First Attempt of English Debate

Well done for having the courage to debate in your 2nd language. Don't forget to leave a space after comma, period and question mark.

My First Debate Using English

As I mentioned before, I am extremely afraid of speaking in public, or anything else like that, so taking part in a debate, using English no less, would definitely be out of my comfort zone. Thus, I do not understand or know what gave me the courage to proclaim, “I will take part in it.” In fact, no sooner had the words left my mouth than I immediately regretted volunteering myself.

However, as a common Chinese proverb states: “Spilled water cannot be gathered up again.” Unfortunately, it was rather clear that my partner took my words all too seriously, as her expression showed complete confidence now that my participation was certain. Yet, I really had no idea how a British Parliamentary debate worked, nor did I know what materials I should prepare, so for me, the upcoming debate was also an impending nightmare.

Fortunately, as far as I am concerned, the experience turned out to be not so bad, so maybe I should be thankful for the easy topic, or maybe I should attribute our success to my partner. Although our grade has not come out as of yet, at least I was able to talk for the full 7 minutes sharp—with no long and embarrassing silence as I had imagined beforehand. To that extent, I failed the expectations I had set for myself.

However, to recap, when it was my turn to speak, paper in hand, I stood up, hardly recognizing my own scratchy handwriting, which caused me to stammer briefly once I began. A slight tittering floated into my ears, the sound of which normally would have served to make me more self-conscious, and the situation even worse. Yet, this time, it caused me to focus, to find my voice, and—voila--off I went without further interruption.

Of course, I still have not achieved fluency in English, so that is partly why I forced myself to participate in the debate. Regardless, my performance the next time will definitely be a better one.*/**

(I have kept the habit of writing a diary for so long, but in Chinese, of course. Whenever there is something worth a detailed notation though, I use English instead. Still, after all, a boring diary, no matter the language used, especially one full of the mundane observations concerning everyday chores, is truly only for oneself.)

Hi, Winnie. Good job! The changes that I made were to allow your sentences to sound more natural to my native ears, to clarify and explain your ideas, and for ease of reading. Apologies if I misinterpreted your thoughts!  I hope that this helps you. J.

*Practice makes perfect, so keep forcing yourself to do the things you are afraid to do. **As to the grammar, please be sure to leave a space after a period (.) or a comma (,). The word "spilt" used to enjoy popular usage, but has been pushed aside by "spilled" in most instances, at least here in the U.S. So, know about it, but you might limit its use to reciting idioms (There's no use in crying over spilt milk!) or recreating archaic speech. As an aside, you have a very enjoyable way of expressing yourself in your writing, so increasing your vocabulary in English will allow you to do so to an even greater degree.