[ SECRET POST #3470 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3470 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 35 secrets from Secret Submission Post #496.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Help: how to improve my English

[(Anonymous)]

ESL anon here. I can read any text no matter how difficult it is and I understand everything; my knowledge of English grammar is okay, not great but I don't make any big mistakes, I've done some online test and I usually get a 7.5/10. My problem is that my English doesn't sound very natural and I've been told that my English is pretty bad.

I spent most of my free time reading English or writing in English so it's not like I'm not exposed to the language and native speakers but I feel like I'm not making much progress.

Please help me, I don't know what to do to improve my English writing skills (｡•́︿•̀｡)

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[(Anonymous)]

Watch movies and TV to learn more slang?

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[(Anonymous)]

If this comment is anything to go by, I don't think your English is bad at all!

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[(Anonymous)]

If you're writing, have you got a First Language English speaker to beta for you? They can help you identify and iron out any awkwardness in phrases.

But frankly, as the anon above said, your english seems pretty damn good to me.

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[dethtoll]

Honestly your written English, just from this post, is better than a lot of native speakers. Which says more about them than it does you, but still. ;)

Don't get discouraged. My only advice at this time is to keep practicing.

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[kallanda_lee]

Read. Books, not fanfic. Reading also improves writing skills because it gives you a feel for how sentences work in a language.

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[dethtoll]

I'd also suggest reading a lot of non-fiction. Or English-language newspapers, good ones that use a lot of small print as opposed to relying a lot on pictures and big splashy front pages.

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[grausam]

I'm actually taking an IELTS test this week... so I feel you on not knowing how to improve once you're beyond an acceptable threshold D:

What are you reading? If you're not reading them already, English books and newspaper can give you a better feel for what is considered the standard imo. People are more creative with their language on the Internet + it's not always clear who's ESL.

You could also listen to English podcasts or watch series with native speakers. Maybe that helps with the naturalness?

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[herpymcderp]

Conversation partner.

Also, don't take it too hard. Most native speakers are shit at English grammar and writing. You're better than probably 70% of them.

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[(Anonymous)]

Your written English is pretty good! This might sound a little silly, but I'm currently learning French and I watch a lot of children's learning videos on YouTube to help me with pronunciation. I also read aloud and take notes of the words that trip me up or don't sound right when I say it. Duolingo helps too.

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[(Anonymous)]

Chances are that they knew that you feel insecure about your English, they just wanted to insult you.
sure, some online communities are dominated by native speakers. but statistically most people are ESL like us.

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[(Anonymous)]

Can you find an English speaking friend to skype with? Speaking face to face with someone is probably the best way. What is your native language?

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[(Anonymous)]

Chances are your English isn't as bad as they say, so don't let that bother you and keep practicing (because that's the only way to improve) by reading, listening, talking and writing.

Native speakers make mistakes all the time, so you have no reason to be afraid of making mistakes.

I do advice you to not mention being insecure about your English. People are more likely to look for something wrong or use the excuse to be assholes if you do so.

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[blitzwing]

Sounds like Lang-8 might be a good place to try. You write posts in English (or any other language you're studying) and native speakers will grade the entries and give you advice/corrections.

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[philippos42]

If I understand you correctly, your problem is in speaking?

But then you said you wanted to improve your writing. Hm. English idiom is one of those things we spend decades learning & refining.

You can get a lot from watching movies, or just YouTubers.

Also, note that English idiom varies from region to region. Perfectly good British English will sound affected and "wrong" to some Americans and Australians. Australian and Kiwi will sound alien to Americans. There are even small differences in "good English" between parts of the United States!

So the trick may be to find the part of the English-speaking world you want to write about, and try to learn its idioms. Not just slang, but local vocabulary, and the rhythm of it.

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[(Anonymous)]

Your English sounds great to me. If you hadn't mentioned being ESL, I'm not sure I would've guessed. But if you feel that you need more practice, try reading more - not fanfic, but published fiction, non fiction, etc. Newspapers are an excellent suggestion. And a regular conversation partner can work wonders.

Re: Help: how to improve my English

[(Anonymous)]

Your English is better than most native speakers if your comment is anything to go by. If it is spoken english that is the problem then what you need is someone to practice with.