Mark had felt anxious and fatigued for a long time, which negatively affected his life. Eventually he went to a doctor and was diagnosed with anxiety. Besides taking medication, he tried exploring new hobbies like learning Chinese. Initially he did not know to study on his own and did not take it seriously. Things changed when he found a language partner May, who was eager to improve her English.
After committing to learning Chinese, he surprisingly found very satisfied with any small progress, although he would always feel frustrated. Meanwhile, he felt somewhat embarrassed to admit how rewarded he felt about those minor milestones until he realized that May could understand. She told Mark that she felt pleased whenever learning new things, such as getting constructive feedback from native speakers.
Mark was introverted and isolated. By sharing the same interest with May, he became cheerful. They helped each other to improve significantly. Both of them never thought about why they felt so good about learning languages.
In reality, research says people tend to be more peaceful when focusing on any skills, such as playing musical instruments or learning languages. Therefore learning languages can relieve anxiety.
Excellent writing! How long have you been studying English?
@CocoPop
Hi CocoPop,
I appreciate your nice comment. :) It was encouraging. I have been learning English for more than 10 years. The more I learn, the more I realize that it is very challenging to sound completely natural no matter in speaking or writing. Do you feel the same way when you learn Russian? :)
I’m so glad you liked my comments and corrections. One thing you can do to make your English 100% more natural is to use contractions. For example, in your comment above, you say “I have been learning”, “it is very challenging”. This sounds very robotic — both in writing, and in speech. Other than that, your English is very good!
It’s not the same with me and Russian, because I don’t have occasion to speak it – I only read and write it for the most part.
Thank you for your messages. :)
A native English speaker told me that I should avoid using contractions in my pieces. And he corrected all the contractions in my writing. Haha
I think I should try to use more contractions when sending messages. I appreciate your compliment and advice.:) It’s good to know that it sounds robotic without contractions.
Sometimes it’s difficult to find native speakers to practice your target language. I assume you’re learning Russian as a hobby. :) As long as you enjoy learning it by reading and writing, it’s still a good exercise for your brain.:D
Not using contractions in modern English is the most outdated concept ever. I’m a professional editor and I can tell you that everybody uses contractions both in writing and in speech. The only place they recommend you don’t use contractions nowadays is in dissertations.
Sunny, please read this article: https://proofreadingpal.com/proofreading-pulse/writing-guides/when-should-i-use-contractions/ ...and share it with the dinosaur who told you not to use contractions!)))
I'm glad that I can get your professional advice. Thank you for the information. I'll read it carefully. :)
You're very welcome :)