Akina Shirayama
ENG099
Portfolio Preface
Writing is very important way to communicate with others, keep files, and show your
work to others and make them understand you. I write almost everyday especially when I have to
do my homework. I get a lot of writing assignments at college. I will also need to have good
writing skills after I get a job in the future because I will send letters to other companies, and
make many documents. Most professors ask students to do paper assignments. For example, in
ENG 102, you have to make final papers that are over ten pages. Similarly but not so many, I
already had an assignment at introduction to business class. I wrote five pages paper about
business ethics. In the papers, I wrote my opinions about the ideal shape of business ethics with
examples of current unethical businesses. If there is no writing, you will not able to convey what
you want to say to other people. To make you understood more, and to exchange opinions, you
have to have good writing skills. Unfortunately, I could not pass an ACT exam when I took the
exam before the enrollment. And I was put into ESL courses. At that time, I felt bad because I
wanted to take more college courses and wanted to study business more. However, I appreciate
the opportunity to get much time to improve my writing skills now. Without these basic skills, I
would not be able to fulfill other courses well.
I am taking ENG099 in my second semester. After I finished ESL courses and wrote many
college style essays, I reached ENG099. In this class, I wrote college style essays, formal letters,
short papers, and ACT style essays in which you have to choose an option from two and have to
take your position, and you have to support your option with three examples. Besides, we wrote a
few sentences about some topics every Tuesday morning. Through these works, I got more
writing skills than before. Just after I entered this college, I could not write long essay. Because I
was just writing about the most important things which I wanted to say strongly, my essays end
quickly. However, I learned to make the sentences very long by writing details and examples in
ESL courses. Moreover, I learned how to support the theses statements strongly in ENG099. My
weakness is that I cannot support the theses statements because I cannot think out examples. I
think essays without examples have no power to make readers understand clearly. In the
beginning of the class, I wrote something that happens anywhere for the examples. It was not so
effective and it could not influence readers. I learned to make up the examples through practices
for ACT exam. By practicing the way to imagine the situation and make up the examples, I was
getting somehow. Examples and details give the essays lives. When I took ACT exam again at the
end of ENG099 class, many examples were raising in my head and I could write many examples
though I think I still needed to mention wider topic not just the example from around myself. I
think I have overcome some problem making examples through ENG099. What’s more, my
second weakness is that I cannot use correct words to express my feeling. I have less vocabulary
than native people. But thing is I am learning and am practical about it. It is my weakness but I
can make readers understand by saying details and explain words with many expressions. My
strength is to make organized essays. When I write a paper, I always care about readers. I write
paper so that reader can understand easily and clearly. For example, I make essays following time
order. Thus, reader can imagine the situation vividly in order. Because I am not good at reading
and understanding it, I try to make easy sentences that everybody can understand as possible as I
can.
I am glad that I can write a long essay and kind of supportive essay now that I could not
write when I entered this college. I have progressed a lot when I did not notice it. As I evaluate
myself now, I appreciate the writing classes which I have taken so far. And ENG099 really helped
me to write formal writing. In the class, I could study the same things with native English speaker
students. If I can pass this class, I am going to take ENG101 in Fall 2 which is next session. I
know ENG101 is much harder than this class, but I will try to do well on that class. I hope I can
take that class and I would like to focus on writing more in short time, Fall 2.