Introducing Myself

By Eri Shimizu

     My name is Eri Shimizu and I'm from Japan and learning English. I like English because it helps me know a lot of things about the U.S., for example, the culture, interesting habits and new slang.

  The thing I like best about English is grammar. In Japan, most English classes focus on grammar more than reading, writing, speaking, or listening. For that reason, I have learned a lot of grammar. Therefore, grammar is my strength. I like grammar because it feels like a puzzle. Sometimes, it becomes hard for me to describe, for instance, if I don’t know which part of speech a word is. However, when I can figure it out, I am so happy. There is always a solution and reasons, so I can find an evident answer. Also, the point that everything is connected is one of the reasons why I like grammar. I can use something which I have learned before to understand a new thing. I think that this is also true of puzzles. Puzzles are also difficult, but I like them because there are rules, and I can certainly find the answers. Grammar and puzzles have a lot of similarities; therefore, I like grammar, and it is my strength in English.

      Compared with grammar, I’m not good at reading. I like reading books, but most books I have read are in Japanese, not in English. This is the first reason why I’m not good at reading. I want to read English books fast, so I need to read as many books as possible. The second reason is prejudice. When I was in Japan, I read English articles in my textbook, but most of them were so boring. In addition, the teachers were so boring, too. That's why I have a prejudice against reading class. However, the class in the U.S. is much more interesting than in Japan, so I think the prejudice will go away. To sum up, I don’t like reading very much now, but I might get better at reading this summer.

      Writing is better than reading for me. It is interesting and exciting because I can use grammar which I practice in writing. Writing helps me realize how much I know about grammar. For example, in the last session, I had learned how to use past perfect progressive and was able to use it in my essay. Consequently, I like writing because it has some connection with grammar. Of course, I have many problems in writing such as I can’t write as fluently and accurately as I'd like to. However, I believe that I can be a good writer if I learn a lot and practice hard. In fact, I have become better at writing than I was in Japan, so this hasn’t become a factor in disliking writing.

      In conclusion, my strength in English is grammar, and I like writing because I can use grammar for it. Now, I’m not so good at reading, but I hope that my reading skill will improve this semester.