arthuryan1

I actually prefer speaking in a foreign language to writing, and that's mainly because most of the learning I do involves active conversation. Yes, it's totally true that I can express myself more eloquently on paper and yes, it's also true that I get more time to catch any mistakes that I may have made, but I grew up learning Chinese, my second language, by speaking to household members. In fact, many of the words that I use to express myself orally are words that I cannot write out in pinyin or characters. I think it all depends on how you learn the language, and most people learn through reading and listening to pronounciations rather than through regular conversation with native speakers like I did.

I don't think it really matters when talking because no one is expecting you to speak in formal English; a casual speaking style is called colloquial English for a reason. While, yes, it's not gramatically acceptable to do things like the common "me and ____" instead of "____ and I" or incorrect word usage, it's not that big of a deal. Besides, the primary purpose of speaking is to convey a message. I don't really care about how it is conveyed, as long as the message sent is clear, articulate, and I can understand the gist of what is being said. Colloquial English isn't as important as formal English in casual settings because you're not trying to say something deep and technical.

I love reading comprehension questions because they follow so naturally after reading a passage. Interestingly enough, though, I'm the worst at reading comprehension. Of my standardized testing scores, reading ranks the lowest. I find reading quizzes for novels extremely difficult since it's difficult to recall everything that happened without reading through a book multiple times. Because of my difficulty with them, I have mixed feelings; they're fun to do, but I'm just not that good at them.

Yes, I agree with takibari. While your sentences are gramatically correct, there are more eloquent ways to say what you want to say: "In Greek mythology, Persephone was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She was abducted by her uncle Hades, brough to Hell, and was forced to marry him against her will. Once in Hell, she was offered some fruit. Persephone only ate six pomegranate seeds, but this was enough to bind her to Hell forever. Demeter, who was her mother and the goddess of fertility and agriculture, used to gift the men of Earth with fair weather and plentiful harvests. After her daughter’s abduction, however, she unleashed a never-ending winter. Intervention by Zeus helped Demeter and Hades come to an agreement. Although Persephone had not eaten the whole pomegranate, she had eaten six of its seeds; she was still obliged to live for at least six months with her husband in Hell. However, she was granted permission to spend the rest of the year with her mother on Earth. Demeter, satisfied with the arrangement, grew happy once again, and as a result, the fields flourished in the spring and the summer. "

Generally, I read through the entire book first and then make my own judgements on it. This way, I have my own, unique insight into the book, which is extremely useful when asked to write an essay with original content. However, I also take a look at online resources such as Spark Notes and Shmoop to see what other people have to say about the book and to see what kinds of themes are out there. I also use it to see if I missed anything important while reading through; often times I see an obscure message hidden between the lines but I pass over a more glaring one. This is especially useful when preparing for reading quizzes (I'm in high school right now) because such sites give you a general overview and explain the big picture.

I think some graphic novels are worth reading for their plots and their art. They can be intellectually stimulating and are often times much more entertaining to read than comparable novels, as well as being more approachable. However, I don't consider them to be useful for improving English, which is one of my primary reasons for reading anything. I want to see the author's mastery of the English language and I want to learn from it. I want to pick up aspects of their writing style to add to mine, as well as learn new vocabulary. A good plot or an interesting topic simply make this process more enjoyable to me. That being said, I think the very nature of graphic novels prevents them from being as valuable a resource for practicing and improving English as traditional literature. And yes, you could theoretically learn from graphic novels, but reading high-quality newspapers or classics is a much more efficient use of your time.

I used to text using formal sentences, the style that is usually found in compositions for English class or formal papers. However, I've recently begun to use a much more informal style that leaves out capitalization for the sake of creating a more casual conversation because I think the former makes you seem too stiff. Since switching, I've become more aware of people who text formally and I have begun to realize how awkward it sounds, especially in an environment where colloquial English, and the even more casual "texting lingo", has become the norm. Despite my recently acquired reluctance to use proper capitalization, though, I still strive to maintain proper grammar unless I specifically intend to not use it for comedic purposes.