Learning to write english right or rite ???

[John Bartley]

Your and you're.  Your is a possessive of you.  You're is a contraction for you are.  When someone says "your right", that should mean to the right of you, not you are right. 

And ... not to sound like a smarty pants, but context is as important as, and also influences the spelling and meaning of similar sounding words.

Ron's example of "your right" is a good one and here's a couple of examples ::

Your new sawmill is on your right. 
Your right to own a sawmill is undeniable.
You're right to own a sawmill because leasing is too expensive.
You're right to keep the blade guards to your right if you're right handed.

cheers eh?

john ... pot ... stir ... can't resist ...

PS ::: read, read, read, and then read some more .... and it doesn't matter what you read, all the same words are used in comic books and supposedly great novels ....

[Don K]

Marcel, I have just read you post and I must say that you have come a long way. I have read some of your first posts and they have evolved very nicely. You have managed to get a grasp of the crazy thing that is the English language and make good use of it. That is a feat in itself considering how badly we as a people of different regions manage to twist it up so badly. Have you ever considered what it would be like to learn to speak english from a southern boy? We came up with some words that ain't very proper and most of ya'll don't use.  See what I mean.  

All jokes aside, I agree with some of the others. Read all you can and it will come naturally. Check word questions in the dictionary. I find it to be true in most cases that a well read person usually spells the majority of words right and usually gets the word use correct also. It is like a baby learning to walk, the more he does it the better he gets.

You are a very interesting person and I would like very much to meet you. I would love to have the ability to speak French as it is a very interesting sounding language. My hat is off to you. You have done well.

Don

[sawguy21]

I agree with the others. You have done very well, your English skills have improved dramatically simply by reading and writing here. I took six years of French in high school and college and get a kick out of some of your expressions. I can no longer speak it due to lack of use although  I can read a bi-lingual label, mandatory here in Canuckistan, and get the general drift. Language must be used to stay alive.
There is an interesting history behind French. It was the language of culture and commerce in the western world for centuries but got left behind because the French people refused to let it change and evolve. There is still a government agency charged with ensuring language purity.

[Captain]

Marcel, you've met my 100% French Canadian Wife.  You know I'm from Vermont.  I could always understand you perfectly 

Your command of the english language is remarkable.  I only wish that I was multilingual myself.

Captain

[Cedarman]

Bryson mentioned a bunch of words that have the opposite meaning now than they did 100 years ago.

Look at what we are doing to the word "cool".

Marcel, I always thought you communicated just fine.  When you asked me if I wanted a beer at the piggie roast, I understood you just fine.

[Lud]

I agree with Scott and DanG.  Reading is the best thing you can do for your mind,  your ability to communicate in the spoken and written word.

....................but that doesn't mean a guy has to read instructions until you get stuck trying to put something together!!

My wife was born in Italy and talks to her folks over ther on the phone.  The language is beautiful.  I think kids who grow up bilingual develop and extra chamber in their heads.  Wish I had that gift........

[sawguy21]

I
....................but that doesn't mean a guy has to read instructions until you get stuck trying to put something together!!

.....

Now that is funny.

[rebocardo]

Then with English you get phrases such as "boo hoo" (to cry when hurt) which are taken directly from Hebrew (bohuw - an undistinghuished ruin - used to describe a void in the Bible Gen1:2), and twisted a bit to a 90 degree different though related meaning.

I just wonder 40 years from now, how many Mexican words will be dropped directly into American English and then everyone that learns English outside the country will not know what the dang we mean if they speak real Spanish      Like Jethro going "dang, Uncle Jed".

I consider learning English along the lines of learning computer machine language. Until you start using and reading it everyday, you miss the nuances (little things) that separate proper English from street English and when to string certain combinations together.

An example would be the word "right". In proper English your sentence would be formatted along the lines of "Learning to correctly write English", though you would have to search a bit to find anyone other then a news anchor or Tony Randall that talks that way in the USA.

The main reason I can not speak Spanish properly is I simply can not keep up with the rapid fire talking, my mouth is simply too slow and I fumble my words, and it rarely approaches the proper Spanish they teach in books.  So, I ask them to speak real s...l...o...w.

I only wish my Spanish was as good as your English 

[LeeB]

I work with a bunch of Scots and English fellows and am forever asking them to translate what they just said in to 'red neck'.

[isawlogs]

> It does not give the tense or how to use it

Websters Unabridged College Dictionary should do it. It would be the one that tips the scales at 15+ pounds. 

If you would like, I could find a cheap student dictionary and remedial English language book in my library to get you started on sentence structure and verb tense.

  I sure would apreciate a good dictionary , But like I said one still needs to know how it is spelled before one can find it in the book ....  the ones I know how to write .. or think I know !!!  You guys have figured out the meaning of .... I would gladly take you up on the offer , thank you .
   

[isawlogs]

I envy your bilingualness.  Je parle un peu de francais, and I would like to see you use a little more French on some posts so that I can practice figuring it out.

We will help you if you will help us .  Savvy?

Cela devrait s'écrire comme suit : Je parle un peu  * le *  Français .
I would also like to post more in French ,be a hell of a lot easier .....  Why don't we do it this way ; You answer my post in French , I will do it in English and we could help each other out on the correctiveness of each other .

[LeeB]

Now that's what I'm talking about. Marcel's gonna teach us all how to read and write in French.

[metalspinner]

 

Marcel,
I can read your French perfectly...with an accent to boot!  I just don't know what it means.

Through high school and college, I took 4 years of French.  Plus, I grew up in south Louisiana.  Through all of that, one would think I would have caught on.

[isawlogs]

Marcel, your command of the English language is already much better than many people for whom it is the first and only language.  I admire your aspiration to improve, though.  I suggest that you take Rebocardo up on his generous offer.  Also, I'll be glad to send a note of correction if I see a big mistake, but I'm not going to nitpick your every word.

The use of the language, both written and spoken, is one of my few talents, but you would hardly know it from some of my posts here.  I typically use a lot of colloquialisms in my informal conversations, and I try to write the same way I speak.  I also enjoy playing with words in an attempt to appear clever.  I sometimes worry that these attempts may be confusing to those of you for whom English is not your native language.  I don't worry about it enough to prevent me from doing it, though.

I also keep a Webster's New World Dictionary beside my computer.

Also, I'll be glad to send a note of correction if I see a big mistake, but I'm not going to nitpick your every word

 Thanks Dan , I knew I could count on you to grab the big end of things and leave the littler stuff for others . 
 But all kiddin aside , I would appreaciate you doing the nitpicking . 

[Furby]

Marcel, using google type this  define:
Then add your word after that, if it's wrong but close, it will give you a suggestion for the word you are looking for.
It does not work for every word or every possible screwed up spelling, but it might help you out.
It's what I use to confirm the spelling or definition of a word.

[isawlogs]

  Furby ; I have been there many time , but very frustrating when they give you those sugestions , one needs to know the meaning of a word to be able to use it correctly , to be able to do this , one needs to be able to spell it . the wheel is in full motion at this point and so is the dictionary . 

   I think it would be much ... much healthier for me to have all of my friends here helping me out than ( then ) this is one of those that I get confused with ... me ending up with the word book ten feet away . 

[beenthere]

I think it would be much ... much healthier for me to have all of my friends here helping me out, than me ending up with the word book ten feet away .

Using 'than' is the way I would say it, with a comma just before "than".

[Radar67]

  Furby ; I have been there many time , but very frustrating when they give you those sugestions , one needs to know the meaning of a word to be able to use it correctly , to be able to do this , one needs to be able to spell it . the wheel is in full motion at this point and so is the dictionary . 

   I think it would be much ... much healthier for me to have all of my friends here helping me out than ( then ) this is one of those that I get confused with ... me ending up with the word book ten feet away . 

Marcel, here are a few things

time should have an s on the end to make it plural, as many refers to multiples of time.

suggestions is the proper spelling

than is the correct usage in this context. Than is a conjunction, then is an adverb. The basic use of then is to reference time, ie "He will leave at noon, then we will not see him for a month." Than is used more as a comparison to something. ie "She is smarter than Julie"

[farmerdoug]

Boy o boy,  I am back in Miss Allam's class.

  She could teach you a thing or two about english. But if you really screwed up she would give the "look" and you just knew there was a lecture coming for the class about it.

Isawlogs,  You are going great with our english.  We will help nitpick if you want us to help but most people think that is picking on someone.  Like you are saying, you cannot learn from your mistakes if you do not know about them.  I have a funny feeling that class is in session again here.

[isawlogs]

 
 ....................but that doesn't mean a guy has to read instructions until you get stuck trying to put something together!!
 Beethere so many times .  I never gave up , I am not sure how it all came out but have not been shot done too many times  
 
 Rebo; You talk about the Spanish in 40 years , Its amazing how many words are shared between English and French , many have the same spelling and same meaning .

I consider learning English along the lines of learning computer machine language. Until you start using and reading it everyday, you miss the nuances (little things) that separate proper English from street English and when to string certain combinations together.
    I dont get to use it every day, I would still like to learn how to write it properly . I do fully understand that with out being used , one can not get it all and there will be some questionable moments in conversations that will be ignored by me ... but I might be able to get a better handle of what is being said around me and have less of a question mark face .