Portfolio task 4: Writing difficulties in engineering classes

The word “essay” has haunted me since my bridge course commenced in CELC. Dreaming the university life could call it an end, I was only to find it appeared with a higher frequency in my courses: term essay, portfolio, and summary. That I am quite average in my work results in my worry and fear about English. The writing difficulties I addresses in this entry will be more about EG1471 since I do not take many engineering modules this semester. Basically long winded and vague expressions, low producing speed and limited vocabulary rank the top three among my weaknesses in English writing.

Vague meaning often comes hand in hand with the slow process. Occasion is I was trying so hard to put lots of ideas within maybe only two to three sentences. More than often, my efforts turned out to be long-winded sentences with ambiguous meaning. The more time I spend writing a sentence, the longer it takes for the readers to understand. Be direct and simple is the solution. Shorten the sentences and, if necessary, split them. Self-editing is also an approach to delete the meaningless words or phrases. Making every word count reduces ambiguity and the length. Slow as this process may be, it is worthy and indispensible for writing. Future writing in engineering classes is more academic as it is related to lab reports and presenting facts and theory. Clear and organized writing is highly-valued.

The consistently weak in my writing is not only due to the sentences structure but also the impropriate word choices and rudimental vocabulary. Even though the readability of my writing is improved, my words still look pale and weak in accuracy because of the limited vocabulary. No input, no output. Without a strong storage of words to back me up, the writing is doomed to be at a beginner's level. To enlarge my vocabulary is the root to clear the symptoms like vague expression and low speed of writing. The root to get a large vocabulary is to expose myself to English, namely, read more.

Besides to be concise and accurate, I have to change my attitude and accept the fact that I have to live with English, moreover, advanced English. Though it just happens that I am quick tempered (though hardly can be identified by appearance) and a good command of English calls for accumulation/ time, I still get joys from reading English books. Utilizing the areas I interest in to activate those I used to escape may help me to be a self-starter in learning and progress faster.