What are some of the experiences that have shaped your outlook? Please check it

[Scientist_A]

[size=150]What are some of the experiences that have shaped your outlook and the way you live now?[/size]

People learn from their birth to their death. From first day of their lives people begin to learn their environment. So experience is the best teacher of all people. People encounter and learn new issues day by day. Some experiences have a great role in the way of our live and our outlook. These experiences are very good and unforgettable lessons for their oweners.

Firstly, I think that during my higher school years I live the most important experiences of my life. I think that because there are many convincing reasons. When I was studing in my high school I was only 14 years old and I was living apart from my family. It was very hard to live without family and friends in a different city. I was supposed to live alone and met all my reqiurements for myself. I had difficulties in first two months. Then I learnt how to make my own meat and then I began to find new friends. Besides, during these years I learnt how to use my money rationally. That is why I think I have had the most important life experiences during these years.

Furthermore, I believe that I learnt many essential skills during my military years. I can never forget these days which were full of difficulties. In these years I have learnt how to live in harsh conditions. I was doing sports and many dangerous activities in cold weather. So my body adapted to these severe conditions. Moreover, during these years I found my best friends. As you know making friendship in military services is very difficult. It is hard to find a person that you can make friendship. In military service people do not believe others and do not behave frankly. So, in these years I learnt how to behave with the people who have different characteristics.

To sum up, I want to emphasize that experiences are very good teachers for us and we should not decline the results of them and should learn our lessons very well. It is obvious that nothing can teach a person as well as experience do. So experienced people are the most skilled people in this world.

TOEFL listening lectures: A university lecture in the Social Sciences Department

[Luschen]

Hi, I enjoyed reading your essay. Part of your introduction sounded a little unnatural to me. I really liked your second to last paragraph - using personal examples is always a good idea. I liked your conclusion as well. Are you from Baku? I see on the internet that one of the sister cities of Baku is Houston, Texas USA - the city where I was born. I am a surfer. I have heard that people sometimes surf on the Caspian Sea when the waves get big. Have you ever heard of this?

@Scientist_A

[size=150]What are some of the experiences that have shaped your outlook and the way you live now?[/size]

People learn from their birth to their death. From [the] first day of their lives people begin to learn [about] their environment. So experience is the best teacher of{“for” sounds better} all people. People encounter and learn new issues{you don’t really “learn issues” maybe you learn about issues} day by day. Some experiences have{“play” would be better} a great role in the way of our live[s ] and our outlook. These experiences are very good and unforgettable lessons for their oweners.{sp}
“These experiences give very strong and unforgettable lessons to those who experience them.”

Firstly, I think that during my higher school years I live[had] the most important experiences of my life. I think that because there are[this for] many convincing reasons. When I was studing{sp} in my high school I was only 14 years old and I was living apart from my family. It was very hard to live without family and friends in a different city. I was supposed to live alone and met all my reqiurements{sp} for myself. I had difficulties in [the] first two months. Then I learnt[learned - I think learnt may only be used in British English - I will ask] how to make my own meat {“make my own meat” is incorrect - is this an idiom in your language?} and then I began to find new friends. Besides, during these years I learnt how to use my money rationally. That is why I think I have had the most important life experiences during these years.

Furthermore, I believe that I learnt many essential skills during my military years. I can never forget these[those] days which were full of difficulties. In these{“those” - use these when referring to things happening now, those when referring to things in the past} years I have learnt how to live in harsh conditions. I was doing sports and many dangerous activities in cold weather. So my body adapted to these[those] severe conditions. Moreover, during these[those] years I found my best friends. As you know making friendship {we say “making friends” or you could say “establishing friendships”} in military services is very difficult. It is hard to find a person that[with whom] you can make [a] friendship. In military service people do not believe others and do not behave frankly. So, in these years I learnt how to behave with the people who have different characteristics. {Wow, this sounds much different than the experience of U.S. veterans. They all say their comrades in the armed forces are some of their best friends because there is no chance for dishonesty when you are serving so close to each other.}

To sum up, I want to emphasize that experiences are very good teachers for us and we should not decline the results of them[dismiss their lessons] and should learn our lessons very well. It is obvious that nothing can teach a person as well as experience do[es]. So experienced people are the most skilled people in this world.

TOEFL listening lectures: A university lecture in the Social Sciences Department

[Scientist_A]

Hi Luschen, thanks for your correction.
Yes, I am from Baku, but I have never heard about surfing on Caspian sea. I think there is no enough big wave for surfing on Caspian.
I look dictionary and found that LEARNED describes someone who has studied for a long time and has a lot of knowledge. Is it true to use learned instead of learnt?

Do you know I did not go military service yet. I only imagined and completed my essay

[Luschen]

That is a great idea to imagine examples for your essay. Of course the grader will not know or care! I think learnt or learned are both correct. Learnt is used in Britain and Australia, while learned is used in Canada and the U.S.