Search results for 'tag:Punctuation tag:Regards' matching tags 'Punctuation' and 'Regards'

When a Smile is not a Smile

mindatrisk — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 20:30:24 GMT

Hello, this is an article that I have written to promote some theory that I have written, I know it is quite long, but if anyone could check my grammar and punctuation then I would be very grateful. I am most concerned about the second paragraph. Thank you.

..

When a smile is not a smile â¦

â¦ A customer that seems to be cared about is not the same as a customer that is cared about.

Herein lies your biggest problem. You want the customer service consultant that really does care about your customers. You want the customer service consultant that will sprint the extra mile, preferably shoe laces tied up, but more than willing to trip up in making the effort. You want the customer service consultant that, when the customer is satisfied, is plucking the cherry that makes them delighted.

This is the customer service consultant that sees a human being, and not just a cardboard cut-out customerâ¦ that sees a human being who craves peace of mind, and not just someone to make money fromâ¦ that sees that delivering them peace of mind is the best way to make money from them, and with the customers abiding blessings. These are the customer service consultants that you want. And these are the customer service consultants that you rarely get.

Except â¦

â¦ you do already have them.

Climb atop of your desk (it looks grand and health and safety is overrated anyway) and cast your gaze across the room. You donât see it, and for some reason they donât either. But your workforce - every last one of them - actually really does care about your customers. They care a lot. But they have forgotten, so now they must be reminded. For their good, for your good and for the customers good.

This should be music to your ears. It is vital, vital, vital for your business that your customers are cared about. But how to make your consultants care? You could cc them into a warm fuzzy, but this will work against you as much as for you. You can tie a bulging bonus to a piece of string and hope that they play chase, but on a cold Monday morning with three months until that quarterly bonus and a screaming customer on the line this probably isnât the incentive to transform the moment into a customer care heaven scene. You could even Go TotalitarianÂ© and attach electrodes to their nipples, but then youâd have to relocate east, and we all know how customers feel about foreign contact centres.

The thing is, none of this can make them care about the customer. Instead they push, shove and drag themselves into as much pleasantry as they can summon to try to seem like they care, then get stressed under the pressure of pretending to be what they do not feel for nine hours and leave their job mid-shift on a âtoilet breakââ¦ Not good for business. Your consultants need to care, so how?

Well â¦

â¦ Human beings are naturally altruistic.

Most of us do what we can when we can for other people. Many endeavour to do volunteer work with the most vulnerable in our society. Why? Because it makes us feel good. Altruism is enjoyable. Serving other human beings is enjoyable. Now, if serving other people makes us feel so good about ourselves then why on Godâs concrete Earth is the customer SERVICE sector not populated by the shiniest happiest people in all the land? I mean, these are people who get to serve other people ALL DAY LONGâ¦ and get paid! Those early morning birds / cars that wake us from our slumber should be greeted with a fairytale smile and twinkle in the eye at the prospect of nine whole hours at the call centre! âCall centre work rules!â should be graffiti scrawled across red-brick campus wallsâ¦ But it isnât. Why not? No, seriously, why not? A bit of help hereâ¦ Please?

Okay, so I am not quite sure why it is that temples arenât erected in honour of customer service, but I do know that, at least metaphorically, it is a very real possibility. We have the ingredients cut neatly on the faux marble work surface, and now we have our super-food in altruism that is going to bind and nourish this recipe.

Because â¦

â¦ Your staff do care about your customers.

They care because they are human beings who care about other human beings and enjoy caring about other human beings. And to be quite frank (but still Richard), very few of us do justice to how much we care when interacting with others. What is needed most of the time is just that little dash of awareness to bring out our altruistic flavours. You see, awareness leads us to empathy, and empathy finds a nature within us that is worlds apart from ourselves sans awareness.

For a heavy but clarifying example, if we knew that a loved one were to die tomorrow then there would be very little that they could do to upset or anger usâ¦ and yet, we do not know that a loved one will not die tomorrow. So, what gives? Simply put, what gives is that we just do not think about that. If we did then our compassionate nature would flourish and accord instinctively, but we donât and so we donât.

Letâs think about the customer. It is well documented that there is a certain breed of customer out there in the capitalist wilds that have been observed and classified (even tagged) as âdifficultâ. They are the ones that do not grasp that, maybe just maybe, the problem that they have most likely did not originate with yourselves, and that you are just the unfortunates with a target white tacked to your forehead. But this does not matter! This flight is under your control! Because, with that liberal sprinkle of awareness, you will see beyond your prevailing perception that, actually, this customer, like all human beings, probably has a very good reason for sharing their complete and utter disregard with you, and if you knew that reason (money problems, depression, abuse, tight trousers etc. etc.) then you would most likely feel compassion for the customer and really want to help them outâ¦ because you are human and you know what it is to hurt and you do care when other human beings hurt too.

Customer service â¦

â¦ is just human interaction.

And like any human interaction it can a be stimulating, meaningful, rewarding and educating experience. It is ludicrous like a hamster tasting tomato or a square shaped circle or tomorrow being yesterday and today for contact centre work to be considered mundane, repetitive and unsatisfying workâ¦ Ludicrous, I say! This work is river-bed rich in opportunity for growth through a constant and varied interaction with other peopleâ¦ a variety of interaction that is unique to customer care. An obnoxious customer may test your patience, or your tolerance may be spread nano thin by a customers heavy regional accent, but each is a challenge that can be embraced as a remarkable opportunity to learn and grow and express yourselves as human beings who really do careâ¦ Not just to become an ace hot-shot customer service consultant, and not even just because you will enjoy more harmonious and supportive relationships, but most of all because â¦

â¦ You Will Be Happy.

Lest I forget that this here article has been written to promote my training program, it goes without saying - even though I am going to say it - that this will be FANTASTIC for business. Perhaps even more so than I dare to believe at the moment, what with me being such a young upstart armed with a hat rack full of paradigm busting, evolutionary catalysing ideas, and all.

What I do is simpleâ¦ I gently wake people up. A little nudge here and a metaphorical Clockwork Orange eye opener there, until that natural vein of empathy is tapped and an expanded awareness is buckled in, and all of a sudden your consultants are charmed and honoured to be talking to even the most profound hell raising customerâ¦ I mean, we are talking about another human being here, devil horns or polished halo, this is an incomprehensibly unique individual who deserves the happiness that we too pursue, and you know what, maybe our happiness is invested in our desire to deliver them their happiness? I wouldnât be the first crazy to propose that maybe, just maybe, happiness has something to do with love, and not 6 digits in the fools gold account.

I am the perspective engineer that turns your thinking inside out until your customer nightmares are embraced as divine opportunities to practice and develop qualities like patience and tolerance which in turn make your customer service even betterâ¦ Genius! You get the consultants that your dreams dare not allocate space for, with customers who stall in their rant tracks in case this is actually the Dalai Lama answering their complaint, in a working environment that will have your staff wondering whether the golden age of peace and love is to begin in the humble call centre.

However, my motivation is not, and never will be, to make you more moneyâ¦ conversely, it is exactly that which will make you more successful than maybe even your calculator allows for.

The truth is that the insightful company who recognises that compassion and altruism and all other such nice, heart warming, picnic scene feelings are the key to customer care is the company that is going to be heralded as a visionary. If that company is yours, and you see the potential wonderfulness in what I have to offer, with the chance to cast yourselves in the non-fluorescent light of a pioneering and compassionate company; explorers in new directions and methods to attain excellence for the hallowed customer, whilst shattering the Made in Another EraÂ© mould and reassembling the pieces to form a new and vibrant era in mature and humanist customer care and employee regard, thenâ¦ HIRE ME! Or you could just ask for more informationâ¦

Here I amâ¦ Contact me!

Email: <removed by mod. Please include your contact details in your profile, if you want other members to contact you.>

Phone: <removed.>

Thank you for reading, it has been a pleasure having you read these words. And remember that, with thinkingâ¦. there is no box.

About the authorâ¦.

I am Richard Horrocks. I am a pioneering spirit with a passion for serving all human beings. I am here to deliver progressive and multi-dimensional ideas to those corners and shadows where they are most neededâ¦. The freshest ideas since âMilk-from-the-udder-Shakesâ.

Re: Kind Regards or Kind regards or kind regards...?

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:14:30 GMT

Written Formula for Ending a Letter (British English)

Informal, personal (to close friends and family):

With love
Best wishes

Semi-formal / informal (emails, notes, business memos):

Kind regards
Best regards
Regards

Formal letters:

Yours sincerely
- Use when you know the addressee by name (Dear John / Dear Mr Smith). You can only be sincere with someone you know.
Yours faithfully
- Use when you don't know the persons name (Dear Sir or Madam).

Case / Capitalisation

Sentence case applies. Only capitalise the first letter of a sentence (with the exception of proper nouns and special conventions).

Punctuation

Open punctuation and mixed punctuation are common in the UK. If you begin the letter with "Dear Jane," (or "Dear Jane:" in American English), then the closing should be punctuated with a comma (e.g. "Kind regards, John"). These commas (or colon and comma in American English) would be omitted when writing a letter in open punctuation (as the line breaks make such punctuation redundant).

Re: subordinate clauses?

Jackson6612 — Sat, 24 May 2008 08:57:34 GMT

Anonymous

Why are number 1's correct, whereas number 2's are not? Please note the commas.

First Part:
1. Stealing is illegal, because it is a crime.

2. Stealing is illegal because it is a crime.

Second Part:
1. Fishing is important to us, since it generates a lot of income.

2. Since fishing generates a lot income, it is important to us.

I can understand what thing is baffling you. In the First Part you would be thinking about the use of that comma. I don't think that the second sentence is incorrect. Sometimes what choice of words/punctuation an author uses in certain expressions is completely at his discretion. So both sentences in the First Part are correct. because is used when stating the reason for something. In the following sentence no comma is used in front of because. The President has played a shrewd diplomatic game because from the outset he called for direct talks with the United States...

Now come to the Second Part. since is used to introduce reasons or explanations. since=as. since can also be used at the start of the sentences but only when the sentence begins with the subordinate clause. e.g. Since you are unable to answer, we should ask someone else. In that sentence you cannot use since in front of we because the clause starting with we is the main one. The second sentence is also correct. It's just that it starts with the subordinate clause.

Kind regards,
Jackson

Help Proof Research Paper (MLA Help Too)

Anonymous — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 21:04:21 GMT

Hello everyone, nice forum you have here. I have a research paper due tomorrow and I have always had problems with punctuation and mechanics.

I was wondering if anyone would be so kind as to proofread it. Also, I have a works cited list, but I dont know where exactly to put the citations if multiple paragraphs are from the same source. Anywways, heres the paper:

Writing is known to be a very therapeutic process and many authors have utilized this quality throughout history. When writing reflects the authorsâ thoughts and experiences, the work becomes all the more meaningful and realistic. This brings about a quality that many people can relate to. Death, sadness, the desire to escape real life and, and hard times in general are recurring themes in literature. Themes such as this, although depressing, make up the basis of some of the best writing today.

These motifs make up the mold for the works of Tennessee Williams and Kate Chopin. Tennessee Williams is best known for two of his plays, The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. Both plays are heavily, heavily influenced by the tragic events of his life. Kate Chopin grew up in the Creoles of Louisiana, which had a lot of influence on her writing. Her most famous work, The Awakening, was banned for a few decades due to controversial content. She is also known for her short stories, Desireeâs Baby, The Storm, and The Story of an Hour.

In order to understand the meanings behind the words, it is necessary to first understand how these authors grew up. Without background knowledge, it would be hard for one to understand the times and troubles that the authors went through. Without knowing anything about their lives, it is not possible to make even educated guesses as to the meanings.

Kate Chopin was born February 8^th, 1850 as Katherine O'Flaherty. Having grown up in Louisiana, she is considered one of the southern forerunners for feminism in the 20^th century. Much of her work was based around her life's events.

Thomas OâFlaherty, her father, was a founder of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. When Kate was five years old, Thomas was one of twenty nine people who died in a bridge collapse over the Gasconade River. That same year, she entered into the Sacred Heart Academy in St. Louis. She ended up being very close to her mother and great grand-mother. In 1962, tragedy struck. Her brother George, a confederate soldier, died as a prisoner of war, and her great grand-mother passed away of old age. Following these deaths, Kate left Sacred Heart and immersed herself in reading. In 1865, she returned to her studies at Sacred Heart.

At nineteen years of age, she married a cotton farmer, Oscar Chopin. They proceeded to have 6 kids over the course of nine years. Oscarâs cotton business wasnât working out, so they moved to a small Louisiana town, Cloutierville. There, Oscar worked and managed a few plantations as well as a general store. Meanwhile, Kate had become involved in the community, diving headfirst into the Creole culture.

Oscar died in 1882 of Malaria, leaving Kate in a lot of debt. She tried to keep up work at the plantations and general store, but it was not working. At her motherâs request, she moved her family back to St. Louis. In the depressed state she was in, her doctor told her to start writing because he thought it would be therapeutic for her. He said, âHe understood that writing could be a focus for her extraordinary energy, as well as a source of income." Kate Chopin died in 1904 of a brain hemorrhage.

Like Kate Chopin, Tennessee Williams suffered from many family problems. Tennessee Williams was born March 26, 1911 as Thomas Williams, but was dubbed Tennessee when he joined the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity at the University of Missouri. When he was five years old, both of his legs became paralyzed completely. Luckily, this was only for two years. During that time, his mother pushed him to make up stories and read a lot. Even when his legs were better, he continued writing stories. His mother gave him a typewriter when he was thirteen years old.

His father, Cornelius was a traveling salesman who became quite abusive over the years. He always favored Tennesseeâs brother, Dakin. At one point during the Great Depression, Cornelius forced Tennessee to leave the University of Missouri to work in a shoe factory. He soon went back to school at Washington University in St. Louis, but finally graduated at the University of Iowa in 1938.

Rose Williams, Tennesseeâs sister, was a beautiful girl, diagnosed with Schizophrenia at a young age. Tennessee Williams loved his sister with all his heart, some even suggest in a way beyond sibling love. When Tennessee was at college in 1937, her parents gave permission to the doctors for a lobotomy, which went very wrong and incapacitated her for the rest of her life. Tennessee took this very badly and never forgave his parents.

Williams had been in a homosexual relationship with Frank Merlo for almost twenty years until 1963 when he died of cancer. Merlo had given Williams an arm to lean on for his depression and drug problems. When he died, Williams really went over the edge. Williams had alcohol and drug problems, with dependence on different Amphetamines and downers such as Barbiturates. These were prescribed by the infamous Dr. Max âFeelgoodâ Jacobson, who prescribed dangerous and addictive drugs to people such as John F. Kennedy, Truman Capote, Anthony Quinn and Eddie Fisher.

In regards to autobiographical elements in plays, it does not get more pronounced than in Williamsâ The Glass Menagerie. The entire play is basically an autobiography of Williamsâ problems. In the play, Laura Wingfield is a pretty, hermetic girl, with an undisclosed mental problem. She is a mirror image of Rose Williams, and her problem with Schizophrenia. Amanda Wingfield plays the part of Tomâs mother and fits the description of Williamsâ mother. Mr. Wingfield, although absent in the play, has a great presence. In The Glass Menagerie, Mr. Wingfield was a telephone salesman who âfell in love with long distances.â Cornelius Williams, in reality as well, was hardly around as he was a traveling salesman. When he was around, he was typically abusive. The narrator and character Tom Wingfield is almost a mirror image of Williams in terms of personal strife. In the play, Mr. Wingfield has forced Tom to work in a shoe factory, where he secretly writes poetry. In real life, Cornelius Williams took Tennessee out of college to work at a shoe factory.

Chopin wrote with similar themes, using much of her lifeâs experiences. In her short story, The Storm, Calixta is somewhat of a worrier. But when an old lover comes on horseback, she almost immediately give off a youthful persona. When Chopinâs husband died in real life, she was left to run the store, where she flirted nonstop and even had an adulterous affair with a married farmer.

Unlike Williams, much of Chopinâs writing had a lot of Creole influence. She was also a very big fan of Guy de Maupassant. Scholars say that her short story, Desireeâs Baby, was based completely around De Maupassantâs The Story of a Farm Girl. One aspect of De Maupassantâs writing that one can easily find in Chopinâs writing are the ironic conclusions. Desireeâs Baby has heavy Creole, shown by Armandâs anger and shame towards the skin color of the baby. Although Armand was the one who was part black, he wouldnât bring himself to believing it, and made Desiree leave. Desiree proceeds to kill herself and her baby by walking into a bayou and never returning.

In conclusion, Kate Chopin and Tennessee Williams write using the same process for ideas. They both turn to reality for inspiration. Yet, their writings styles and influences are quite different.

Thanks for any help in advance.

Re: GRAMMAR & PUNCTUATION CHECK

Anonymous — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:39:17 GMT

How accurate is your punctuation check and can it be integrated with MS Word? I am interested in the grammar and spell checks as well. However, Iâm particularly interested in a very accurate punctuation check. And, I would also like to know if you provide phone support.

Regards,

Richard Parkins

Re: The question mark/comma/quotation mark debacle

RayH — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:30:19 GMT

Please note that American English likes to place the final punctuation mark inside a title or quotation, even though it doesn't form part of it.
The British regard this practice as illogical.
AmE: He's always wanted to read "Moby Dick," "Oliver Twist" and "The Great Gatsby."

BrE: He's always wanted to read "Moby Dick", "Oliver Twist" and "The Great Gatsby".

Here is the link to the site this came from if you want to check it yourself. The relevant section is near the bottom of the screen under the heading "quotation marks".

HTH

http://www.davidappleyard.com/english/punctuation.htm

Re: Help with Punctuation - Part 2

Anil17 — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:16:23 GMT

Thanks Mister Micawber

Can you also feedback on my other Punctaution Exercise (part 1), and also agan thanks for the hlep on the conjunctions. Were all the others correct. Please advise?

Regards

Anil17

Re: Commentary on Hamlet's soliloquy

Clive — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 22:28:49 GMT

Hi,

Where you have put semi-colons, I'd usually use commas. I have also suggested some other changes to your punctuation. My general advice is not to get into the habit of using semi-colons and colons. They can often make tyour meaning more obscure rather than more clear.

You seem to have a very good understanding of this topic. I've broken up your one huge paragraph into two. Are there any other ways you can make your organization clearer to the reader?

Best wishes, Clive

Commentary on "To Be or not to Be"

In this soliloquy Hamlet sparks an internal philosophical debate on the advantages and disadvantages of existence, and whether it is one's right to end one's own life. He first asks himself thoughtfully whether it is nobler to bear the miseries of life or to take arms against them; but since both passive and active resistance are doomed to failure, he regards death as a mean to end oneâs sorrows once and for all. He sees death from a Medieval perspective, as physical liberation from the prison of the body (the âmortal coilâ); but he also symbolizes the doubt of the Renaissance man, concerning the after life. Indeed he faces an obstacle, that is to say the fear of âwhat dreams may comeâ in that sleep of death. If death were like a dreamless sleep, it would be easy to put an end to the misfortunes of life with a single stroke, but since we donât know what to expect in the afterlife, we havenât courage enough commit suicide. He says that the troubles of life are such that no one would willingly bear them, but our cowardice makes us âbear those ills we have / than fly to others that we know not ofâ.

In his soliloquy, Hamlet uses various gramatical structures to express his uncertainty, such as the infinitive forms. His speech takes shape slowly because of its thoughtful nature. The climax is reached when Hamlet lists the injustices and miseries of life, concluding that it would only take a small does his word 'mere' mean 'small' or does it mean 'unimportant'? knife to bring relief. He also uses metaphors, such as that of the mortal coil, that of the unknown country from where no traveller comes back, and that of the opposition between the pale cast of thought and the native hue of resolution. This one in particular helps us understand that for Hamlet courage is the ability to cross the border between life and death; but most people are cowards and this cowardice, through âthe pale cast of thoughtâ, makes us stay alive. The soliloquy elevates Hamletâs individual case to an universal level; this is achieved through the use of the plural pronouns 'we' and 'us', the indefinite 'who', and the impersonal infinitive. Its problematic nature is shown by the insistent use of interrogatives, while the internal struggle within Hamletâs mind is pointed out by the use of images from the battle-field (âslings and arrowsâ, which has become an idiomatic expression, and âto take arms against a sea of troublesâ). In the middle of the soliloquy we can find an enumeration of lifeâs misfortunes; while reflecting upon the nature of death Hamlet uses a repetition (âto die, to sleepâ). Finally, we can find a term from the financial semantic field, âquietusâ.

Re: Please help me proof it. Thanks

julielai — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 22:06:53 GMT

Some parts in red for you to fix

Cheese1987 wrote:

Account of the recent language learning experience and insights gained through the course both inside and outside of class

     Some useful skill I have learnt in the course in these months.(incomplete sentence) The most impress_ _ _ (missing three letters) ~~me is the~~ lesson teaching me how to write a composition in a (article) approicate (sp.) style. I do know it is important to choose the appropriate ~~and~~ tone when writing. I also understand that language style can be classified as formal, Neutral and Informal before. However, I do not know how I can write in an approriate style correctly. The skills are not taught when I am in secondary school. After the lesson, I understand choice of vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar, use of transitional words and phrases, use of punctuation and use of abbreaviations and short forms ~~are a critical issue~~ affect~~ing~~ the language style. I feel happy that I know how I can write in an approiate style now. I believe that I can match the type of writing more correctly and therefore, my writing will ~~be avoided to regard as~~ ___ ___ (Insert words here) awkward or unnatural.

      Reading English newspapers also helps me to improve my English. I am not used to reading English newspaper before. But I am required to buy South China Morning Post throught the courses. From then on I try to make reading South China Morning Post to be my daily routine. ~~I find that not only vocabularies I can learnt more , but also the horizon I can borden.~~ (Review your use of not only but also) Now ~~when the days I cannot received Newspaper from the lesson,~~ I read South China Morning Post form Yahoo. So I can read South China Morning Post everyday. I deeply believe that South China Morning Post is worth reading.

Personal changed feelings/opinions/attitude towards English language learning

    I am convinced that English language learning are stressful and frustrating before. I feel nervous when everyone is focus on me and when teacher is listening carefully. I believe this feeling comes from my self- doubt. I think classmates are step ahead of me. I also cannot correctly pronounce some sounds and sets of sound. To be frank, I have thought that English is no more important because I am in Chinese Language and Literature Programme. I no need to improve my English anymore.

However, my friends told me that mastery of the English language is indispensible. Hong Kong being a service - oriented economy, the advantage of having a competent English-speaking work force has become all the more improtant. I know that being a Chinese Language and Literature student is only an excuse to avoid learning English (You shouldn't think like that! Nothing wrong with being a Chinese major.). This thought only badly affect my interest and progress of learning English. I do know that if I lost the interest of learning English, my English cannot improve anymore. I need to find some ways to prevent feeling so fear and embarrassed.

     There are ways for me to prevent feeling so embarrassment. I think the most basical way is to improve English. I should study English continuously. When I find some words that I cannot ~~ensure to correctly~~ pronouce, I will check the electronic dictionary immediately. I will also try to speak English with my friends. I believe I can speak English fluently if I often do that. My friends can also kindly point out my grammatical mistakes. They will not laugh at my absurd mistakes. Therefore, I will not feel embarrassed anymore.

Personal Learning Plan

Long term goals:

a)         To get a C grade in Use of English in Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination

b)        To get a band score of 7 ~~marks~~ in IELTS

Short term goals:

a)         To finish all the exercises in Advanced Grammar in Use.

b)        To keep reading South China Moring Post and standard

c)        To write compositions

Materials to use:

a)         Advanced Grammar in Use Exercise book

b)        South China Morning Post

c)        Hong Kong Standard

Activities to engage in:

a)         To join some workshops held by ITC

b)        To exchange in Summer

How often:

a)         Doing 3 exercises everyday

b)        Reading Newspapers every day (Look up the difference between "every day" and everyday)

c)        Writing a composition every 2 weeks

Mode of learning:

a)         Keep doing exercise and composition

b)        Keep reading Newspapers

Mode of assessment:

a)         To sit for Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination.

b)        To sit for IELTS.

Please help me proof it. Thanks

Cheese1987 — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:41:16 GMT

Please help me proof it. Thanks!

Account of the recent language learning experience and insights gained through the course both inside and outside of class

Some useful skill I have learnt in the course in these months. The most impress me is the lesson teaching me the skills to write a composition in a approicate style. I do know it is important to choose the appropriate and tone when writing. I also understand that language style can be classified as formal, Neutral and Informal before. However, I do not know how I can write in an approriate style correctly. The skills are not taught when I am in secondary school. After the lesson, I understand choice of vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar, use of transitional words and phrases, use of punctuation and use of abbreaviations and short forms are a critical issue affecting the language style. I feel happy that I know how I can write in an approiate style now. I believe that I can match the type of writing more correctly and therefore, my writing will be avoided to regard as awkward or unnatural.

Reading English newspapers also helps me to improve my English. I am not used to reading English newspaper before. But I am required to buy South China Morning Post throught the courses. From then on I try to make reading South China Morning Post to be my daily routine. I find that not only vocabularies I can learnt more , but also the horizon I can borden. Now when the days I cannot received Newspaper from the lesson, I read South China Morning Post form Yahoo. So I can read South China Morning Post everyday. I deeply believe that South China Morning Post is worth reading.

Personal changed feelings/opinions/attitude towards English language learning

I am convinced that English language learning are stressful and frustrating before. I feel nervous when everyone is focus on me and when teacher is listening carefully. I believe this feeling comes from my self- doubt. I think classmates are step ahead of me. I also cannot correctly pronounce some sounds and sets of sound. To be frank, I have thought that English is no more important because I am in Chinese Language and Literature Programme. I no need to improve my English anymore.

However, my friends told me that mastery of the English language is indispensible. Hong Kong being a service - oriented economy, the advantage of having a competent English work force has become all the more improtant. I know that being a Chinese Language and Literature student is only an excuse to avoid learning English. This thought only badly affect my interest and progress of learning English. I do know that if I lost the interest of learning English, my English cannot improve anymore. I need to find some ways to prevent feeling so fear and embarrassed.

There are ways for me to prevent feeling so embarrassment. I think the most basical way is to improve English. I should study English continuously. When I find some words that I cannot ensure to correctly pronouce, I will check the electronic dictionary immediately. I will also try to speak English with my friends. I believe I can speak English fluently if I often do that. My friends can also kindly point out my grammatical mistakes. They will not laugh at my absurd mistakes. Therefore, I will not feel embarrassed anymore.

Personal Learning Plan

Long term goals:

a) To get a C grade in Use of English in Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination

b) To get 7 marks in IELTS

Short term goals:

a) To finish all the exercises in Advanced Grammar in Use.

b) To keep reading South China Moring Post and standard

c) To write compositions

Materials to use:

a) Advanced Grammar in Use Exercise book

b) South China Morning Post

c) Hong Kong Standard

Activities to engage in:

a) To join some workshops held by ITC

b) To exchange in Summer

How often:

a) Doing 3 exercises everyday

b) Reading Newspapers everyday

c) Writing a composition every 2 weeks

Mode of learning:

a) Keep doing exercise and composition

b) Keep reading Newspaper

Mode of assessment:

a) To sit for Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination.

b) To sit for IELTS.