[General] This is an ideal place to relax (99 words)

Status
Not open for further replies.

Silverobama

Key Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2010
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
China
Hi.

I wrote a short paragraph about my life in a mountain resort. Please feel free to make it sound natural. The other day my friend phoned me and asked me about my life here in a resort. He has never been here so he asked me to tell him something about it. I then wrote what I said to him down. We chatted with each other in English.

This is an ideal place to spend some quality time. The air is undoubtedly clean and food is purely organic. My parents and I live in a two-storey house and we are surrounded by trees and woke up by birds chirppings. Our home is not far from the town center so we often attend the produce fair. Most of our neighbors who escape the summer heat here are also from downtown Chongqing, we get along quite merrily. The only smear that distorts this picturesque painting is that our house is damp in rainy seasons and things get moldy quickly.

Produce fair: it's like a temple fair. Many farmers go there to sell their wholly organic vegetables, meat, etc.

The last sentence is a metaphor I tried to use. I know it's awkard. I want to say that the only thing that makes this whole beautiful thing not beautiful is that our house is damp so things are easily to get moldy.
 

Charlie Bernstein

VIP Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2009
Member Type
Other
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
Hi.

I wrote a short paragraph about my life in a mountain resort. Please make changes to make it sound natural. The other day my friend phoned me and asked me about my life here in a resort. He has never been here, so he asked me to tell him something about it. I did, then wrote what I said to him down. We chatted with each other in English.

Good. That's the best way to become fluent!


This is an ideal place to spend some quality time. The air is undoubtedly clean, and the food is purely organic. My parents and I live in a two-storey house, and we are surrounded by trees and woken up [or awakened] by birds chirping. Our home is not far from the town center, so we often attend the produce fair. [We have farmers markets. Is that the same thing?] Most of our neighbors who escape the summer heat here are also from downtown Chongqing. We get along quite merrily. The only smear that distorts this picturesque painting is that our house is damp in rainy seasons and things get moldy quickly.

Produce fair: it's like a temple fair. Many farmers go there to sell their wholly organic vegetables, meat, etc.

Aha. Yes, it sounds like a farmers market. (Also spelled farmer's and farmers'.)


The last sentence is a metaphor I tried to use. I know it's awkard.

It's not bad. I can think of some cliches, but I don't like teaching people to use cliches.

I want to say that the only thing that makes this whole beautiful thing not beautiful is that our house is damp, so things get moldy easily.
There you go!
 

emsr2d2

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 28, 2009
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
UK
I then wrote what I said to him down.

There are too many words between "wrote" and "down" to make that sentence natural. Use "I then wrote down what I said [to him]".
 

teechar

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Feb 18, 2015
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
Iraq
Current Location
Iraq
- "a resort", then (subsequently) "the resort"
- I would use "well" instead of "merrily" in that.
- Say, e.g. "the only blemish that mars this (picturesque) idyll".
- "damp in the rainy season"
- I agree with Charlie that "farmers market" is better.
 

tedmc

VIP Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
Member Type
Interested in Language
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
Malaysia
Current Location
Malaysia
I think the imperfection of the idyllic setting is not just your house and things being damp but lies in the fact that the air gets moist/humid in the rainy season.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top