were from the countryside all chose to study in a specialized secondary school if they performed very well in the high school entrance examination. Of course, the acceptance rate for specialized secondary schools was very low. It was just 3-5 percent.

I studied in an agricultural mechanization school and I started working for the government when I was eighteen years old.

Not going to study in a high school and a university is my biggest regret in my entire life. Whenever I go to a city, visiting the famous university in the city is my regular routine, which represents my dreams that cannot come true.

When I decided to learn English for the second time, I almost forgot what I had learned. I only remembered a few words, such as thanks, yes, no. I didn't even know the meaning of what to do and how to do.

This time, my goal of learning English is to be able to write and speak in English, not just read and understand like what I did in school.

I know that learning English is time-consuming work. It's not something you can do overnight. I will keep it up and never slack off.

During my journey of learning English, I met a few kind and helpful people. I still remember them and I am very grateful to them. If you want to listen to the stories about them, I will share them with you next time.

Corrections

Speaking ofI want to talk/say more about how serious I am about learning English, I want to say more about myself in this aspect.

Less wordy this way

I was born in a farmer's family and I lived in the countryside until I turned fifteen.

When I was a child, I had a weak body, so that I often got sick.

I knew I was not qualified to be a farmer.

You know, at that time, there were no advanced technologies andnor agricultural machines for farm work.

No advanced technologies and no agricultural machines, so use "nor"

So, people did farm work only with their hands and legs. / So, people did farm work manually.

"Manually" means done by hand instead of done by machine

Knowing that I couldn't do farming, I madecame up with the idea that I must study hard to get an opportunity to work for the government. / ...I decided that I must study hard...

When I was in school, I was always one of the top three students in my class, -- even in the grade -- in the school.

The only difference between these two schools was that if I went to a specialized secondary school, it meant that I had already won the opportunity to work for the government.

The only thing that I needed to do before I started working for the government was to study in the school for three years.

If I went to the high school, I needed to take the university entrance examination after three years (of learning).

If I failed the exam, I still had to go back to my village to be a farmer.

Back then, middle school students who were from the countryside all chose to study in a specialized secondary school if they performed very well in the high school entrance examination.

Of course, the acceptance rate for specialized secondary schools was very low.

It was just 3-5 percent.

I studied in an agricultural mechanization school and I started working for the government when I was eighteen years old.

Not going to study in a high school and aor university is my biggest regret in my entire life / my life's biggest regret.

"Study" is already implied by high school and university so you don't need it, plus it's more natural this way

Whenever I go to a city, visiting the famous university in the city is my regular routine, whichwhich represents my dreams that cannot come true is my regular routine. / Whenever I go to a city, my regular routine is to visit the famous university in the city that represents my dreams that cannot come true.

Putting the phrase "which represents my dreams that cannot come true" makes it seem like the entire action of "visiting the famous university in the city" is what is representing your dreams, but it should just be the university that is representing your dreams.

When I decided to learn English for the second time, I almost forgot what I had learned.

I only remembered a few words, such as thanks, yes, and no.

We usually add a conjunction at the end of a list. If we leave it off, it's usually for emphasis

I didn't even know the meaning of what to do and how to do.

This time, my goal of learning English is to be able to write and speak in English, not just read and understand like what I did in school.

I know that learning English is time-consuming work.

It's not something you can do overnight.

I will keep it up and never slack off / rest.

During my journey of learning English, I met a few kind and helpful people.

I still remember them and I am very grateful to them.

If you want to listen to the stories about them, I will share them with you next time.

Jack's avatar
Jack

July 16, 2023

0

Thank you very much for the corrections and the explanations.

When I was a child, I had a weak body, so that I often got sick.

"so that" usually implies you did something with the intent of achieving a certain goal; ex. I studied so that I would do well on the test.

It needed farmersrequired farmers to be very strong. -OR- Farmers needed to be very strong.

It sounds more natural this way. "It needed" would sound normal if it was a person needing them to be strong, but not the work itself.

Knowing that I couldn't do farming, I madecame up with the idea that I must study hard to get an opportunity to work for the government.

When I was in school, I was always one of the top three students in my class, even in the grade in thegrade, and even school.

In the high school entrance examination, I gotwas the number one student in the school among two hundred students.

"got" here only works if you obtained something specific, ie., if you got a 'Number One Student' award. Otherwise, the number one student is what you were.

With the good performance, I could learn ingo to the only provincial key high school in my city, or learn ingo to a specialized secondary school.

'Learn' requires an object, so you could learn science at a specialized school, but you can't just say that you learn at a specialized school.

The only thing that I needed to do before I started working for the government was to study inat the school for three years.

Back then, middle school students who were from the countryside all chose to study inat a specialized secondary school if they performed very well in the high school entrance examination.

Jack's avatar
Jack

July 16, 2023

0

Thank you so much for the corrections and the explanations.

A Reply


Speaking of how serious I am about learning English, I want to say more about myself in this aspect.


Speaking ofI want to talk/say more about how serious I am about learning English, I want to say more about myself in this aspect.

Less wordy this way

I was born in a farmer's family and I lived in the countryside until I turned fifteen.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

When I was a child, I had a weak body so that I often got sick.


When I was a child, I had a weak body, so that I often got sick.

"so that" usually implies you did something with the intent of achieving a certain goal; ex. I studied so that I would do well on the test.

When I was a child, I had a weak body, so that I often got sick.

I knew I was not qualified to be a farmer.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

You know, at that time, there were no advanced technologies and agricultural machines for farm work.


You know, at that time, there were no advanced technologies andnor agricultural machines for farm work.

No advanced technologies and no agricultural machines, so use "nor"

So, people did farm work only with their hands and legs.


So, people did farm work only with their hands and legs. / So, people did farm work manually.

"Manually" means done by hand instead of done by machine

That was really tough work.


It needed farmers to be very strong.


It needed farmersrequired farmers to be very strong. -OR- Farmers needed to be very strong.

It sounds more natural this way. "It needed" would sound normal if it was a person needing them to be strong, but not the work itself.

Knowing that I couldn't do farming, I made the idea that I must study hard to get an opportunity to work for the government.


Knowing that I couldn't do farming, I madecame up with the idea that I must study hard to get an opportunity to work for the government.

Knowing that I couldn't do farming, I madecame up with the idea that I must study hard to get an opportunity to work for the government. / ...I decided that I must study hard...

When I was in school, I was always one of the top three students in my class, even in the grade in the school.


When I was in school, I was always one of the top three students in my class, even in the grade in thegrade, and even school.

When I was in school, I was always one of the top three students in my class, -- even in the grade -- in the school.

In the high school entrance examination, I got the number one student in the school among two hundred students.


In the high school entrance examination, I gotwas the number one student in the school among two hundred students.

"got" here only works if you obtained something specific, ie., if you got a 'Number One Student' award. Otherwise, the number one student is what you were.

With the good performance, I could learn in the only provincial key high school in my city, or learn in a specialized secondary school.


With the good performance, I could learn ingo to the only provincial key high school in my city, or learn ingo to a specialized secondary school.

'Learn' requires an object, so you could learn science at a specialized school, but you can't just say that you learn at a specialized school.

The only difference between these two schools was that if I went to a specialized secondary school, it meant that I had already won the opportunity to work for the government.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

The only thing that I needed to do before I started working for the government was to study in the school for three years.


The only thing that I needed to do before I started working for the government was to study inat the school for three years.

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

If I went to the high school, I needed to take the university entrance examination after three years of learning.


If I went to the high school, I needed to take the university entrance examination after three years (of learning).

If I failed the exam, I still had to go back to my village to be a farmer.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Back then, middle school students who were from the countryside all chose to study in a specialized secondary school if they performed very well in the high school entrance examination.


Back then, middle school students who were from the countryside all chose to study inat a specialized secondary school if they performed very well in the high school entrance examination.

This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Of course, the acceptance rate for specialized secondary schools was very low.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

It was just 3-5 percent.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I studied in an agricultural mechanization school and I started working for the government when I was eighteen years old.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

Not going to study in a high school and a university is my biggest regret in my entire life.


Not going to study in a high school and aor university is my biggest regret in my entire life / my life's biggest regret.

"Study" is already implied by high school and university so you don't need it, plus it's more natural this way

Whenever I go to a city, visiting the famous university in the city is my regular routine, which represents my dreams that cannot come true.


Whenever I go to a city, visiting the famous university in the city is my regular routine, whichwhich represents my dreams that cannot come true is my regular routine. / Whenever I go to a city, my regular routine is to visit the famous university in the city that represents my dreams that cannot come true.

Putting the phrase "which represents my dreams that cannot come true" makes it seem like the entire action of "visiting the famous university in the city" is what is representing your dreams, but it should just be the university that is representing your dreams.

When I decided to learn English for the second time, I almost forgot what I had learned.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I only remembered a few words, such as thanks, yes, no.


I only remembered a few words, such as thanks, yes, and no.

We usually add a conjunction at the end of a list. If we leave it off, it's usually for emphasis

I didn't even know the meaning of what to do and how to do.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

This time, my goal of learning English is to be able to write and speak in English, not just read and understand like what I did in school.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I know that learning English is time-consuming work.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

It's not something you can do overnight.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I will keep it up and never slack off.


I will keep it up and never slack off / rest.

During my journey of learning English, I met a few kind and helpful people.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

I still remember them and I am very grateful to them.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

If you want to listen to the stories about them, I will share them with you next time.


This sentence has been marked as perfect!

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