Posts by mashhadi

mashhadi

Nov 18, 2009

Writing Feedback / Studying people and events of the past time is very useful [3]

Hi hitchhike
this reply regards to your request about time management (I should leave writing assessment for experts). It's because I had the same problem and have strive to find a new way. here what I've got :

you should put quota on what you want to do. In Toefl, we have only 30 minutes. A piece of good writing takes at least 40 minutes from a non-English speaker like us (without revising it). So working from scratch is the worst thing one can do. a good way is to dedicate 3 minutes to planning(what is your preference, what is your main points, and think of two details for each one), 20 to writing(including introduction, 2 or 3 main paragraphs and one conclusion, each is 6 minutes) and 7 to revision(Please note PS1).

Another job is to practice more and more. These practices may finally lead to a certain structure, which you can use in Toefl's writing in order to speed up your writing. I don't mean "memorizing" certain words or collocations (which leads to a worse score, according to what Toefl men say). I mean when you write at least 10 essays, then you know how to introduce your essay, how to present each idea into an independent but coherent paragraph, and how to conclude what you've said before and wrap it up.

finally, find your words. every person talks and writes in a unique way. It means that we have our own words when talking or writing. When writing, you may use the same exact way of talking in your native language and write its equivalent in your paper or screen. So, what happens? you stick on words. you waste a lot of your time CONVERTING the meaning from your mother-tongue to English. Instead of that, you should find your own words in English, and this doesn't happen unless you read and read and write and write.

Here was what I use when writing, and it answered to me.

Good luck

PS1 : "How to prepare for the toefl essay"'s barrons book dedicates 5 minutes to planning, 20 minutes to writing and the rest to revision. However, believe me that this doesn't work(or at least doesn't work best). In my PRACTICES, I've found that 5 minutes is much more than needed, because when you begin writing, new ideas come to your mind, so this seems a little waste of time to put one sixth of your time in planning. Besides, experience shows that when you revise your essay, you see mistakes that make you laugh, because they are so stupid. So if you don't have enough time to correct them, you make your referee to laugh, and guess what happens to your score.

mashhadi

Nov 18, 2009

Writing Feedback / TOEFL:::working for a small company - more chances are to boost in your job [2]

In recent decades, more than thousands of large companies have been built all around the world. However, one of the most significant issues having occupied the minds of every employee is whether to work in a large enterprise or just have a job in a small one. In this respect, some people emphasize on the role of gigantic companies in today industry and wish to work for them. On the other hand, there are those who prefer to be far from hustle and bustle of these huge companies and work for small one. From my point of view, the latter group's opinion seems more rational due to chief reasons being discussed in the following essay.

To begin with, in a small company, one probably experiences a friendlier atmosphere. The level of stress and work pressure is much less. Besides, he has a chance to know every employee in person. This results in more communication between co-workers, which is a sign of a good workplace.

Moreover, another reason motivating me for holding such an opinion is the recent study having been done by the researchers of McGill University, whose abstract published in their quarterly. It reveals that in small companies, there is less probability to fail for people involved in it. These results lead us to conclude that small companies present a simpler way to succeed. Hence, what is beyond the experiment fully substantiates my way of thinking.

Finally, contrary to popular belief, working in a large enterprise doesn't equal success. In contrast, when you are in a small workplace, your abilities and skills can be more discovered by your managers. In addition, you are much more aware of company structure, goals and missions. So you can make yourself work in line with these objectives in order to promote at your work.

To wrap it up, it is essential to bear in mind the advantages of working in a small company when searching for a job. While I do appreciate huge enterprises and their contribution to human being, my status as a young man makes me to appreciate better workplaces. The less the number of people working in a company, the more your chances are to boost in your job.