the most problem for me when trying to write in english language is to make a correct sentence, there is few problem with Misspelling.
Now, you will notice, that I have changed the word 'is' to 'are,' and added an 's' to the end of problem. The reason for this is "subject - verb agreement." The subject - a few problems - is plural, so you must use the plural form of the verb 'to be,' which is 'are.' There is, however, an even simpler way to say this, and it will be clearer.The largest problem, for me, when trying to write in English, is to make a correct sentence. There are a few problems with spelling mistakes, too.
My biggest problem when trying to write in English is making a correct sentence. I also have problems with spelling.
Oh boy, you got that one right. Swearing, or 'bad language,' is cultural. Here, if you say "bad boy," or "you should be ashamed of yourself," it is considered swearing. Yet, it is common for a grand parent to say to a young boy "come over here and let me feel your balls."Some might even be swearing which could be embarrassing or even get you into trouble in the worng situation.
BeeBop said:I have come to appreciate the fact that I learned English as a first language, for as a second language, it must be a nightmare to learn!
Regards,
Robert
What does that mean then?BeeBop said:"come over here and let me feel your balls."
As it is in Canada, where I'm from. That is why it was so shocking when I first heard it. It refers to virility, and the continuation of blood lines, which in Confucian culture, are so important. Everything here is Very male oriented. Relations depend on age and social status, and women are subservient. Younger people must turn their heads away when they take a drink at the table. Also, an older person may use informal language when talking to juniors, but the juniors must use formal, polite language when they address an older person. An older person may use the name of the younger person, but the younger person must use a title to address the elder.In the UK, US, NZ and Austrailia and South Africa it's taken as a sexal advance.
Well maybe 20 years ago but they're all merging together now and spreading throughout the south east, it's more interesting listening to accents from around Northamptonshire where the south east meets the midlands - it's probably the county with the most dialects in England, either that or Cheshire.BeeBop said:From what I've heard, there are more dialects in London, than one can imagine.
I think is't horrible, and worst of all it's spreading, one day we'll all have chavy London accents, I'd rather have a Scotish or even Irish accent!BeeBop said:Some of them, I can't understand. (Cockney!) I have met Australians who tell me they also have a dialect which uses rhyming, and is quite code like.
So that's an Americanism too, I thought it was just a school boy thing like saying pencil sharpener instead of virgina or perhaps it is in the UK.BeeBop said:Oh, and what you guys call 'rubbers' we call erasers. In Canada, and US, a rubber is a prophylactic.
Hero999 said:pencil sharpener instead of virgina
BeeBop said:Hi Epilot,
You are doing fairly well with English, I would say.
Dknguyen is correct about usage. The more you use it, the better you will become at using it. Like anything else, practice most often brings improvement.
You are also correct, when you state that those who immerse themselves in the language, (by spending time in an English country,) will learn more quickly.
English is a large, and complex language, and it is often not used well, even by L1 speakers. The spelling, as you pointed out, is not easy. English did not have a dictionary, or a standardized spelling until 1755, when it was given one by Dr. Johnson. Also, because there were no rules in place, English continued to 'borrow' words from other languages, and its vocabulary increased until it became the language with the largest vocabulary.
Take it easy on yourself, and be forgiving of your mistakes. Language is acquired, rather than learned, and you may often find yourself 'forgetting' vocabulary which you have already struggled hard to obtain. Do not be worried, this is natural. (It is much easier to acquire language in the first few years of life, than as an adult.)
Now, for some practical advice, the most obvious 'mistake' you are making is with capitalization. Each sentence should start with a capital. Also, proper nouns - the names of people and places - should also begin with a capital. Try just working on this for a while.
Also, I will give you one point on usage, and one on grammar. I will use one of your sentences to make light of these.
When English speakers talk about problems, they think about the problem as having a size. So rather than 'the most problem,' use 'The largest problem...' or 'The biggest problem....' Better still, is to put yourself at the beggining: 'My biggest problem with writing English is ...'
Keep your sentences focused on one idea. If you try to say too much in a sentence, you will end up running on, and on. In this case, I would split your sentence into two, like this:
Now, you will notice, that I have changed the word 'is' to 'are,' and added an 's' to the end of problem. The reason for this is "subject - verb agreement." The subject - a few problems - is plural, so you must use the plural form of the verb 'to be,' which is 'are.' There is, however, an even simpler way to say this, and it will be clearer.
Now that is a lot of work for you to do. Do you have any questions?
You should now, try applying what I have pointed out, to something you are writing. If you want, post it here, and I'll check it for you, and give you some more pointers.
You can do it, Epilot, just give yourself lots of time and patience, and you could end up sounding like a L1 on paper.
Best wishes,
Robert
epilot said:I never talked with an english person so yse i have lot of problems with speaking too
The first and second pairs are really very much the same in meaning, and can almost always be interchanged. The last pair is a bit more complex. 'End,' and 'end up' both signify finality, however when you add 'up' to 'end,' there is a suggestion of destination, combined with some uncertainty. The word end can be used to signal the end of a book, end of a physical object, or destination. When you add the word 'up' there is a suggestion, or conotation that there is a direction, or path being taken or followed. Where will we end up? Where will all this stuff end up? They are, however, very close, and at this point, just read all of these pairs in the same way.Can you let me know the difference between these words?:
Try & try out, help & help out, end & end up
You see, there is a lot of value in practice, and it is working for you. Keep on studying! It can take up to ten years for an adult to become anywhere near fluent, especially in a complex language like English.my writing and spelling are very better than 1 year ago
Begin with a capital! (Yes, this time I'm scolding you.<smile>) You did make a very good leap here, and I also want to congratulate you for it. You learned by context, the meaning of the word. Just yesterday, I was talking with some Korean friends, and they too, had trouble understanding what I meant by swearing, because they had the 'dictionary' meaning in their minds. This is one of the hardest things to become familiar with, the informal and common use of words, also known as 'idiomatic expression.' The only thing which will help you with this, is practice listening, and asking questions.it was a bit hard for me to understand that Hero999 is referring to the above post and the reason was 'swearing' word at first it means 'avow' but after reading it again i noticed that i must translate it as 'profanity'.
JimB said:That is a problem!
I have seen situation where groups of "foreigners" speak English between themselves and they learn each others mistakes.
But dont worry, your English is quite good, not perfect, but good enough to be well understood.
JimB
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