Search results for 'tag:Spelling tag:Conversations' matching tags 'Spelling' and 'Conversations'

Re: Simple Past Lesson Plan

Mister Micawber — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:22:11 GMT

.
Oh, I can always find something else (but I may have messed up your formatted columns):

Lesson Plan

Preparation

Level : Elementary

Lesson Length: 45 minutes

Objective: To be able to use the Past Simple question forms and short answers.

Target Language: did + subject + base form of verb ( Did your mother call you? )

Question word + did + subject + base form of verb ( What did you do last night? )

Short answers:

Yes + subject + did ( Did it rain? Yes, it did.)

No + subject + didn't ( Did Helen come to the party? No, she didn't. )

Assumed knowledge: Past Simple (regular / irregular verbs, negative form)

Anticipated problems:

Students may use a past form of the main verb to make the question instead of using the base form. E.g. Did you went?

Solutions:

During the presentation stage, draw students' attention to the fact that 'Did' does not change its form. 'Did' is always used to form the question in the Past Simple.(This is not true for the verb 'be' and sometimes the verb 'have'.)
Point out the verb tense in the question form. Did + subject + base form of the verb
Drill individually and chorally.
Practice making questions. Monitoring for errors and having students unscramble sentences

can also help to work on sentence structure problems.

Preparation and Aids: Simple reading text ,dialogue, in the Simple Past, using vocabulary that

students are already familiar with. Handout for homework correcting sentences. Four pictures of people doing things.

Lesson Plan

Stage	Activity	Interaction	Timing
1	Warmer : Timed Scattergories (*spelling? I don't know this word) with pre-chosen* themes (food, things you do on the weekend, etc) Review homework from last class	TS ST	5 mins
2	Introduction : Have two students stand up for a moment to set the scene; elicit their names. Then they can sit down. Write them on the board. Hand out the dialogue between these two friends who are talking about their past weekend. (A dialogue that mostly contains vocabulary the students are familiar with)	TS SS	1 min
3	Have students read the dialogue and answer gist questions about it to check their understanding.	S ST	3 min
4	Ask students to focus on the language used by asking what question Â« A Â» asked Â« B Â». Write this question on the board.	TS ST	1 min
5	Presentation : Show students how it is formed Did + subject + base Did you have a good weekend ? Point out that we don't use the past form of the main verb in questions, but always the base (or dictionary) form	TS	5 min
6	Drill chorally and individually. Focus on pronunciation and correct structure.	TST	2 min
7	Elicit: Draw students' attention to the short answer and explain the positive and the negative structures. Yes + subject + did -- Yes, I did. No + subject + didn't -- No, I didn't.	TS
8	Drill chorally and individually and then conduct a controlled question-and-answer drill around the class : E.g : Â« Sandrine ask Didier...(point to an action on the board : - go to the restaurant / movies / market / bank / etc.) Â» Sandrine: Â« Did you go to the restaurant? Â« Didier: Â« Yes, I did. Â» etc.	ST SS	2 min 5 min
9	Pairwork : Students ask and answer questions from the board and note down their partners' answers. The focus here is on correct pronunciation and structure, so it is important to correct any errors by referring to the structures on the board.	PW	5 min
10	Controlled Oral Practice : Use dialogue text as a basis to talk about what the two characters did on the weekend. Also use visual support such as a picture of a restaurant to prompt questions. For example, show a picture of two friends having a conversation; encourage them to produce the following question : Â« Did they go to a restaurant ? -- Yes, they did / No, they didn't. Â» Give four picture examples as prompts.	TS SS TS	1 min 2 min
11	Monitor closely. Correct errors by using what's already on the board as a point of reference.	TS	1 min
12	If students are performing well, turn focus to what they themselves did on the weekend. They ask each other questions and give short answers.	PW	5 min
13	Follow up with controlled written practice. For example, use questions and answers in which the words are all mixed up ; students put the words back into the correct order.	S	5 min
14	Homework : a transformation exercise (changing affirmative statements into questions and short answers)

Re: is nosier than

Avangi — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:37:36 GMT

I don't think either one works. In making this sort of a comparison I believe the adjectives should be parallel. Noisier (check spelling) is a comparative. Quiet and lonely are not. Make them both one way or the other: The city is noisy, but the village is quiet. The city is noisy but the outskirts are lonely.

You'll probably hear native speakers use the two comparatives in casual conversation, but I don't think they should be used formally: The city is noisier but the village is quieter.

It would probably be correct to place the comparative in the second clause only: The city is noisy but the village is quieter / more quiet.

Re: can someone please check my job application

Anonymous — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 23:43:55 GMT

Hi All,

Many thanks for replying.I have now amended my application and would really appreciate it if someone could check it for spelling, grammar and punctuation.This application is really important to me and i would appreciate any help at all:

Question 1 - Done

Working with people of different backgrounds, ages, or gender Please describe a situation where you have interacted with people who are different from you in terms of background, age or gender: What was the situation:It seemed a new colleague was having difficulty settling in at work. He chose to sit by himself and appeared reluctant to join in with group activities. What role did you play:During general conversation, he mentioned he is homosexual and finds it difficult interacting with people in case they judge him on his sexuality. I encouraged him to talk to the other colleagues as they were friendly and I drew him into conversations by asking for his opinions and showing an interest in his replies. I made sure that he was fairly treated and was not unconsciously ignored by some members of the team. What happened as a result: He soon became settled and felt comfortable enough to take part in group activities. It has also given him much more confidence in dealing with people. He has now become a valued member of the team and has brought new viewpoints and new skills to the team.QuoteEnd>

Question 2 - Done Please describe a situation where you have had to work closely with others as part of a team: What was the situation:As a team of sales advisors, we are set targets by senior management that we are required to achieve. On this occasion, some team members were absent due to illness, and as a result, our individual target was increased to compensate for the sheared workload. What role did you play:I suggested we have a meeting to examine how best to cope with the additional workloads. I said I would look at sales opportunities to generate leads, as this is one of my strengths, other team members agreed to concentrate on existing customers. I also suggested working late one evening a week, we then discussed who would do each evening and I offered to take the first shift. What happened as a result:The team exceeded the sales target and my manager was so pleased with our efforts that our strategy has been used as an example of good practice for other teams when short staffed. I was praised for setting up the team meetings and my ideas and have learned the benefits of working with team members to solve problems.

Question 3 - Done Please describe a situation where you have taken steps to improve your skills and / or learn new things: What was the situation:I made a decision to start a website design company. I felt confident of my skills and knowledge of website design, but I had limited skills and experience in business marketing and consequently found it difficult establishing a customer base. What role did you play:I researched marketing techniques on the internet and managed to teach myself the basics, but I decided I would benefit from further tuition. I decided to contact my local chamber of commerce who arranged for me to attend a business marketing course. A key marketing techniques I learned was to contact potential customers directly, rather than expecting them to contact me. I decided to contact my local chamber of commerce who arranged for me to attend a business marketing course. I made notes of all suggestions and idea that was discussed. A particular suggestion I liked was to contact potential customers directly, rather than expecting them to contact me. What happened as a result: I contacted a local surveying company to arrange a sales meeting and the result of a successful presentation, I managed to secure a sale. Using my newly acquired skills, I built relationships with new customers and further developed my business. I learned that asking questions is a key element of learning. Question 4 - Done

Please describe a situation where you have had to remain calm and controlled in a stressful situation: What was the situation:Whilst driving home from work at rush hour, I witnessed a cyclist get his front tyre caught in a tram track resulting in him being thrown from his bike. The cyclist had landed in a dangerous position and could potentially be further injured. What role did you play:I pulled my car over to a safe location and I assessed the situation. I managed to stop traffic in both directions with my own safety being of main concern. I phoned for an ambulance and checked the welfare of the man. I was under pressure from inpatient drivers who were sounding their horns and wanted us to move. I blocked this distraction and refused to move the patient to prevent further injury. What happened as a result:Because of my prompt response and refusal to allow anyone to move the man off the road, I prevented any further injury being caused. An ambulance came and took the man away by structure.

Question 5 - Done

Please describe a situation where you have had to work on your own in accordance with guidelines: What was the situation:

During the purchase of my family home, I received a letter from our solicitors stating that a previous loft conversion did not meet current fire regulations. Our solicitor said we can still go ahead with the purchase, providing that relevant alterations are made. What role did you play:The project involved installing a new loft window which required me to research and follow strict guidelines set by the City Council. I was under pressure to complete this project as a surveyor was scheduled to assess the work on a particular date. I found myself working evenings and weekends on my own to compensate for this tight deadline. What happened as a result:

The work passed the evaluation and I now live in the house with my family and in peace of mind that the house is fully compliant with all safety regulations.

Question 6 - Done

Please describe a situation where you have had to change the way you do something following a change imposed by someone in authority: What was the situation:At my current employment, I am required to sell products to customers. A business decision was made to change my job role from inbound sales to outbound sales. What role did you play:I conducted research about my new role by asking people in my organisation who do a similar role for there views and day to day working life. I found that it is more beneficial to contact customers directly and up sell a product that they may not currently be aware of. I adjusted my existing sales techniques to adapt my new job role. I shared my research with sceptical colleagues and I helped them see the benefits of the change. What happened as a result:I was given an opportunity to develop my skills and progress my career. The hand over of job roles was successful and I am now achieving a much bigger volume of sales.

Re: "as ... as" expression

Spides — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:30:35 GMT

Your instinct is right--the phrase refers to "last year's figure" but the word "figure" is understood and so dropped. So grammatically the spelling should be year's. However, it has become common ~~especially in conversation~~to drop the 's, and that has slipped into common usage in many cases. It's common for this to happen, as a language is a constantly changing thing. But careful writers will still, I think, make that a possessive form. A similar thing has happened with a sentence like, "James is taller than I." The pronoun "I" is correct because the entire sentence would be "James is taller than I am," but when the understood verb "am" is dropped, many speakers will say, "James is taller than me." That construction, too, has slipped into common usage in writing for many people. In fact, those who insist on the grammatically correct form are thought of as old-fashioned, perhaps, by many.

Re: Spaniard offering Spanish-English conversation exchange

perana — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 18:50:12 GMT

hey david

i would be very glad if i could help u in your english..and i must say i have studied spanish for 4 years as a second language but i have failed to actually learn spanish:)) i mean i could merely or close enough try to understand someone talking in spanish ohh and thats ofcourse if there talking slow:)...cuz if there fast i mean before a blink of an eye i would only get hola!!! hehe

anyway iam 22 and i think i can help u in your english,and i would be soo excited if u managed to help me in my spanish which i doubt i will ever get ok all i know is "para que sepas espanol muy bien pero no voy acontstar en espanol" :))) iam not sure of the spelling too by the way and thats the only sentence i use besides HOLA

Re: day off ?

Avangi — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:28:14 GMT

Lookin' good.

In d/ we would drop the "a." The "my" sort of takes its place. This is a hat. This is my hat. This is a car. This is my car.

re BTW, In certain special situations - let's say you and your supervisor are making up your schedule for next month - he might say, "Okay, this is going to be your off day."

But in general conversation, when you say, "I'm having an off day!", it would be understood to mean that you're off your game. In other words you're unable to function or perform at your usual level of skill.

And thanks for checking my spelling on "occured." I had my doubts.

Best wishes, - A.

Re: Which language is most difficult language for people to learn?

Hoa Thai — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 12:43:06 GMT

CalifJim wrote:
I read somewhere that Mario Pei, the linguist, tried to learn a different language every year. He supposedly claimed that Vietnamese was the most difficult.

CJ

I disagree with the linguist Mario Pei not because I am a Vietnamese. It is because I have seen, in my country, a couple of TV hosts and many shop owners speak our language fluently and write better than most of our people do. Amazingly, all of them have lived in Vietnam for only a few years. For instance, Joe Ruelle, who has been in Vietnam for only 3 years or so, has his own blog written in perfect Vietnamese and speaks the language without a foreign trace. People say that Joe is a Vietnamese who had plastic surgery in order to look like a Canadian!

For me, after years of learning French, English, Japanese, and Korean in that order - I find that:

1. Korean is the easiest to learn. After learning its unique phonetic vowels and consonants, one can arrange them together to form / spell various monosyllabic words; and string the words together, using a few grammar rules, to make sensible sentences. After two years learning the language, I now can comfortably watch KBS TV- programs.

2. French is second. Its grammar is structural and without exceptions. Spelling the words is as they sound. The hardest part is to memorize the gender of its vocabulary (i.e., masculine vs. feminine).

3. English is next. This multi-syllable language has the richest dictionary in the world with all of the borrowed words from a score or more foreign languages, including Latin / French / German / Japanese / Vietnamese, etcâ¦you name it. It also has too many exceptions in both grammar and pronunciation, along with its homophones and all of its nym's (homonym, capitonym, etcâ¦) that give Spelling-Bee contestants nightmares.

4. Finally, Japanese is the hardest with its two syllabaries: hiragana and katakana, plus about 8000 kanji's. This multi-syllable ideographic language is too culturally, hierarchically, and gender sensitive. I was told, one needs to know about 2000 kanji's to reach college-level proficiency and 2000 more or so to be considered as a scholar. In number, those are not huge compared to hundred-thousands in English but they take a decade or more to learn! Thus, the language is VERY difficult.

After 2 years learning the language, I can only manage to limitedly engage in daily, social conversation and no more. Now my Japanese friends rather use their broken English to talk to me! I owe them a lot since they have to deal with the language, to them, is the most difficult one in the world.

Having said that, I must say all languages are equally difficult for foreigners, who are not familiar with the cultures in which they are used, to learn. Absorbing literal meanings might be manageable, but understanding the deep connotation is often impossible.

CIAO,

Hoa Thai

The first chapter of novel in Hemingwayâs style. Please, help me!!!

Winnie-the-Pooh — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 23:59:35 GMT

Hello, all! Itâs my first post here. Iâm Russian writer or maybe I think that I am a writer. In any case I published some poems, some stories and two novels in Russian newspapers and magazines, but it didnât make me famous or rich. I am learning English today. Now I am posting here the first chapter of my novel. It was published in Russia (surely, in Russian language). At the beginning of next week Iâll have to show the first chapter to a publisher. But my English isnât as good as my Russian, and should you notice any grammar, spelling, speech or other mistakes, please, inform me. You can also rewrite the sentences which are untypical for English (American) speech. Thanks in advance!

I also need English-speaking friends, who would help me to make my English better. My e-mail is Winnie-the-Pooh-Ru@yandex.ru.

At the last day of 1994 the snow was falling on Ichkerian land. It was white like feathers of swans flying in one flock with angels. Resinous aroma was mixed with cool matutinal wind.

"If Iâm killed in Grozny, when we come there, the most ***â thinâ would I shall never become a father. I always hated kids, because of their usual cries and hollers, and, mother ***, I didnât want to spown before my serve, but now ââ", Zhenka Charin said to Matvey (it was nickname for friends of Igor Matveew[1]), who was such either as he a soldier of eighteen years old.

"Boy, you are going to die too early", answered Matvey and unsuccessful tried to smile. "Tolik says that Chechens defeated and the remainder of their army runs out from the city now".

"It's a ***! It's a real ***. Tolik is only the platoon commander, but not general. He can't know all ***â truth"

"Whatâs a difference? We are lucky guys; we'll come to Grozny without any shot".

"You are kiddinâ, brotha!â said Zhenka. "You and I were watchinâ corpses in that lorries. We can't believe that our fumtu troops will come to Grozny without a shotâ.

We had to believe, because we'll have to come to this devilâs city, thought Matvey, but said nothing.

He was beginning to detest Zhenka, who had been always irritated and evaluate everything as *** or *** things. But Zhenka, this gangling gangster as Matvey called him because of his bandit-looking face, was right. In the morning, when their regiment arrived to the base, Matvey was busy of driving own evil thoughts out. First minutes in Chechnya reminded him the cinematography pretence of the war.

The base of federal troops consisted of airsheds and huge premiseses, where not so long ago there were peace craft shops. But now a lot of army lorries were here. When Matvey picked in one of them, he saw motionless men in camouflage. Suddenly he understood that these were dead bodies.

The lieutenant, who stood not far away, offered to Matvey, "You can look at our sharpshooter in the next lorry. Yesterday he was in Grozny with carry of two soldiers. He lagged behind them. The Chechens took him in captivity. Afterwards we found his broken corpse".

This lieutenant, he looks like a bull with bullets in his skin, took a cigarette from his pocket. The cigarette-lighter trembled in his hands. He continued the conversation quietly and somehow nervously, "Sergey, that sharpshooter, had seen all business of our curs with men from Chechen fighting group. He knew too much, and thatâs why bastards of his carry leaved him. I know too much too and I'm afraid I shall be next dead body".

The corpse of the sharpshooter seemed to be made from plasticine. His camouflage was cut into pieces and blood-flooded. His head laid apart his torso.

Seeing this, Matvey sicked right on dead body. The Lieutenant shouted at him, "Oh, mongrel! *** your mother!"

The war became real for Matvey, but he repeated three times for himself: "This is only an accident. The war can't begin in Russia. There is nothing to be afraid of". He trembled and did not notice it.

At that moment Zhenka Charin came to them. "Wassamatter? What are the shouts?" he asked and looked at the lorry. Seeing the sharpshooter, he couldnât sick.

"Has seen and that was enough ââ", said the lieutenant.

"***, why did you think, that I gave the order for someone looking?!â the low-statured major with mustaches unexpectedly appeared around lorries. He was fat, and, probably, from this seemed jumping making each step. For contrast major's voice sounded certain and aloud. The Lieutenant immediately stood straight and silly to watch major.

"Who are you, puppies?â the major shouted at Matvey and Zhenka not caring about their answers ordered. "Donât tell to anybody about corpses, that you saw! You mustn't create a panic. I'll *** you if somebody knows something!"

Major smells vodka and oranges, his cheeks were red. Moron with maroon face, Matvey appreciated him. The lorries left soon. To become disconnected from the warâs air, Matvey began to fasten fir-branch to IFV[2].

"It will be better if you are hitch a pair of New-Year balls on it!â smiled the tall, light-brown-haired and blue-eyed soldier, whose nickname was Kissel (for the reason his surname was Kisselew). He was the best friend of Matvey.

"Hardly we'll find them here", answered Matvey and umpteenth thought that it is necessary to tell the Kissel about the dead bodies in the lorries. But when Matvey looked at his lucky face, he umpteenth didn't dare.

In any case it will be easier for him, if he wouldn't hear about corpses and not become to be afraid beforehand, Matvey stony looked at empty snowbound field and thought about varicolored festoons, laughing girls and light-heartedly days. All that was exactly year back and now recalled by his memory like unreal appearance in the dreams of a fairy tale.

One year back Matvey studied in the eleventh[3] form. He and Kissel visited their class-mate Natasha one day before New Year. Now under wide and black Ichkerian sky Matvey immediately felt a joy and a biting sadness, when he remembered her.

When she opened the door, she smelt nice of the wild strawberry. She was after shower. Matvey could see under her shot white bathrobe the contours of her breasts, which reminded large apples, and her long graceful legs with shone dripped water. Natasha asked them to wait her in the common-room until she changed clothes in the bedroom.

âIâll be happy like in paradise, if I get her in my bedâ, whisper in friendâs ear Kissel in a care-free manner.

âThat really is too big New-Year present for such small boy as you areâ, joked to him Matvey.

âBe easy. Iâll hint her that I like her, and she will be mineâ.

âHave you already spoke to psychiatrist about your megalomania?â murmured Matvey.

He understood clearly that Kissel donât want to have a love-affair with Natasha indeed, in spite of this he was beginning to cross with Kissel.

What do I care? thought Matvey. Natasha isnât my girlfriend. And no accidents would happen if she falls in love with Kissel. I donât love her, do I? She is pretty, and I like to speak with her about many different things, but thatâs all.

He heard the hum of the hair-dryer from her room. A few instants later Kissel cried, âNatasha, you are a real devil, arenât you? Iâve never saw before so charming girl!â

Now she was in the white blouse and blue jeans with the guitar in her right hand. Matvey looked at her sun-colored hair and at her eyes, which was blue and deep, as a sea. She reminded him Mermaid from the fairy tale of Andersen, and Matvey imagined that she wears now the sea-spume and varicolored magic seaweeds instead of modern clothes. Yes, she really was merry mermaid, who loved the terrestrial world strange though it may seem and tries to save drowning men during each storm.

In real life Natasha devoted large part of her free-time for teaching to ride on horseback disabled children at the municipal hippodrome. These children usually loved her lessons.

She is a very good friend; she is just a friend, thought Matvey.

At that evening he drank some beer with Natasha and Kissel, they played the guitar and spoke about their school, their friends, their life and other simple and pleasant thingsâ¦

Next day at Kisselâs house in the middle of New-Yearâs party Matvey suddenly understood, that Natasha wouldnât come to them. He left his friends without saying any word and ran out for her.

Natasha was at home. Her father didnât want her to leave, âFor single time you agreed to celebrate the New Year with parents, but now young person leads you away at five minutes to twelve. You two must stay with us if only for a half an hour to see the New Year inâ.

âNo, dad, itâs time! We had to goâ, Natasha has kissed the father in a cheek and smiled for her mother.

Coming out of entrance, Natasha confessed to Matvey, âI hadnât wanted to celebrate with you. I know, you thought that you are just a friend for me. Oh ***! Why did you never understand that I am over head and ears in love with you?â she lit a cigarette.

Suddenly Matvey understood that he fall in love with her too; he embraced her and kissed her nervous trembling lips. At that instant they heard striking of chimes from TV at the small night shop not far from them, which worked on holiday. It meant that it was midnight already and the New Year had become.

âWe have to celebrate the New Year here in the streetâ, said Matvey with smile. He took Natashaâs hand, and they went to a small shop to buy some beer and drink for Happy New Year.

The moon, which recently goggled in window in quest of sky, now looked from height on lad and girl. They went out of the shop, and she lit a cigarette, he opened a bottle of beer; they went hand in hand and drank and smoke one cigarette for two persons. The moon foolishly thought that it was a romantic ritual. But it wasnât, and Matvey and Natasha just smoked one cigarette for two persons. They kissed for a long time. It was nothing bad that weather-beaten with frost wet lips would crack afterwards.

âOh, Matvey, this is no *** good!â the cried voice of Zhenka Charin brought back the Ichkerian winter. âOur commanders not give a *** about us; they run away like bitches running from firing whorehouse, I see. The lieutenant, who stood near this *** lorries with corpses, disappeared some hours or maybe even some minutes ago. All our lads are thinking that Chechens kidnap him, but in my opinion, he simply ran away, he is a smart assâ.

âProbably, he ran awayâ, agreed Matvey.

But his memory brought back to him the last words of the lost lieutenant, "Sergey, that sharpshooter, had seen all business of our curs with men from Chechen fighting groupâ¦ I know too much too and I'm afraid I shall be next dead body".

[1] Matvey is an old Russian name. And Matveew is a widespread Russian surname, that origin by this name.

[2] Itâs abbreviation of infantry fighting vehicle.

[3] Itâs equal twelfth form in American schools.

Re: Cool Breeze thanks the Englishforums team

Cool Breeze — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 10:22:58 GMT

Hi Kooyeen

There is nothing to forgive! I am certainly not in the least offended by your post. In fact, I enjoyed reading it tremendously! I even agree with you to some extent on some of the points you made.

I am the first person to admit that my knowledge of English isn't as good as that of a native speaker. I know that my knowledge of my mother tongue, Finnish, is far better than my English. I am conscious of my shortcomings. May I just point out that all speakers of all living languages are learners. I learn new Finnish words all the time, and native speakers of English learn new words as these words make their way into the language. The learning process is incessant owing to the fact that languages evolve.

You say that every nonnative speaker wants to write, speak and sound like a native speaker. That is not true. I don't. I have mentioned this earlier in my posts in other threads. I have always thought it paradoxical that even though English has an extremely large vocabulary, native speakers are in many situations limited to a few fixed phrases that they 'must' use to sound natural. I don't necessarily want to sound 'natural'. That's why I don't always conform to generally accepted phrases and idioms.

Nor do all others. In the Far East, for example, an English dictionary has been published which contains such words as farang and actsy. They say they have colonised the English language. English is the lingua franca these days, and whether native speakers like it or not, it will transform in the various localities and connexions where it is used.

Another factor is what I might call national pride -- for lack of a better word. I don't want to sound British, American, Canadian, Australian or anything else when I speak English. I am a Finn and I want to sound Finnish. I know my accent is close to American English and I have been taken for an American on a number of occasions. Finland is an unknown country and I prefer it that people know where I am from when I travel. I am often in for better treatment that way. Finland never colonised anything and has not been involved in any major international wars or skirmishes recently, which means it has few foes. I never have to hear 'Finn, go home' slogans on my travels. A couple of years ago the US embassy in Latvia or Lithuania issued a warning to US citizens travelling in the Baltic countries asking them to keep a low profile and to avoid conversation in a loud voice. We all know why.

You are partly right as to what I consider my 'main reference point' regarding correct usage. It is usually native speakers when the use of a word or an expression is in question. When grammar is involved, we must bear in mind the fact that many authoritative grammar books were written by nonnative speakers such as Otto Jespersen and R.W. Zandvoort. Of course that does not mean that grammar books by natives are no good.

Please feel free to post a reply, Kooyeen. I look forward to it! As a matter of fact, I'm counting on getting one!

Cheers
CB
PS: I hope no one minds my spelling of nonnative. I have not been able to find a hyphenated non-native in any dictionary.

Re: Per say

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 09:47:26 GMT

Never used it in an actual conversation. I know the spelling just in case I have to write it in a dictation.