Expert: Dan Smith - 7/18/2006

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My spoken english is good. But my written english is not as good and some times bad. I dont have the habit of reading much. I dont like reading much. So what can I do to develope my written english?

Answer -
If you do not like to read, there is probably not a lot of hope because that should be a big part of your regimen. For one thing, if you read a great deal you'll have something to write about, and if you do not read it is not likely you'll have a sufficient fund of knowledge to draw on and make your writing interesting. Also, you will not become familiar with writing in the language you are learning.

With that limmitation, there are some things you can do.

1. Write in a conversational manner. You say your spoken English is good. Write as you would speak. If you wouldn't say it out loud, it might be a good idea not to write it down either.

2. When you write a sentence, ask youself this question. "Does this sentence actually say what I mean to say?" If it does not, rewrite it.

Pay particular attention to placement of descriptive and limiting phrases. Putting them too far from their objects changes meaning.

Hope this helps.

Thank you.
I got the idea but wat does the following mean
"Pay particular attention to placement of descriptive and limiting phrases. Putting them too far from their objects changes meaning."

I dont get the meaning of "placement of descriptive and limiting phrases." I mean I dont get what is it trying to tell me. And even the whole parah.

Answer -
It is a very common mistake even for native speakers (especially those who have majored in business) to put descriptive or limiting phrases in the wrong place in the sentence. I'll try to come up with an example, but it's such poor writing that I have difficulty making them up.

Example 1: The police investigating the murder focused on people who had been in proximity to the place where the body was found, including the chief detective inspector.

Example 2: The police investigating the murder, including the chief inspector, focused on people who had been in proximity to the place where the body was found.

In the first instance, putting the chief detective inspector at the end of the sentence makes him a suspect. In the second example, he is one of the police who made a mistake in analyzing the crime. Either could be correct and reflect reality, but not both.

Hope this helps.

Thank you once again
that was really a good example. I am aware of such mistakes.
I am in an attempt to increase my vocabulary.
So one of the means of tying it up to my memory is by using it in a sentence.
Can you spare your time to evaluate it?
hope it doesnt get boring to you
listing some of them (if u have time)

1) My ken about the future is in quandary.
2) SUPPURATING THE PUSTULE WITHOUT PROPER CARE CREATES MORE PUS
3) the umbrage of the inferior brought the wrangle which lead to the wrath of the superior who might wreak for it.
4) I made my project chimerical to allure the evaluator.
5) I believe I was chastened as a consequence of breaking my chaste relationship and I consider it as a nemesis.
6) I don't believe my love to be unrequited.
7) In astrology scorpios are considered jaundiced.
8) The undertaker takes care of cremation of the carrion at the cemetry.
9) Different catechism form a guideline for a true satisfied living.
10) A quack is a charlatan and prescribes nostrums.
11) I was in chagrin when I was not able to recall the words I learned.
12) Whenever we read without concentration we tend to become an oblivion.
13) The cantankerous always shows an odious behaviour to others.
14) The quaint looks of my computer puts one in quandary and often baffles them to believe it to be an old VCR.

Can u please evaluate (correct them) each one of them and tell me the other means for expressing it.
I am very poor in using the punctuations. Is there a simple way of learning it.

Answer
As I said, write in a conversational manner. No one would say the things you have said. Your object should not be to learn all the big words you can. It should be to communicate.


Beyond that, I cannot become your free English tutor. I'f you'd like to work out a formal arrangement for tutoring, I can be reached at:

dan@wordsmithofaustin.com