- Introduction: Entering the Realm of the English Language
- Driving the Research to the Minimum: Imagination Time
- Guessing Game in the Process: What the Writer Meant
- Acquiring New Writing Skills: An Example before Your Eyes
- Understanding the Way an Article Works
- Conclusion: Only Halfway Through. There Is so much to Learn!
Introduction: Entering the Realm of the English Language
Of all the problems which one can encounter in a foreign country, the language issues are the most complicated ones. Once walking in the shoes of a foreigner myself, I realized that learning the English language is far simpler than it seemed to me from the very beginning, mostly because of the English classes which I undertook. Despite a simple structure and a strict set of rules to comply with, summarizing stories is my favorite assignment because it opens a plethora of opportunities for a student. In the give essay, I am going to tell about:
- The activity which I liked most;
- Why I liked it particularly;
- What the acquired skills will bring me.
Driving the Research to the Minimum: Imagination Time
What I love most about writing summaries is that they do not demand any research and, therefore, take considerably less time than an ordinary task. For instance, the time I spend on an average essay with all the necessary research is enough for me to write at least three summaries. In addition, the fact that I do not have to quote anyone else’s ideas and that I can out the summary of a certain story in my own words thrill me completely.
Guessing Game in the Process: What the Writer Meant
What strikes me most about writing a summary of a certain text is figuring out where the key message is and how to convey it best. Since in writing a summary, it is better to explain the writer’s ideas in one’s own words, I feel completely free to interpret the author’s messages, and it really excites me.
Learning More: A Whole New World
Aside from a thrilling experience of interpreting the writer’s messages and feeling almost like a reviewer, I find it great that writing a summary offers much to learn about the English language. The aspects which I touch upon when dealing with a summary are numerous, ranging from certain vocabulary and grammatical niceties to the stylistic approaches which strike me completely. For example, when summarizing a short story by one of the English writers, I was completely astonished to learn about such literary device as ellipsis, i.e., omitting certain words in a sentence..
Acquiring New Writing Skills: An Example before Your Eyes
Moreover, writing summaries helps me to acquire new skills faster. When learning a new grammatical rule, I try to practice it when writing a summary if the format of the latter allows to do so.
Understanding the Way an Article Works
Among the most important things which I have learned during the course was the structure of a typical text. For instance, summarizing an article once, I figured out that each of the paragraphs must start with a topic sentence which relates to the introductory paragraph. When I was dealing with a summary of a short novel, I found out that the best place for a thesis statement in the text is the final sentence of the first paragraph.
Conclusion: Only Halfway Through. There Is so much to Learn!
With the help of the course in English, I have learned a lot and acquired the skills which I will definitely make good use of in the future. However, I do understand that what I have learned so far is only a tip of an iceberg, and I am fully aware of the fact that I have a lot more to learn – moreover, I am looking forward to getting new knowledge. With each skill I master, English seems to me a treasure trove where I am going to discover new wonders every single day.