English is a common lingua franca across the globe.
Singaporeans, as a whole, use written English tool of our trade. However, some
of my peers find writing reflections with “good English”(such as the
following) a daunting task.
Well, I do understand their woes. Their job as a “writer”
isn’t easy. Essentially, they need to make the reader grasp the gist of a topic
or an agenda readily and precisely. At the same time, they would need to ask
themselves, is this is what they want to convey to the recipient? For this
reason, many are prudent in their choice of words, as well as sentence
structure in such works. This minimizes unnecessary miscommunications and
conflicts.
On the other hand, some use bombastic words to express
themselves. Guilty as charged, I was one of them. In my adolescence, I spent
most of my time regurgitating “beautiful” words and phrases memorised off
composition guidebook in the composition exams, passing with acceptable
results. I got the desired grade for my O Level English Exams via this method
too.
I carried on with that writing style, not changing it in the
Polytechnic. One day, however, my supervisor for my Final Year Project(FYP)
told me that I had to refine my literature review segment of my FYP report.That
segment was written with dubious sentence structuring and unexplained technical
jargon, making it unintelligible.
As time goes by, I learn that a report or research paper
written with “good English” should succintly address the problem or issue
without compromising the intelligibility.
Yes, writing reflections are indeed daunting for me.. And I believe you will be able to make up the shortcomings you have in doing your reports through more practices and repetitive checks. All the best!
ReplyDeleteHi Hai Qing
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that having bombastic words do not really help in reports.
Perhaps its because of my limited vocabulary.
I learnt more words after reading your reflections, such as daunting and dubious.
Hello HQ,
ReplyDeleteA+ is awarded for your article though i have yet to understand what it mean.....Now it is daunting for me to make comments.
Loves from,
Hinnessy the Great
Thank you, Hai Qing, for this entertaining post. Though at times I'm not sure what the topic focus is -- your peers writing reflections, your language journey OR the importance of English for you -- I applaud your use of concrete examples and the developing point that English is more than just grammar and word choice. With more reference to your own needs as a student and future engineer, this could, in fact, be an excellent short reflection your title theme.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I'd be remiss if I didn't off you feedback on your language use:
1) Singaporeans,as a whole, uses written English as a tool of our trade. >>> (subject-verb agreement error)
2) However, some of my peers find writing reflections with “good English”(such as the following) a daunting task. >>> past or present?
3) At the same time, they would need to ask themselves, is this is what they want to convey to the recepient? For this reason, many are prudent in their choice of words, as well as sentence structure in such works. This minimizes unneccsary miscommunications and conflicts. >>> (a couple minor spelling errors)
4) On the other hand,some tend to use bombastic words to express themselves.
>>> past or present?
5) That segement was written with dubious sentence structuring, and unexplained technical jargons,hence making it unintelligible. >>> wrong spelling
Try: That segment was written with dubious sentence structuring and unexplained technical jargon, making it unintelligible.
6) As crudely as I would put it:
“The ability to write with profound English does not bestow upon one omnipotence and omniscience." >>> according to whom?
7) As time goes by, I learn that a report or research paper written with “good English” should succintly address the problem or issue without compromising the intelligibility.
>>> (verb tense & spelling)
8) In a nutshell, proper usage of English opens up more oppoturnity for one, therefore bringing more like-minded people together. However, improper usage of English may drive people apart due to uncommon ideologies. >>> This last sentence seems like it's been rendered from a translation application, no?
In essence, if you spent a few minutes editing this posts, you'd improve it greatly.
I look forward to reading more of your writing!