Saturday, August 18, 2007

글을 완성해 봅시다

As we are preparing for TOPIK, we are expected to submit a composition every week. Below is the composition which I submitted in today class. In it, I wrote about one of my failure, how I overcame it and what I have learnt from it. I didn't put in much effort thinking about the content so it is not worth a read. As I was more interested in mastering the writing technique I consider this as a "technical" piece of work. By the way, my composition is only 309 words which is still short of the 400~600 words required in the TOPIK exam. I still need to pull up my socks.

나는 경함한 실수들이 많다. 그 중에서 한 실수를 지금까지도 잊어버리지 않는다. 그 실수는 고등1년 때 큰 시험에 떨어진 것이다. 그 때는 시험을 위한 준비가 많이 부족해서 시험에 떨어졌다. 친구들이랑 함께 많이 놀았기 때문이다. 어려서 그런지 무엇이 가장 중요한지 몰았는데 열심히 공부하는 것에 관심이 없었다. 숙제를 자주 안 했고 복습을 거의 안 했고 매일 줄겁게 놀았다. 결극은 큰 시험에 붙지 않았는데 부모님에게 실망하게 했다. 그렇게 창피한 일을 부모님에게 잘 못을 사과했다. 그 후에 매일 학교로 지하철을 타고가면서 꼭꼭 숙제를 많이 복습했지만 노는 것은 적당하게 계속 놀았다. 모든 것을 과하게 하면 안 좋겠다 그렇게 생각한다. 실수 때마다 변명을 하지 말고 잘 못 된 부분에 직접 해결해야 한다. 시험 직전에 노력하면 절대로 안 된다.


Taking on TOPIK level 4 is really stretching my Korean language limit. I probably understand only 30% of the questions and I may be able to make good guesses for another 30% of them. The rest of the 40% is simply beyond my reach. However, I like what I am undergoing now. I cannot make it too easy for myself or I will learn less and not improve. My TOPIK teacher, Ms Min, is definitely not giving us any illusion that TOPIK is going to be easy. Firstly, she speaks to us as if she is speaking to Koreans. There is no moderation in her speed of speaking and her choice of words. Frankly, most of the times, I can only understand 20% of what she says and for the next 30%, somehow I have to "feel" what she means. As for the other half of what she says, they just draw blank look from me. Secondly, she is making us remember many vocabulary and grammar by drilling us in making sentence after sentence. I really miss the convenience of the electronics dictionary in particular at this moment when there are so many new words appearing in TOPIK level 4. I will not be asking my teacher to make thing any easier. Instead I tell myself to match her standard by working even harder.

5 comments:

  1. hey equinox, would like to ask u if u know what 것이/을 means exactly in english.

    지선생님 수업에서 살명지만 저는 잘 모르겠어요.

    also, when and how do i use it in sentences?

    정말 감사합니다! :)

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  2. Cant use electronic dictionary in class?

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  3. 제 전에 쓰던 전자사전이 죽어버렸었어요. 지금 사전으로 모르는 단어의 의미를 검색하고 있는데 좀 어려워요 :(

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  4. What brand was it ?
    Just died on you like that ?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nothing to do with the brand. I used faulty batteries which leaked.

    ReplyDelete