I am preparing for the TOEFL® test with your free exercises

[Vilma78]

Dear Sir/or Madam,

I was pleased to hear for this English learning forum. I am preparing for the TOEFL and when I saw your website I start completing the free TOEFL.
I was wondering if one of the professors will be able to have a little time to modify my essays and give me some advices in details. I'm a little worry because I am taking TOEFL test very soon and I need to improve my English (writing) as fast as possible.

I want to thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Vilma

TOEFL listening lectures: A lecture from a life sciences class (3)

[NguyenTrg]

You can write essays and post them here ( but you must create your own new topic and entitle it with a topic title). Teacher Kitos will correct your essays.

Merry Christmas ^^
Richard-Kitos' henchman team ;)
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I'll be back. I'll miss you guys so much... See you soon...

[Vilma78]

Good Morning professor,

This is my first essay.

Topic-Christmas Party

This is the most delightful time of the year. Christmas is coming, and people are preparing to celebrate this wonderful day. Not only had the beauties of the season, the snow and the lights, but also the delicious food that people prepare completed the wonder of this season. Hosting an enjoyable and festive Christmas party, is always fun. We decided to host the Christmas celebration for our family this year, and for us this will be the first time to celebrate after the wedding. Preparations will be made, so the day goes smooth.
One of the most important thing for me as a Christian orthodox is to celebrate Christmas by attending church and taking communion. After church ,we will go home, have a small lunch and get ready for the dinner. Our menu will consist of American, Albanian and Greek traditional food, to be served buffet-style. Included will be roasted turkey, bone-in ham, stuffing , gravy Greek style ,dolomites, tasqebap Albanian style, Russian salad, spinach salad, cabbage salad spanakopita, Greek style baked potatoes, sweet potatoes , asparagus, green beans with artichoke , and Albanian style briami. For appetizers, there will be shrimp and cocktail sauce, vegetables and dip, Albanian style meat balls and Greek feta with olives.
Dinner will be ready by 3:30 PM .We hope everyone will show up on time. All together there will be 12 people, 9 adults and 3 kids. Guests will consist of my in-laws, the kumbara’s family ,( the couple which helps us to get close to God) and Jenny, the lady which introduced me to my husband. In sometimes between 3:30-4 pm, opening the presents will be fun, especially for the kids which enjoying seen what Santa clause will bring this year. In our family this year we will use the grab bag.
When it comes to holiday decorating, Christmas has the most beautiful and colorful decorations of all the holidays. Read, and green, white and blue, all together brighten the atmosphere of our living room. Our Christmas tree is positioned in the corner between the TV and balcony door. Lights were added on the bush outside our house and along the balcony. The interior is decorated with various Christmas theme objects, such as, a small fiber optic tree on the book shelf, a garland in the top of cabinets and red garden in the railing, various jingle Reith, and many colorful candles etc. It will be easier for us if we set up the tables a night before- on Christmas evening.

This party is all about spending time with loved ones, so everything from food preparation to set up the buffet has to be easy. This celebration is helping me to feel very happy. Other guest such as my in lows will bring some Greek dishes, and our kumbara will bring some sweats and wine, my brother in-law and sister in low will bring some wine and a fruit tray . In addition, entertainments will have their own part. Moreover, we will enjoy watching our wedding video and photo album, for the first time with the family.
All in all, the joy, peace and love that Christmas brings it make me feel happy. Hosting a Christmas dinner for the first time is fun and needs preparations. Being together with our loved ones in that blessed day makes it even more special. All it takes is a little time and preparations physically and spiritually. Merry Christmas to everyone!

[Vilma78]

Dear professor Kitos,
I hope you will find time for editing this essay. I would highly appreciate your help.
Thank you!
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Children should begin learning a foreign language as soon as they start school. Use specific reasons and examples to support your position.

Nowadays, it has been common to know more than one language. It is easy to learn a new language when some is young. The question is when children should begin learning a new language as soon as they start the school, or latter? Personally, I think children should start learning a new language probably when they are 10 years old, so with other words when they finish the fourth grade. The reason why are, because they know better they native language, they can use better the dictionaries, and they can have more chances to practice it in order to improve.
First of all, if children begin learning the new language while they are to young, for example 6 years old, actually this is the age when they start the school, they will not be able to have the wright accumulations of the words, or precipitation, pronunciation because they are still in growing process and in that particular time of age they are still learning and enlarge their vocabulary of native language. It will be better and much easier if they begin studding a new language when they are more mature, such as 10 years old. In this particular age they are able to understand and pronounce better and moreover they can learn the new language easily. For example, for an Albanian child is better to learn first Albanian, and then to study English because English is spoken and written differently. But this is not the only reason.
Secondly, in order to improve your language a person should talk as much as he/she can at home, or with friends etc. A child who just begin the school is totally depend from his parents or other members of family, and mostly the foreigners speak their native languages in their homes, so for a child that just start the school the ways that he /she can practice the language are through reading a book, or watching movies in the language that they want to learn. It will have more option to practice the new language if the kids are 10 years old. They have more friends at school which will help them to practice more.
Finally, when a child finish the elementary school has the basic skills of his native language, he knows the grammar; he knows to read and to speak. So, most of the time to learn a new language someone needs to have skills, so in other words , if someone knows to write in his /her native language , he has skills to think and know to write an essay for example , in another language. Even though most of the times the languages are not similar to each-other , still a child have built the ability to express him, or herself better than when they just started the school.
All in all, learning a new language is always better when someone is young. Children will be able to have more improvement in studying a new language when they are young and after they finish the elementary school. If they start to study earlier if they can, is not a bad idea, but the understanding and the improvement will be slow. All it takes is work, courage and use the new language as much as a child can , by talking, reading, listening a and writing.

[Nzuahp]

Hi Vilma, you have been advice above to post your essays under a New thread.
- http://www.english-test.net/forum/forum16.html
- Click on New topic above, titled your essay and post.
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