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Posts: 2240

Shifu

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Q: How to improve my writing skills dramatically?

I have only attended a shitty college in China with the Chinese teaching me English, so basically I didn't get enough good language education. After that, I studied almost a year in an English trainning center with the native English speakers  teaching me English. I have worked on International sales jobs, worked in foreign companies, dated many foreign guys and had relationships with the Americans. 

 

With this background, I didn't really have a lot of chance to get my writting skill trained even I got chance to writting English emails and texting with the guys I dated. The sentence I wrote usually is in simple structure. Like spongebob(she has numerous accounts here), she's Chinese but attended a four years university in the U.K. and she also dated foreigners. Her English sentence structure is way too much better than mine. I feel disappointed with my writings.

 

How can I improve it dramatically?

 

I would call my listening and speaking the conversational level. I usually  have no problem to have a daily conversation with the native English speakers on various of topics, interacting with foreign customers and  attend business meetings in English. But I can't understand all the English news on yahoo well:( I have obtained some American accent but still the accent isn't good enough as I met Chinese who had have better English accent than I do.

 

I have tried to ask the natives for helping my English writting, they all feel bored and ended it up for not help me. It's also too expensive to hire a native speaker as a Tudor for long run.

 

Any good tips? 

6 years 47 weeks ago in  General  - China

 
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Emperor

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Oh look... another Chinese person who doesn't want to pay an experienced, qualified person to teach them what's apparently so important... and yet, will readily save up to buy the latest iPhone when it comes out!

 

I get this shit all the time! Especially since I teach IELTS, and those who want IELTS want to go to study overseas at university for a few years... Guess what - if you can afford to study in the US, UK, Aus, etc - which are pretty damn expensive countries compared to China - then you can afford a good teacher!

 

Vicki - you're a manager of a company, and by your own reports earlier on this forum, you're earning (cough) in the ballpark of 10K per month... yes, you can afford to pay a tutor!

 

And, for writing, a GOOD tutor doesn't actually need to see you often (actually, a good tutor for speaking wouldn't either...). Maybe only 1-2 hours per week The teacher/tutor's job is to assist you in your improvement - NOT do all the work for you!

Viki87:

laughI need to pay rent.

6 years 47 weeks ago
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Blondie_:

so after paying your rent, you are unwilling to spend maybe 200 RMB a week on your english?

you are still trying to sponge free English lessons from non-Chinese in their free time and give nothing in return?

 

 

6 years 47 weeks ago
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Shining_brow:

You need to sort out your priorities!

 

And realise that other people's priorities will not be the same as yours. Helping you with English is not anyone else's priority....

6 years 47 weeks ago
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6 years 47 weeks ago
 
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Posts: 19790

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You should study 'Drama  -in- broken heart Cali'. More.

Simply change '-in-' with '-ti-'.

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6 years 47 weeks ago
 
Posts: 2774

Emperor

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1. Drop the stupid idea to get an accent. Chinese who affect an accent, usually American, sound fake and ridiculous. You are chinese. You will NEVER achieve native fluency. Never. You will alwayd sound like a Chinese person speaking english. No one cares as long as you can be understood. Rant over.

As for improving your writing it is surprisingly straightforward. Buy a notebook, let's say A4 size or similar. EVERY DAY you MUST write at least 500 words or more about a different topic. Do this for one month. Nothing else, no checking or getting some twonk to correct it. Nothing. After one month, go back and read the first article then read the last article. You will see a vast difference. Then continue to write each day. The topic can be anything. What you see looking out the window, a car, your dinner, or even better a story. This will work.

Viki87:

Some Chinese don't have much Chinese accent when they spoke English. 

I know a guy spoke more like a local American but he's Chinese. Maybe there are still some unoticeable Chinese accent, but not a lot.

 

Thats the level I want to achieve. No one said can completely get rid Chinese accent but I want to try to have less Chinese accent everyday. 

I met an American spoke Chinese but without noticeable American accent. Lol

6 years 47 weeks ago
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Viki87:

And too bad I have problem understand Chinese accent when many Chinese speak English. But it's much easier for me to understand Americans. So why not try to speak more like an Americans? Also in this way, many other people from diffrent countries could understand me better.

6 years 47 weeks ago
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Kyle12:

Ofcourse. Only if a Chinese person grows up in America, can he/she speak fluently like a native. Else they'll all sound like the Russell Peters impressions (34.50... Be a Man) Lol. There's nothing wrong in sounding like yourself.

6 years 14 weeks ago
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6 years 47 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1072

Shifu

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as iWolf said, you will have to do a lot of writing practice on your own.

 

Don't expect non-chinese people to help you with your English for free - you will have to offer something in exchange for their time. of course they feel bored when you are using their free time.

what do you have that is of value to them? 

 

hint

don't use this forum as an english resource to write on, or if you do, use the blog section

 

Viki87:

coolI don't have anything to offer for exchange.

6 years 47 weeks ago
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icnif77:

You are very sneaky considering your earlier Qs, as was one of your drives 'how to emigrate to the West by Chinese citizen', which with As getting out of the honest posters here, you could use to open a shop in China and make money out of the Chinese who want to move to the West ... I can see through you, so I'll be short: 'Fuck off!'.

You don't impress anybody here with begging! Pretentious, disgusting .... crap you are!

 

Sorry, Blondie!

6 years 47 weeks ago
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Blondie_:

@ viki

the basis of a manager is understanding other people and what motivates them.

hell, basic social skills involve understanding what motivates other people when you interact with them.

 

if you want something from someone, especially if it involves their free time, you have to understand what the other person wants or could use in return.

usually this is done by listening to the other person.

this is something most people begin to learn to figure out in their teens if not before, when they realize being self-absorbed, selfish or insulting of others does not generate good-will or the willingness to give to someone in need or requiring help.

6 years 47 weeks ago
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Viki87:

Teaching somebody language is boring, the biggest drives is they get paid. Simple as that. 

 

6 years 47 weeks ago
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Blondie_:

Viki

could you be attributing your attitude to language learning to everyone else?

not everyone is motivated solely be money - look at all the teachers who work in public schools on rubbish money, or those that volunteer an hour or so for free to motivated students.

 

when it comes to teaching in their free time, each teacher has a different motivation for doing it - i would certainly keep well clear of lazy, rude, demanding, self-absorbed students if they wanted me to teach in my free time. Like the people who approach me on the street and demand an English lesson or assume i have nothing better to do with my free time.

or would you even be bothered to ask a teacher what they would like in exchange for their free time?

 

what motivates you to stay in a job where you are not paid?

6 years 47 weeks ago
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6 years 47 weeks ago
 
Posts: 7715

Emperor

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Oh look... another Chinese person who doesn't want to pay an experienced, qualified person to teach them what's apparently so important... and yet, will readily save up to buy the latest iPhone when it comes out!

 

I get this shit all the time! Especially since I teach IELTS, and those who want IELTS want to go to study overseas at university for a few years... Guess what - if you can afford to study in the US, UK, Aus, etc - which are pretty damn expensive countries compared to China - then you can afford a good teacher!

 

Vicki - you're a manager of a company, and by your own reports earlier on this forum, you're earning (cough) in the ballpark of 10K per month... yes, you can afford to pay a tutor!

 

And, for writing, a GOOD tutor doesn't actually need to see you often (actually, a good tutor for speaking wouldn't either...). Maybe only 1-2 hours per week The teacher/tutor's job is to assist you in your improvement - NOT do all the work for you!

Viki87:

laughI need to pay rent.

6 years 47 weeks ago
Report Abuse

Blondie_:

so after paying your rent, you are unwilling to spend maybe 200 RMB a week on your english?

you are still trying to sponge free English lessons from non-Chinese in their free time and give nothing in return?

 

 

6 years 47 weeks ago
Report Abuse

Shining_brow:

You need to sort out your priorities!

 

And realise that other people's priorities will not be the same as yours. Helping you with English is not anyone else's priority....

6 years 47 weeks ago
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6 years 47 weeks ago
 
Posts: 18

General

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It depends on what you want to write. The first thing you should try to fix is your grammar. Grammatical errors cause the most damage to your writing. 

Watch videos man. There are tons of materials available on YouTube. If you're writing an essay or research papers, try this writing help section on 123HelpMe.

Keep writing buddy. Practice and only practice can help you.

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6 years 14 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1263

Shifu

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If you want results, you'll have to pay.

Of course, there are people who will take payment in forms other than cash.

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6 years 14 weeks ago
 
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