Dec. 27, 2023
Xiaoming Experienced a Tremendous Earthquake
A few months ago, Xiaoming went to an international academy in Cebu City, the Philippines, to study for a month. During his time in the Philippines, he met students from different countries and visited many stunning beaches. However, his time there wasn't as enjoyable as he had expected. The weather was blazing hot, the hotels were poorly maintained, and the meat-heavy local cuisine was less-than-appetizing to a vegetarian like him. What's worse is that one afternoon, a powerful 7-magnitude earthquake hit the central Philippines. He had never felt so scared in his entire seventeen years of life. Coming from New Taipei City, the most powerful earthquake he had ever felt in Taiwan was only magnitude 4.
The night before the earthquake, he was hanging out with his roommates and having some beer with them. His roommates were from Russia and were fucking good at drinking alcohol. When the earthquake occurred, he had a terrible hangover and was taking a nap on his bed. He initially thought the shaking was his hangover; he thought he was hallucinating. But then suddenly he heard a deafening rumbling sound underground―he realized it was a massive earthquake, because the earthquakes with magnitudes lower than 4 that he had previously felt in Taiwan were all silent. In a panic, he jumped out of his bed to reach his desk for cover. Unfortunately, it was too late; the entire building was already rocking from side to side and shaking up and down. The movements were so violent that he couldn't even stand or crawl to his desk and seek shelter under it. All he could do was lie on the floor, cover his head, and pray for safety.
There was a huge swimming pool in the school. Later that day, Xiaoming heard from other students that when the earthquake struck, some students were swimming in it. After the earthquake, they were no longer in the pool because the earthquake had triggered a small ''tsunami,'' causing them to sway back and forth and eventually be washed out of the pool onto the other side of the building. The students sustained some bruises, but fortunately, none of them died.
Overall, it was quite a traumatizing experience. His vacation was otherwise wonderful.
幾個月前，小明到菲律賓宿霧市的一所國際學院學習一個月。在菲律賓時，他認識了來自不同國家的學生，也到許多美麗的海灘遊玩。然而，他在那裡的時光並不如他所預期的那般愉快。天氣炎熱得教人難耐，飯店維護不當，而且當地飲食又以葷食為主，他這個素食者看了實在是食慾不振。更糟的是，有一天下午，菲律賓中部發生了一場強烈的七級大地震。他活了十七年，從未感到如此害怕。他來自新北市，在台灣感受過的最強烈的地震也只有4級而已。
地震前一晚，他和室友出去玩並喝了些啤酒。他的室友來自俄羅斯，每個人都他媽超級無敵會喝酒的。當地震發生時，他宿醉得厲害，正躺在床上午睡。一開始，他以為搖晃是宿醉所致；他以為自己出現了幻覺。但突然間，他聽到地下傳來一陣震耳欲聾的轟隆聲，他隨即意識到這是一場大地震，因為他之前在台灣感受到的低於4級的地震都是無聲的。他驚慌失措地從床上跳下來，試圖到書桌下尋找掩護。可是太遲了，整座建築都已經在上下左右地搖晃。震動甚至劇烈到他無法站起來或爬到書桌下進行遮蔽。他所能做的就是躺在地上，掩住頭部，祈求平安。
學校裡有一個很大的游泳池。當天稍晚，小明從其他學生那裡得知，當地震發生時，一些學生正在游泳池裡游泳。地震結束後，他們卻已經不在游泳池裡了，因為地震在泳池內引起了一個小「海嘯」，學生在游泳池裡隨波擺動，最終被沖出游泳池，沖到了建築物的另一側。學生們受了些擦傷，但幸運的是，沒有人死亡。
總之，這場意外令他受了不小的心靈創傷。除此之外，他的假期整體而言還算美好。
Xiaoming Experienced a Tremendous Earthquake
During his time in the Philippines, he met students from several different countries and visitedsaw many stunning beaches.
I might use saw with stunning.
However, his time there wasn't as enjoyable as he had expected.
The weather was blazing hot, the hotels were poorly maintained, and the meat-heavy local cuisine was less-than-appetizaling to a vegetarian like him.
I think I would write appealing here.
What's worse is that one afternoon, a powerful 7-magnitude earthquake hit the central Philippineser of the country.
Coming from New Taipei City, the most powerful earthquake he had ever felt in Taiwan was only of magnitude 4.
I think you might of here.
The night before the earthquake, he was hanging out with his roommates and havdrinking some beer with them.
Yours works as well.
When the earthquake occurred, he had a terrible hangover and was taking a nap on his bedwas napping on his bed, overcoming a terrible hangover.
He initially thought the shaking was due to his hangover; he thought he was hallucinating.
But then suddenly he heard a deafening rumbling sound underground―he realized it was a massive earthquake, because the earthquakes he experienced in Taiwan with magnitudes lower than 4 that he had previously felt in Taiwan were all silent.
I would drop then.
In a panic, he jumped out of his bed to reach, so he could hide under his desk for cover.
Unfortunately, it was too late; the entire building was already rocking from side to side and shaking up and down.
The movements were so violent that he couldn't even stand or crawl to his desk and hide under itcrawl or move to his desk for protection.
The movements were so violent that he couldn't even stand or crawl to his desk and seek shelter under it.
All he could do was lie on the floor, cover his head, and pray for safety.
Later that day, Xiaoming heard from the other students that when the earthquake struck, some students were swimming in it.
After tThe earthquake, they were no longer in the pool because the earthquake had trigger was so strong that it had created a small ''tsunami,'' causing them to sway back and forth and eventually be washed out of the pool onto the other and flipped the students outside of the building.pool.
I think I might put it like this.
The students sustained some bruises, but fortunately, none of them diedexperienced major injury.
We would say it like this. Given that there were no major injuries, death wouldn't have occurred either.
Overall, it was quite a traumatizing experience.
His vacation was otherwise wonderful.
Feedback
Very good. Just some stylistic changes.
你写英文很好。 你学英文如几个年？
Dec. 28, 2023
Thank you for your corrections, @coolcono!
I started learning English in August 2020, so it has been almost three and a half years.
Xiaoming Experienced a Tremendous Earthquake
A few months ago, Xiaoming went to an international academy in Cebu City, the Philippines, to study for a month.
During his time [in the Philippines | there], he met students from different countries and visited many stunning beaches.
However, his time there wasn't as enjoyable as he had expected.
The weather was blazing hot, the hotels were poorly maintained, and the meat-heavy local cuisine was less-than-appetizing to a vegetarian like him.
What's worse is that one afternoon, a powerful 7-magnitude-7 earthquake hit the central Philippines.
He had never felt so scared in his entire seventeen years of life.
Coming from New Taipei City, Taiwan, the most powerful earthquake he had ever felt in Taiwan was only magnitude 4.
Your original wording sounds like he might have felt a more powerful earthquake during a different trip outside Taiwan.
A 17-year-old from Taipei has never felt anything stronger than a 4? I thought strong earthquakes hit northern Taiwan more frequently than that.
The night before the earthquake, he was hanging out with his roommates and [having some beer with them | drinking beer].
“With them” isn’t necessary: if they were hanging out, it’s understood that he wasn’t the only one drinking.
His roommates were from Russia and were fucking good at drinking alcohol.
The linguistic register of all your other sentences is not casual, so “fucking” sounds very out-of-place here. If you put the word in direct speech (a quote), it might work.
When the earthquake occurred, he had a terrible hangover and was taking a nap on his bed.
more natural: …he was napping on his bed with a hangover.
He initially thought the shaking was his hangover; he thought he was hallucinating.
A 17-year-old is already so familiar with the effects of hangover that he would make this assumption? He must’ve started drinking very young, or have gotten drunk frequently.
But then suddenly he heard a deafening rumbling sound underground―he realized it was a massive earthquake, because the earthquakes with magnitudes lower than 4 that he had previously felt in Taiwan were all silent.
In a panic, he jumped out of his bed [and tried to reach his desk for cover | to seek cover under his desk].
“Reach” on it’s own sounds unnatural.
Unfortunately, it was too late; the entire building was already rocking from side to side and shaking | bouncing up and down.
The [movements were | movement was | motion was] so violent that he couldn't even stand or crawl (to his desk and seekto take shelter under it).
You’ve already mentioned hiding under the desk in a previous sentence so I wouldn’t repeat it here.
The movements were so violent that he couldn't even stand or crawl to his desk andto hide under it.
All he could do was lie on the floor, cover his head, and pray for safety.
There was a huge swimming pool in the school.
Later that day, Xiaoming heard from other students that when the earthquake struck, some students were swimming in it.
After the earthquake, they were no longer in the pool because the earthquake had triggered a small ''tsunami,'' causing them to sway back and forth and eventually be washed out of the pool [onto the other side of the building].
“Onto the other side of the building” sounds like they were washed over or around a building that was beside the pool. Is this what you mean?
The students sustained some bruises, but fortunately, none of them died.
Overall, it was quite a traumatizing | traumatic experience.
His vacation was otherwise wonderful.
Feedback
Well done.
Dec. 28, 2023
Thank you for your corrections!
Certain cities in northern Taiwan, such as Taoyuan City and certain parts of New Taipei City (but not including Taipei City), tend to have fewer and less intense seismic events than cities along the eastern and southern coasts, which are near tectonic plate boundaries. Taoyuan City, in particular, is the least seismically active region in the country due to the absence of active fault lines, with only two earthquakes of magnitude over 4 occurring in the past 50 years. I am an 18-year-old from New Taipei City, so I have never experienced anything stronger than a 4. I am an 18-year-old from New Taipei City, so I have never experienced anything stronger than a 4. Other 18-year-olds from eastern Taiwan may have experienced a 6 or even a 7.
Regarding the third paragraph, what I want to convey is that the school had a large swimming pool surrounded by a complex of buildings. Before the earthquake, the students were on the far end of the pool, close to the west side of the school complex. However, after the earthquake, they were found on the first floor of the opposite side of the complex. In other words, the tsunami washed the students out of the pool and onto the east side of the buildings.
It's hard for me to describe the situation in English, so I think a picture may help: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11I8zGQXN-D9i4hNfqXZevYrB4ifqpkO4/view?usp=sharing
Dec. 29, 2023
> I am an 18-year-old from New Taipei City, so I have never experienced anything
> stronger than a 4.
I stand corrected then! While I was living in Taipei, I visited Ilan, Hualien and Taidong fairly regularly, so I guess I my experience with the 'bigger' earthquakes must've been there.
> It's hard for me to describe the situation in English, so I think a
> picture may help:
Is this a true story?! Sorry, I had assumed this was a piece of creative writing. My bad!
Based on your picture, I would say that the earthquake caused waves that washed them from one end of the pool out into a building at the other end.
Once while I was working in Taipei I was walking along 敦化北路 during my lunch hour and, just as I passed a water fountain in front of a bank, an earthquake hit and all of the water "leaped" out of the fountain and onto a group of women on the sidewalk. It was pretty shocking, but nothing like what those guys experienced in the Philippines, I'm sure.
One of my former classmates at 師大 was killed in the 集集大地震 in 1999. That one was horrible.... :-(
Dec. 30, 2023
Don't worry at all! It's purely a piece of creative writing. I made up all the details, including the pool scenario, haha. It seems like you've been to more places in Taiwan than I have, though! Natural disasters in Taiwan are indeed quite shocking... And I'm sorry to hear about your classmate in the 集集大地震 in 1999.
Thank you for your help in describing the picture in English.
Xiaoming Experienced a Tremendous Earthquake
A few months ago, Xiaoming went to an international academy in Cebu City, the Philippines, to study for a month.
During his time in the Philippines, he met students from different countries and visited many stunning beaches.
However, his time there wasn't as enjoyable as he had expected.
The weather was blazing hot, the hotels were poorly maintained, and the meat-heavy local cuisine was less-than-appetizing to a vegetarian like him.
What's worse is that one afternoon, a powerful 7-magnitude earthquake hit the central Philippines.
He had never felt so scared in his entire seventeen years of life.
Coming from New Taipei City, the most powerful earthquake he had ever felt in Taiwan was only magnitude 4.
The night before the earthquake, he was hanging out with his roommates and having some beer with them.
His roommates were from Russia and were fucking good at drinking alcohol.
When the earthquake occurred, he had gotten a terrible hangover and was taking a nap on his bed.
Your original is fine, but upon first read, I thought for a second that the earthquake was what gave him the hangover. This should help clarify.
He initially thought the shaking was his hangover; he thought he was hallucinating.
But then suddenly he heard a deafening rumbling sound underground―he realized it was a massive earthquake, because the earthquakes with magnitudes lower than 4 that he had previously felt in Taiwan were all silent.
In a panic, he jumped out of his bed to reach his desk for cover.
Unfortunately, it was too late; the entire building was already rocking from side to side and shaking up and down.
The movements were so violent that he couldn't even stand or crawl to his desk and hide under it.
The movements were so violent that he couldn't even stand or crawl to his desk and seek shelter under it.
All he could do was lie on the floor, cover his head, and pray for safety.
There was a huge swimming pool in/at the school.
Later that day, Xiaoming heard from other students that when the earthquake struck, some students were swimming in it.
After the earthquake, they were no longer in the pool because the earthquake had triggered a small ''tsunami,'' causing them to sway back and forth and eventually be washed out of the pool onto the other side of the building.
The students sustained some bruises, but fortunately, none of them died.
Overall, it was quite a traumatizing experience.
His vacation was otherwise wonderful.
Feedback
Oh, wow. I would hate to be in a pool during an earthquake.
Dec. 28, 2023
Thank you for your corrections!
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Xiaoming Experienced a Tremendous Earthquake This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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A few months ago, Xiaoming went to an international academy in Cebu City, the Philippines, to study for a month. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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During his time in the Philippines, he met students from different countries and visited many stunning beaches. This sentence has been marked as perfect! During his time [in the Philippines | there], he met students from different countries and visited many stunning beaches. During his time in the Philippines, he met students from several different countries and I might use saw with stunning. |
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However, his time there wasn't as enjoyable as he had expected. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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The weather was blazing hot, the hotels were poorly maintained, and the meat-heavy local cuisine was less-than-appetizing to a vegetarian like him. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! The weather was blazing hot, the hotels were poorly maintained, and the meat-heavy local cuisine was less-than-appe I think I would write appealing here. |
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What's worse is that one afternoon, a powerful 7-magnitude earthquake hit the central Philippines. This sentence has been marked as perfect! What's worse is that one afternoon, a powerful What's worse is that one afternoon, a powerful 7-magnitude earthquake hit the cent |
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He had never felt so scared in his entire seventeen years of life. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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Coming from New Taipei City, the most powerful earthquake he had ever felt in Taiwan was only magnitude 4. This sentence has been marked as perfect! Coming from New Taipei City, Taiwan, the most powerful earthquake he had ever felt Your original wording sounds like he might have felt a more powerful earthquake during a different trip outside Taiwan. A 17-year-old from Taipei has never felt anything stronger than a 4? I thought strong earthquakes hit northern Taiwan more frequently than that. Coming from New Taipei City, the most powerful earthquake he had ever felt in Taiwan was only of magnitude 4. I think you might of here. |
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The night before the earthquake, he was hanging out with his roommates and having some beer with them. This sentence has been marked as perfect! The night before the earthquake, he was hanging out with his roommates and [having some beer with them | drinking beer]. “With them” isn’t necessary: if they were hanging out, it’s understood that he wasn’t the only one drinking. The night before the earthquake, he was hanging out with his roommates and Yours works as well. |
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His roommates were from Russia and were fucking good at drinking alcohol. This sentence has been marked as perfect! His roommates were from Russia and were fucking good at drinking alcohol. The linguistic register of all your other sentences is not casual, so “fucking” sounds very out-of-place here. If you put the word in direct speech (a quote), it might work. |
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When the earthquake occurred, he had a terrible hangover and was taking a nap on his bed. When the earthquake occurred, he had gotten a terrible hangover and was taking a nap on his bed. Your original is fine, but upon first read, I thought for a second that the earthquake was what gave him the hangover. This should help clarify. When the earthquake occurred, he had a terrible hangover and was taking a nap on his bed. more natural: …he was napping on his bed with a hangover. When the earthquake occurred, he |
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He initially thought the shaking was his hangover; he thought he was hallucinating. This sentence has been marked as perfect! He initially thought the shaking was his hangover; he thought he was hallucinating. A 17-year-old is already so familiar with the effects of hangover that he would make this assumption? He must’ve started drinking very young, or have gotten drunk frequently. He initially thought the shaking was due to his hangover; he thought he was hallucinating. |
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But then suddenly he heard a deafening rumbling sound underground―he realized it was a massive earthquake, because the earthquakes with magnitudes lower than 4 that he had previously felt in Taiwan were all silent. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! But I would drop then. |
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In a panic, he jumped out of his bed to reach his desk for cover. This sentence has been marked as perfect! In a panic, he jumped out of his bed [and tried to reach his desk for cover | to seek cover under his desk]. “Reach” on it’s own sounds unnatural. In a panic, he jumped out of his bed |
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Unfortunately, it was too late; the entire building was already rocking from side to side and shaking up and down. This sentence has been marked as perfect! Unfortunately, it was too late; the entire building was already rocking from side to side and shaking | bouncing up and down. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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The movements were so violent that he couldn't even stand or crawl to his desk and hide under it. This sentence has been marked as perfect! The movements were so violent that he couldn't even stand or crawl to his desk The movements were so violent that he couldn't |
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All he could do was lie on the floor, cover his head, and pray for safety. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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There was a huge swimming pool in the school. There was a huge swimming pool in/at the school. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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Later that day, Xiaoming heard from other students that when the earthquake struck, some students were swimming in it. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! Later that day, Xiaoming heard from the other students that when the earthquake struck, some students were swimming in it. |
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After the earthquake, they were no longer in the pool because the earthquake had triggered a small ''tsunami,'' causing them to sway back and forth and eventually be washed out of the pool onto the other side of the building. This sentence has been marked as perfect! After the earthquake, they were no longer in the pool because the earthquake had triggered a small ''tsunami,'' causing them to sway back and forth and eventually be washed out of the pool [onto the other side of the building]. “Onto the other side of the building” sounds like they were washed over or around a building that was beside the pool. Is this what you mean?
I think I might put it like this. |
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The students sustained some bruises, but fortunately, none of them died. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! The students sustained some bruises, but fortunately, none of them We would say it like this. Given that there were no major injuries, death wouldn't have occurred either. |
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Overall, it was quite a traumatizing experience. This sentence has been marked as perfect! Overall, it was quite a traumatizing | traumatic experience. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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His vacation was otherwise wonderful. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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The movements were so violent that he couldn't even stand or crawl to his desk and seek shelter under it. This sentence has been marked as perfect! The [movements were | movement was | motion was] so violent that he couldn't even stand or crawl (to his desk You’ve already mentioned hiding under the desk in a previous sentence so I wouldn’t repeat it here. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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