Politeness— Part 1 採点レポート

提案: Answer the question directly and use correct grammar. Say “I was surrounded by many good people” instead of “I have a lot of good people that surrounds me.” Also, avoid the sentence fragment “my main person.” Explain how your mother taught you politeness, and add one specific example, such as greeting people respectfully or saying “please” and “thank you.”

例: I learned to be polite mainly by observing my mother, who was always respectful to everyone around her. She taught me to greet people properly and to say “please” and “thank you.” Because I looked up to her, I naturally adopted the same habits.

提案: Your answer is relevant and includes a clear reason, but “takes you to different places” is vague and “a lot of opportunity” should be “many opportunities.” Use a more natural expression such as “opens doors” and give one specific result of being polite, such as building trust or making a good impression. Avoid fillers like “Umm” when possible.

例: Yes, I think being polite is extremely important, both at home and in public. It helps us build trust and make a good impression, especially when we meet people from different backgrounds. In my experience, polite communication can open doors to new friendships and professional opportunities.

提案: You express a clear opinion, but the answer contains sentence fragments and does not provide specific occasions. Say directly that people should be polite in all situations, especially when meeting strangers, speaking to older people, or dealing with service staff. Replace “should be like an innate characteristic” with the more natural phrase “should be a natural habit,” and add a linking phrase such as “for example.”

例: I think we should be polite in every situation, rather than choosing only certain people or places. For example, we should show respect when speaking to older people, meeting strangers, or dealing with customers and service workers. Being polite should become a natural habit, even when we are tired or frustrated.

提案: Your cultural example is relevant and specific, but the answer is incomplete and contains some inaccurate or unnatural wording. The expressions are usually written as “po” and “opo,” and you should say “we use them in daily conversations” rather than “incorporate in our daily conversations.” Finish the answer by explaining that you used these words to show respect and give one additional behavior, such as greeting elders or helping them.

例: As a child, I showed politeness by using “po” and “opo,” which are respectful expressions commonly used in the Philippines when speaking to older people. My mother taught me to use them in daily conversations, so I always included them when answering my elders. I also greeted them properly and offered to help them whenever necessary.

× I learned to be polite as a child because I have a lot of good people that surrounds me.

✓ I learned to be polite as a child because I have a lot of good people who surround me.

The relative pronoun who refers to the plural noun people, so the verb must be the plural form surround, not the singular form surrounds. Remember to match the verb with the noun that the relative pronoun refers to.

× I have my mom as my main. Person that I look up to.

✓ I have my mom as the main person I look up to.

Person that I look up to is not correctly connected to the previous clause, and the period incorrectly separates the sentence. Keep the noun phrase together as the main person I look up to. The definite article the is appropriate because you are identifying one specific person.

× I believe that being polite takes you to different places and gives you a lot of opportunity.

✓ I believe that being polite takes you to different places and gives you a lot of opportunities.

In this context, opportunity refers to several chances or possibilities, so the plural countable noun opportunities is more appropriate after a lot of. Use a plural noun when referring to multiple chances.

× I believe that being polite should be like. An innate characteristic of a person.

✓ I believe that being polite should be an innate characteristic of a person.

An innate characteristic of a person is a noun phrase without a verb. It should be connected to the preceding clause with the verb be. Also, do not place a period between should be and the noun phrase.

× I don't think that you should only pick people or places where you should be polite, I feel like.

✓ I don't think that you should choose only certain people or places where you should be polite.

The original sentence contains a comma splice and ends with the incomplete phrase I feel like. Two independent ideas should not be joined with only a comma, and feel like needs a complete clause after it. Removing the unfinished phrase creates a complete and clear sentence.

× In the Philippines, we have this word paw and oppo which we incorporate in our daily conversations with people who are older than us.

✓ In the Philippines, we have the words po and opo, which we use in our daily conversations with people who are older than us.

The definite article the is correctly used before Philippines because it is part of the country's name. The words po and opo are plural because two words are being mentioned. The relative clause should also be separated with a comma because it provides additional information.

× So when I was still young, my mom already taught me to use paw and oppo whenever I am talking with older people and.

✓ So when I was still young, my mom taught me to use po and opo whenever I was talking with older people.

The sentence describes a past situation introduced by when I was still young, so was talking is more consistent than am talking. Use the past tense when the surrounding time reference is in the past.

× So when I was still young, my mom already taught me to use paw and oppo whenever I am talking with older people and.

✓ So when I was still young, my mom taught me to use po and opo whenever I was talking with older people.

The sentence ends with and, which leaves the thought unfinished. Remove the unnecessary conjunction unless another complete idea follows it. Make sure every sentence ends with a complete thought.