My First English Speaking Contest

In March, my English teacher, Ms. Hạnh, asked me to join the school's English speaking contest. I was surprised because I was a very shy student. I could write well in English, but I was always nervous when I had to speak in front of people.

"You have a good voice," Ms. Hạnh said. "You just need more practice and more confidence."

The topic of the contest was "My Hometown". I wrote a short speech about Huế: the old citadel, the Perfume River, and the delicious bún bò Huế. Then I practiced every evening. At first, I practiced in front of the mirror. Later, I practiced in front of my parents and my little brother. My brother was the hardest audience—he laughed every time I made a mistake!

On the day of the contest, there were twelve students and more than two hundred people in the hall. While I was waiting for my turn, my hands were shaking. Ms. Hạnh smiled and said, "Breathe slowly. You can do it."

When I walked onto the stage, my mind went blank for a second. Then I looked at my notes and started speaking. After the first few sentences, I felt calmer. I even made the audience laugh with a joke about the rain in Huế.

I didn't win first prize. I came third. But for me, it was a big success. I was braver than I thought.

Now I am not as shy as before. I often raise my hand in class, and next year I want to enter the contest again.

Grammar Structure (Phân tích Ngữ pháp)

• could / had to (quá khứ của can / have to) (S + could + V; S + had to + V): "I could write well in English, but I was always nervous when I had to speak in front of people."
• Past Continuous + while (While + S + was + V-ing, S + were + V-ing): "While I was waiting for my turn, my hands were shaking."
• Comparisons: adj-er than / not as ... as (adj-er + than; not as + adj + as): "Now I am not as shy as before."