Please read the poem below and answer the questions.
“I take it you already know”
By: Unknown
I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble, but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, lough and through?
Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps?
Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird,
And dead: it’s said like bed, not bead –
For goodness sake don’t call it deed!
Watch out for meat and great and threat
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt).
A moth is not a moth in mother,
Nor both in bother, broth in brother,
And here is not a match for there
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear,
And then there’s dose and rose and lose –
Just look them up – and goose and choose,
And cork and work and card and ward,
And font and front and word and sword,
And do and go and thwart and cart –
Come, come, I’ve hardly made a start!
A dreadful language? Man alive!
I’d mastered it when I was five!
Many people struggle with the English language. If you are a native English speaker, or English is your second, third, or fourth language you struggle with English pronunciation, grammar, spelling, and mechanics. DON’T WORRY!!! We all struggle. Even your professors come across things they are unfamiliar with from time to time.
Today, I would like you to do a a self-evaluation of your English abilities.
Tell me about your past experience as an English language learner.
1. When did you begin speaking, writing, and reading in English?
2. What in English have you struggled with in the past? why do you think you have struggled with this?
3. What type of things do you like to read? why?
4. What do you feel you need to work on to be a master of English? Explain.
wrightlevelup2015 
1. I started to speak when i was around 3 or 4 years old; started writing and reading when i was in Pre-school.
2. I struggled with many words during my time in elementary school. Because, well we all go through the time we all couldn’t pronounce the word right, even though you try saying it.
3. I like to read comic book, anime manga and strategy guides for video gaming. Because they are easy to read instead of reading an actual book all day and being bored of reading it.
4. By practicing my words right: so i don’t i make mistakes saying them, even though i say them correctly.
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I first started speaking English when I was a young child. I don’t remember exactly, but I guess I started writing and reading when I was in kindergarten. I like to read comic books because I like to read in short bursts and comic books allow me to do that. To become more proficient in the English language I think I should learn more words, and gain a larger vocabulary.
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1. I have been speaking English since I was 15.
2.I find it hard sometimes when I have to speak because English is my third language, and I have picked up just 3 years ago.
3.I’d like to read anything that has to do with sports and technology. The reason is because I’m in to those.
4.I don’t think I’ll ever be a master of English with English being my third language. By speaking more and writing more though I do honestly believe that I can be a master of English.
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1. Started speaking when I was two.
2. Had a hard time comprehending on what was read.
3. I like to read just about everything.
4. My vocabulary because I can expand upon more words being learned.
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the first time I really did speak English and write was in pre school , the only think I struggle with is talking and making friends, well I like to read any book you give to me, I just love to read, the only think I might need to work on is my spelling skills.
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I begin writing and reading in English when I was in 5th grade, I had just came from Mexico to Chicago. I would say I struggled reading and writing because I only knew how to speak Spanish. and now I speak and write English good.
what I feel I need work on to be a master in English would be my punctuation
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1. I started doing all those things as I started growing up from a baby to a kid.
2. I struggled in English when trying to remember all the rules.
3. I like to read books about animals. I like to read and learn more about animals.
4. I need to work on my writing and the way I speak.
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1. I started speaking when I was two to three years old. My mom couldn’t remember the exact age. I started writing and reading when I was in preschool at 5 years old.
2. The English that I’ve have struggled with was pronouncing grammar correctly and making my sentences make sense, I still have that problem at times.
3. The type of things I like to read is drama, historical, mythical, Greek mythology, comics, romance, science discoveries.
4. What if that needs to be worked on is typing my grammar correct so nobody wouldn’t have to correct me obnoxiously.
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I began reading, and writing in English when I was around 5 years old, and I actually started speaking it when I was about 6-7 years old.
For the past years I been struggling with pronouncing some words and also with reading stories and not understanding at times, Since English is my second language. I know I been struggling with this because I went to my country for about 2 years. I went to school over there for 5th and 6th grade and I think that is the reason for why I struggle at times.
I like to read comic books sometimes horror and science fiction stories.
By knowing more vocabulary words and reading books I think this will allow me to know better.
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1. I am an American born so English is my dominant language. I started speaking when I was 3-4 years old. I started writing and reading when I was in Pre-school to Kindergarten.
2. I have struggled with pronouncement of words and writing papers. Writing papers have not been my favorite thing to do because for some reason I have a hard time getting my thoughts together.
3. I love to read romance novels because it’s cute and that’s what most teenage girls love to read.
4. What I need to do to become a master at English is to practice my writing a lot more because. If I practice, I will succeed.
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1.I first started writing and reading in English when I was in first grade that’s when I first came to America from Poland.
2.I struggled with understanding what some harder words mean the definitions and meanings of the word. Words that you see in a scrabble dictionary but I guess that not everyone knows all the definitions of words in the English dictionary.
3.Things I like to read would have to be newspaper articles I’m not into reading books that much don’t really have the time for it. I like to read short story articles.
4.Look up a word in a dictionary if I don’t understand its meaning.
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I started to speak English when I was 3. Writing and reading in preschool.
Pronouncing sounds in certain words and I think that I struggled with this because I went back and forth at a young age speaking English and Spanish.
I like to read mystery novels. I read mystery novels cause I like to be taken on adventures and making me think more extensively about what’s happening in the story.
I don’t know it think expressing what I want to say a little more and how to write my thoughts out in a better structure.
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1) I began speaking, reading, and writing pretty early in school. I was also interested in literature
2) I struggled with homophones. I just didn’t understand who words could sound the same but, have different meanings and spellings.
3) As cliché as it sounds, I really enjoy reading anything that interests me. I don’t have a specific topic or genre, I’ll enjoy reading just about anything that interest me.
4)Everything! I feel like theres so much left to learn, theres so many other words out there and so much more I need to learn about writing.
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I would say English is my first language, but that isn’t really true. I come from a Hispanic household where everyone speaks English and Spanish quite evenly. I was told a bedtime story every night, so that is when my reading ability started kicking in. My mother has always worked with children, so I was always with an older crowd. You could say that helped me because I always did what they did. I started writing before I entered school.
I don’t want to sound cocky, but I don’t believe I ever really struggled with English. It has always been my biggest strength in academics.
I enjoy reading novel that are realistic fiction, creative stories, or easily to be related too. However, I have no problem reading out of my comfort zone. I only chose those because those type of stories make it seem like I am not reading.
If I want to feel like I have mastered English, I probably would need to work on consistency.
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I started writing and reading English in kindergarten. In English I have struggled with grammar the most and with comma rules. I think I have struggled with commas because before I didn’t really practice them as much. I like to read adventure stories because they make me feel like I am exploring something. I need to work on a lot of grammar rules and my writing skills.
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1. I started speaking English I think at 3 I really don’t remember I was not all there yet. I started reading and writing in first grade.
2. I always struggled with spelling till this day I have to use Google and spell check.
3. I love horror, and biographies.
4. Again, I am horrible at spelling.
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1. Started with Polish and English at 2 years old. My parents were concerned I wouldn’t fit in if my English was bad, so they dropped the Polish. While I can’t speak past a 2 year old’s Polish, I can understand every complaint my parents mutter under their breath and call them out on it.
Reading was my childhood. I have a closet full of books that kept me entertained when I was a kid. I always thought I was having problems reading when I was younger because I’d be taken whenever the students were doing reading. But it turns out it was because I was reading at a higher rate and they didn’t want me to be bored.
Writing started around first grade, I wrote this atrocious book about a unicorn trying to find the rest of the unicorns. Yes, it was based off of The Last Unicorn. I didn’t know a great deal of copyright law back then but the 7 page book was technically my first novel. It’s somewhere in that closet of books.
2. I always struggled with essays. The structure, making the arguments, the boring topics; they always bored me. I still hate writing essays since I can never pick a side. Also spelling. I could never win at spelling bees or at spelling tests. I cheated on the last one I ever did in first grade since there was a prize of a Hersey’s Bar. I still feel pretty bad about it.
3. I read those generic young adult novels but the stuff I really enjoy is nonfiction narratives or nonfiction essays that apply to life. I can handle fiction but it can get too descriptive. The classics are good too, I love Shakespeare. Quick witted plays are the best plays since they keep me entertained. You can picture them even better up on stage or in the real world.
4. I haven’t read a single book since June. I need to get back on that boat. Other than that, focusing on sentence structure, grammar, and spelling will probably improve my writing.
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I started English when I was 3 years old and reading when I was 4 years old.
I was struggling with big long words back in the passed because I couldn’t pronouns them right when I tried speaking of them.
I like to read latest stories coming out from a novel because I like understanding their life history.
What I need to make better on my English reading is to not stutter every time and master ho reading skills
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I began to speak, read and write in English when i started kindergartner at my elementary school. when i was in kindergarten i had trouble with pronouncing words by using the vowel sounds. The reason why i had trouble with this is because i had speech problems, maybe because of my brain develop slow. I like to read action, adventure and drama books because when i was younger i loved to watch those types of movies. what i need to improve on in my English to become a master is to learn how to understand what i read. I think taking out important information i would become better at reading.
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1) I started speaking English when I was about 2-4 years old, I started writing and reading when 5-7 years old.
2) Grammar and punctuation.
3) I like to read anything that will take me away from the hardships of mundane life.
4)Writing skills.
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1. I began speaking English around 2 years old, began writing around 3 or 4, and began reading the simplest of words in the simplest of books around 2 or 3 years old.
2. Pertaining to my past experiences with English class, I’ve never really struggled. I don’t enjoy reading necessarily, but I will if I have to and if any at all, I would say reading would be the topic where I “struggle”.
3. I enjoy reading books written by authors such as William Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe. Both authors take unique approaches and both of them have written novels which have demonstrated and verbally displayed multiple lessons.
4. In order to be a master of English, all I would really recommend to myself would be to expand my vocabulary. I would suggest to myself to have a wider range of words and terms to choose from, which in turn would most likely benefit my communication skills.
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I began speaking English when I was 5- 7 years old. I have struggled with my grammar and pronunciation. I think I have struggled with this because it is my second language. I love to read horror stories. I feel like I need to work on my grammar.
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1- I started speaking English, when I 3. Pre-school I started writing in cursive and formal writing. Reading Music and reading picture books. Those Dr. Seuss, and Arthur books.
2-Writing and reading fast/efficient.
3- Sci-Fi/futuristic books/comics. I like super heroes and powers. Favorite hero’s: Batman, flash, arrow, agents of shield, dare devil, dead pool, hulk, in-humans, human torch, invisible women. Favorite villains: Cat Women, mystique, Lady Death strike, dr. doom, Death stroke, Apocalypse, Darkseid, Ultron.
4- I need to work on my writing and reading fast, or speed reading. I’m a slow reader and I need to read faster, so I can get things done faster. Also I want to get a higher score on my A.C.T.
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1)I started speaking, reading , writing ingles when I was 17.
2)the struggled in English it was the pronunciation and the grammar, and even still.
3)I like to read book about science fiction, fiction , and nature because I like read bout and learn about different types of books.
4)I need to work more on my writing, speaking and vocabulary.
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I stared to speak English two years ago by the need to work out that I demanded. I had still have problems because it is not my first language but I try to strive to understand and speak it. I like to read science fiction books , clear in my first language so I would of course now in English , I think I will take time but I know I’LL make it…
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1. When I was barely entering 2nd grade, at the age of 7 or so.
2. I started struggling when I returned from Mexico thinking that I would maintain a logical and fluent communication in English, which was something I lost the ability on. I’m pretty sure I started with problems because I focused more In the usual school education of Mexico, thus, unfocused the once-mastered ability of speaking more fluently and properly English.
3. I’d rather go for novels that involve romance because, for me it’s kind of like a hooking type of book, that maintains you reading and reading.
4. I’m sure I need to practice more in maintaining a conversation to improve my speaking ability, I came to this conclusion because for the writing situation, I consider it something more easy to master.
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1. When did you begin speaking, writing, and reading in English? I already know
of tough and bough and cough and dough. Others may stumble, but not you, I began speaking, writing, and reading in English at the age of 8 years old, as a child.
2. What in English have you struggled with in the past? And now you wish, perhaps,
to learn of less familiar traps, I have struggled with in the past were verbs, noun, adjective and pronouns. Why do you think you have struggled with this? I think I have struggles with this because when you are about to read a pair graphic
3. What type of things do you like to read? The type of things I like to read is Magazines, newspaper and small articles. Why? Magazines are fun to read at time wend the celebrities gets in double. Newspapers are go to read if you are into business it give you information on stock market. And small articles are great because they tell you what happens in the community and who past way.
4. What do you feel you need to work on to be a master of English? Explain. I feel I need to work on my writing more for I can get better with it. And then there’s dose and rose and lose Just look them up – and goose and choose, and cork and work and card and ward, and font and front and word and sword. Writing show great mind control.
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