First notebook entry: Introducing myself My name is Zhu Yuting. I'm from China. I'm a senior in Hefei University of Technology. My major is International Economics and Trade. I like music very much. I

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Yuting_Grace

First notebook entry: Introducing myself My name is Zhu Yuting. I'm from China. I'm a senior in Hefei University of Technology. My major is International Economics and Trade. I like music very much. I appreciate different kinds of music from all over the world. I want to learn English because I'm going to Canada for further study. In fact, I'm preparing for TOEFL exam recently. I hope I can make friends with people from different countries and learn English well.

Corrections · 3

First notebook entry: Introducing myself

My name is Zhu Yuting. I'm from China. I'm a senior in Hefei University of Technology. My major is International Economics and Trade. I like music very much. I appreciate different kinds of music from all over the world. I want to learn English because I'm going to Canada for further study. In fact, I'm preparing for TOEFL exam recently. I hope I can make friends with people from different countries and learn English well.

Most of your paragraph is excellent. I have just a couple of small comments.

I'm preparing for TOEFL exam recently.

I’m preparing for the TOEFL exam at present.

Or:

I have been preparing for the TOEFL exam recently.

Use the Present Continuous (am preparing) to express the idea that something is happening now, at this very moment. Recently refers to a time prior to the present.

We use the Present Perfect Continuous (have been preparing) to show that something started in the past and has continued up until now.

I hope I can make friends with people from different countries and learn English well.

Although there are times when we can use the expression “make friends” in English (like “’he makes friends easily”), it is not at all as common as the same expression in Chinese and I would avoid saying it. Most of the time it sounds like Chinglish. Moreover, Americans do not say to strangers “I want to be your friend.” Young girls might say that. For us the word “friend” refers to someone we have known for a while and already know a lot about.

I would say: I hope I can meet (or: get to know) people from different countries and learn English well.)

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