English Language Discussion Forums


Go Back   UsingEnglish.com ESL Forum > Learning English > Ask a Teacher

Quick Links
Sites for Teachers



Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 24-Apr-2005, 19:16
chris1014
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default student task

I am a student of English translation in Austria. I wanted to ask you if someone could correct one of my tasks or tell me what I could do better. Here it is:

I am writing you from a wonderful place called „Labudala“. You will surly ask yourself why I left Bangkok where we wanted to meet next week. Well, that’s a weird story but I will try to explain it.
After 6 days in Bangkok I went to a restaurant where you’d usually met natives only. I really didn’t expect to see any tourists in there because most of them would be scared of this kind of restaurant. However, while I was eating I saw an attractive but pretty dirty and exhausted looking young woman who tried to get something to eat for free. She tried everything to persuade the owner of the restaurant but it didn’t look like it was going to work. So I decided to help her out because it appeared as if she was in real trouble.
Then this kind of weird but wonderful odyssey started. She turned out to be a backpacker from the US and she really was in deep water. All her money had been stolen 2 days ago in the elevated train and she was already desperate when I met her. On top of that, she didn’t have a place to sleep either because she just wanted to pass through Bangkok and catch the plane to Labudala. This, however, wasn’t possible because after her money had been stolen she didn’t know how to pay for the ticket. Actually, she didn’t even know who to afford something to eat.
So I decided to pay the ticket and as I was kind of spell bound by her blue sparkling eyes and her long blond hair - even if she looked pretty shabby - I went with her.
It was also very fascinating how she described this little island in the south of Thailand. When she spoke of it she was all smiles and now I understand why.
Here are just a few fishing villages and virtually no tourists at all. We sleep in a small thatched hut directly on the beach. It’s just indescribably beautiful. There is a little lake with a tiny waterfall just a 15 minute walk away where we can have a wash and tropical rainforest is all around us. You can pick every fruit you can imagine just behind our little hut. And if we need anything else we take the boat and drive to the next village. It’s so wonderful
Please come and join us here. I will send you a description how to come to this tremendously gorgeous place. I would really be in a quandary if you didn’t want to come.
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2  
Old 25-Apr-2005, 06:16
Editor, UsingEnglish.com
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Country: UK
Posts: 27,489
Current Location: Tokyo
Native Language: English
Member Type: English Teacher
Tdol has disabled reputation
Default Re: student task

surly - surely
usually met natives- meet
elevated train- overground/monorail??
know who to afford - how, I'd also change 'afford' to 'pay for'
spell bound- I'd write this as a single word
looked pretty shabby- I'd use scruffy for a person and shabby for a house, etc
Here are just a few fishin- Here, there are
15 minute- 15-minute
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 25-Apr-2005, 14:18
mr. parchman
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: student task

thanks ... are there any further grammar or idiomatic mistakes or something that I could write in a better way?
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 25-Apr-2005, 17:39
Editor, UsingEnglish.com
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Country: UK
Posts: 27,489
Current Location: Tokyo
Native Language: English
Member Type: English Teacher
Tdol has disabled reputation
Default Re: student task

There are a couple of cases where the language is fine, but I'm not sure a native speaker would use it:
I would really be in a quandary if you didn’t want to come.
I don't think I'd use 'quandary' there, but am not sure whether it's just me so I'd like to see what others say.

you’d usually met natives only

I'd say 'locals' here, but again I'm not sure if that's my choice.

blue sparkling eyes- I'd reverse the order of the adjectives.

I guess this could so with a spot of punctuation:
attractive but pretty dirty and exhausted looking young woman

Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
student, task

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may post new threads
You may post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Moderation Tools:

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
construction of the task? Unregistered Ask a Teacher 3 20-Apr-2005 04:44
student Unregistered Ask a Teacher 2 27-Feb-2005 08:28
An English major student.. Latoof Ask a Teacher 10 14-Feb-2005 18:34


All times are GMT. The time now is 11:55.


vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2010, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.3.2
Copyright © 2002 - 2010 UsingEnglish.com