A good neighbor must be respectful and thoughtful - TOEFL independent essay

Neighbors are the people who live near us. In your opinion, what are the qualities of a good neighbor? Use specific reasons and examples in your answer.

There is an Arabic proverb that goes "Choose the neighbor before you choose the house", which means, while choosing a house to buy, neighbors are more important than the house. In my opinion, a good neighbor must be respectful and thoughtful.

First of all, a good neighbor respects his neighbors. He does not make noise after midnight or when one of his neighbors is sick. He always greets the other neighbors whenever he sees them. For example, I remember one of my neighbors who was an old man, waters the plants of his front garden, every morning, and greets every passerby with a smile. One day, he did not show up as usual, everyone missed him. When they went to ask about him, they found out that he was sick.

Additionally, a good neighbor must be thoughtful. He cares about his neighbors and ready to help them in the times of need. He also has a sense of responsibility; whenever one of his neighbors has a trouble he rushes to give him a helping hand. Besides that, he remembers his neighbors in the special occasions and celebrations. For instance, the lady who lives next door likes cooking and always sends us dishes and cakes, especially in the religious occasions.

To sum up, a neighbor is not less important than the house. With respectful and thoughtful neighbors, anyone can live in peace and harmony in his neighborhood.

i]I'm not sure if the second one is a good example. I can think of some other ways to be a respectful neighbor, such as letting your neighbors know in advance when you are having a party, making sure you train your pets not to go o the bathroom on their lawn (or picking up after them if they do), parking considerately by not blocking a driveway, being aware of shared walls if you live in an apartment, being sure to calmly negotiate any shared responsibilities, etc... I think you can definitely elaborate on what it means to be a respectful neighbor.[/i]

For example, I remember one of my neighbors who was ,an old man who always watered the plants of his front garden each morning and greeted everyone with a smile. .

One day everyone noticed he was not outside as usual, which was concerning . When they went to ask about him, they found out that he was sick.

I think you can add more here about why you think that was an example to being respectful. It's thoughtful to check up on a neighbor when you always see them and suddenly you don't, but I'm not sure how that fits into the paragraph about respect.

Additionally, a good neighbor mustshould be thoughtful. He cares about his neighbors and ready to help them in the times of need. He also has a sense of responsibility; whenever one of his neighbors has a trouble he rushes to give him a helping hand. Besides that, he remembers his neighbors in the special occasions and celebrations. For instance, the lady who lives next door likes cooking and always sends us dishes and cakes, especially in the religious occasions.

I think you need to rework this paragraph a bit. It sounds like you are saying that is what people in general should do, rather than things a thoughtful neighbor does.

To sum up, a neighbor is not less important than the house. With respectful and thoughtful neighbors, anyone can live in peace and harmony in his neighborhood.

Your closing paragraph is weak. I think you need to sum up your points again and create a stronger conclusion.