Journal – 4, 02/02/2025

B2 Version:

Today, I had to take a blood test, so I went to the clinic. There was no free parking near the clinic, so I had to look for a spot, and I barely found one. There were also a lot of people at the clinic, but in the end, I got the test done without waiting too long and went home.

At home, I started working. I had to solve a problem, so I worked hard to find a solution, and I eventually found one. After that, I took my dog for a walk, came home, ate lunch, and continued working.

I would have liked to play the piano, but I had to work. So, I worked, and when I thought I had found the solution, I called my colleague to discuss it. My colleague didn’t agree with me, so we talked for quite a while. I understood his idea, but I still haven’t found the solution.

By the time I finally started playing the piano and studying English, it was already late in the evening, and I was very tired.

Conversational C1 Version:

This morning, I had to get a blood test, so I went to the clinic. There was no available parking nearby, so I had to drive around looking for a spot, and I barely managed to find one. The clinic was crowded, but luckily, I didn’t have to wait too long to get the test done, and I headed home.

Once I got home, I started working. I had a problem to solve, so I put in a lot of effort to find a solution—and I did. Later, I took my dog for a walk, had lunch, and got back to work.

I would have loved to play the piano, but work had to come first. I kept working, and when I thought I had figured out the solution, I called my colleague to go over it. He didn’t agree with my approach, so we had a long discussion. I understood his reasoning, but I still haven’t come up with the right solution.

By the time I finally got around to playing the piano and studying English, it was already late in the evening, and I was exhausted.

Corrections & Explanations:

1. "There was no free parking lots" → "There was no free parking"
   • "Parking" is uncountable, so we don’t say "lots" here. If you want to be specific, you could say, "There were no free parking spaces."
2. "So I had to look for and I barely find one" → "So I had to look for a spot, and I barely found one."
   • "Find" should be past tense ("found") to match the past-tense narrative.
   • "Look for" needs an object (what you were looking for), so I added "a spot."
3. "There was also a lot of people in the clinic" → "There were also a lot of people at the clinic."
   • "People" is plural, so we use "There were" instead of "There was."
   • "At the clinic" is more natural than "in the clinic" in this context.
4. "At the end I did the test without long waiting" → "In the end, I got the test done without waiting too long."
   • "At the end" refers to a specific point in a sequence (e.g., "at the end of the movie"), but here, "in the end" (meaning "eventually") is correct.
   • "Without long waiting" is unnatural; we say "without waiting too long."
5. "I worked hard in purpose to find the solution" → "I worked hard to find a solution."
   • "In purpose" is incorrect; the correct phrase is "on purpose", but that means "deliberately," which doesn’t fit here.
6. "I would like to play the piano but I had to work" → "I would have liked to play the piano, but I had to work."
   • When talking about a past desire that didn’t happen, use "would have liked" + past participle.
7. "When I thought I have found the solution" → "When I thought I had found the solution."
   • "Have found" is present perfect, but this refers to a past event that happened before another past event. The correct tense is past perfect ("had found").
8. "I understood his idea but I haven't found the solution yet." → "I understood his idea, but I still haven’t found the solution."
   • "Haven’t found" is present perfect, which works because the search is ongoing.
   • Adding "still" makes the sentence more natural.
9. "So when I began to play piano and learn English it was already late evening and I was very tired." → "By the time I started playing the piano and studying English, it was already late in the evening, and I was very tired."
   • "By the time" is more natural than "so when."
   • "Late evening" → "late in the evening" is more natural.
   • "Play piano" should be "play the piano."

• "Parking lot" refers to a large area designated for parking, usually with multiple parking spaces (e.g., "The supermarket has a big parking lot").
• "Parking space" (or "spot") refers to a single place where you can park your car (e.g., "There were no free parking spaces near the clinic").
• "Parking" (uncountable) refers to the general concept of places to park (e.g., "There was no free parking near the clinic").

In your case, you were referring to the availability of places to park, so "There was no free parking" or "There were no free parking spaces" is the correct phrasing. Using "parking lots" would imply that entire parking areas were missing, which isn't quite what you meant.