I plainly replied "A". My friend cynically responded, "Don't ask me about that. It's lame. I'm poor at grammar while the lecturer, you know, gets crazy about it."
This situation typically happens in academic settings when students are expected to be able to write standard and legible English essays in order to pass a particular course or even degree. Students oftentimes feel stuck with writing because they are terrible with grammar. They think of English grammar as 'a bug'. They often claim that grammar always ruins their fluency. They further argue that what is apparently needed in real-life communication is not grammar. Well, irrespective of whether or not grammar is a necessity in communication, what strikes the students when writing or speaking in English is a few (not to mention some or in fact many) seemingly unavoidable errors. Like an earthquake in Jogjakarta or Tsunami in Aceh (Indonesia), those errors can be typified as 'a national emergency' because they seem to have been fossilized or ingrained by most English students in Indonesia. Let's suppose so truthfully. What's more, a linguist in Indonesia once reveals that the errors are becoming typical characteristics of a possibly new emerging English variety i.e. IndoEnglish. A variety that is characterized by 'commonly accepted errors'. Erroneous, right?
Anyhow, the concept of error is a fuzzy one. It most probably necessitates a more technical explanation from linguistics point of view. Too delicate. Forget it. What concerns me at present is any deviations from the internationally accepted standard use of English particularly in English writing. Let me list a few identifiable errors that frequently bug my students especially when they write a research paper.
1. Combining singular and plural forms in the same sentence.
Right: Each respondent was asked about his and her opinions.
2. Using an unnecessary comma.
e.g. The data are collected, and then analyzed.
Right: The data are collected and then analyzed.'
3. Writing fragmented sentence.
e.g. For days interviewed the subjects.
Right: For days I interviewed the subjects.
4. Confusing the use of "its" and "it's".
e.g. It's aim is to describe the classroom interaction.
Right: Its aim is to describe the classroom interaction.
5. Using an apostrophe to indicate a plural form of a word.
e.g. The subject's of the research were observed for several days.
Right: The subjects of the research were observed for several days.
6. Using "he" or "she" when referring to both sexes (men and women)
Right: Before interviewing the subject, the researcher asked him or her to complete a questionnaire.
Right: Before interviewing the subject, the researcher administered a questionnaire.
Ups. I hope that's not exhaustive. Though I have yet to conduct particular research on this matter, the above list of errors is worth considering. Beware of the bugs!
Writing and Speaking English Can Be Confusing
If you are learning English as a foreign language you are almost certain to have come across the problem of finding an answer to a straightforward grammar question. Is it 'it's', or 'its'? The first way to deal with this is to keep an English grammar notebook and record every new rule you learn so that you can find it quickly. It will save lots of time.
Where spelling is concerned, it is very difficult to use a dictionary if you can't spell a word to start with. Record the rules of spelling and the meanings of words that are new to you, or that you find particularly difficult.
Don't be put off learning English by all the exceptions to the rules you have already learnt, or by words that seem to have two alternative spellings, like 'mediaeval' and 'medieval', or even three options like 'yogurt', 'yoghurt', or 'yoghourt'.
Words that sound the same but are spelt differently are confusing too. Take for example, 'bear' and 'bare', or 'their', 'there', and 'they're'.
You will also find that some of these words actually have slightly different sounds when you hear a native English speaker using them. You can't learn that from a self study course.
Self study will help you to learn the basics of English grammar and you should be able to teach yourself to form simple phrases and sentences but if you want to speak English fluently you will certainly need some conversation training. Ideally you should use English in conversation every day and if you have no one to practise with the services of a tutor will help immensely.
Don't practise with a tutor for too long or you will get tired and stop learning. If you can find a tutor who will allow you to buy blocks of time and then use them as you wish for short conversation classes, or longer more intensive learning sessions, that's the best way to do it.
If you have fun learning it will be much easier and you will come to love the English language as much as your lessons.
This situation typically happens in academic settings when students are expected to be able to write standard and legible English essays in order to pass a particular course or even degree. Students oftentimes feel stuck with writing because they are terrible with grammar. They think of English grammar as 'a bug'. They often claim that grammar always ruins their fluency. They further argue that what is apparently needed in real-life communication is not grammar. Well, irrespective of whether or not grammar is a necessity in communication, what strikes the students when writing or speaking in English is a few (not to mention some or in fact many) seemingly unavoidable errors. Like an earthquake in Jogjakarta or Tsunami in Aceh (Indonesia), those errors can be typified as 'a national emergency' because they seem to have been fossilized or ingrained by most English students in Indonesia. Let's suppose so truthfully. What's more, a linguist in Indonesia once reveals that the errors are becoming typical characteristics of a possibly new emerging English variety i.e. IndoEnglish. A variety that is characterized by 'commonly accepted errors'. Erroneous, right?
Anyhow, the concept of error is a fuzzy one. It most probably necessitates a more technical explanation from linguistics point of view. Too delicate. Forget it. What concerns me at present is any deviations from the internationally accepted standard use of English particularly in English writing. Let me list a few identifiable errors that frequently bug my students especially when they write a research paper.
1. Combining singular and plural forms in the same sentence.
Right: Each respondent was asked about his and her opinions.
2. Using an unnecessary comma.
e.g. The data are collected, and then analyzed.
Right: The data are collected and then analyzed.'
3. Writing fragmented sentence.
e.g. For days interviewed the subjects.
Right: For days I interviewed the subjects.
4. Confusing the use of "its" and "it's".
e.g. It's aim is to describe the classroom interaction.
Right: Its aim is to describe the classroom interaction.
5. Using an apostrophe to indicate a plural form of a word.
e.g. The subject's of the research were observed for several days.
Right: The subjects of the research were observed for several days.
6. Using "he" or "she" when referring to both sexes (men and women)
Right: Before interviewing the subject, the researcher asked him or her to complete a questionnaire.
Right: Before interviewing the subject, the researcher administered a questionnaire.
Ups. I hope that's not exhaustive. Though I have yet to conduct particular research on this matter, the above list of errors is worth considering. Beware of the bugs!
Writing and Speaking English Can Be Confusing
If you are learning English as a foreign language you are almost certain to have come across the problem of finding an answer to a straightforward grammar question. Is it 'it's', or 'its'? The first way to deal with this is to keep an English grammar notebook and record every new rule you learn so that you can find it quickly. It will save lots of time.
Where spelling is concerned, it is very difficult to use a dictionary if you can't spell a word to start with. Record the rules of spelling and the meanings of words that are new to you, or that you find particularly difficult.
Don't be put off learning English by all the exceptions to the rules you have already learnt, or by words that seem to have two alternative spellings, like 'mediaeval' and 'medieval', or even three options like 'yogurt', 'yoghurt', or 'yoghourt'.
Words that sound the same but are spelt differently are confusing too. Take for example, 'bear' and 'bare', or 'their', 'there', and 'they're'.
You will also find that some of these words actually have slightly different sounds when you hear a native English speaker using them. You can't learn that from a self study course.
Self study will help you to learn the basics of English grammar and you should be able to teach yourself to form simple phrases and sentences but if you want to speak English fluently you will certainly need some conversation training. Ideally you should use English in conversation every day and if you have no one to practise with the services of a tutor will help immensely.
Don't practise with a tutor for too long or you will get tired and stop learning. If you can find a tutor who will allow you to buy blocks of time and then use them as you wish for short conversation classes, or longer more intensive learning sessions, that's the best way to do it.
If you have fun learning it will be much easier and you will come to love the English language as much as your lessons.
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