English grammar

Aquatar   Wed Sep 06, 2006 12:52 pm GMT
Hi Pauline

Your English is good and you get your points across perfectly well. It does seem that you might sometimes be translating directly from the French though, so that your sentences don't always sound very natural to an English speaker. I would suggest the following changes:

It's a funny idea TO CHANGE the grammar !!! I DON'T THINK THIS HAS EVER DELIBERATELY BEEN DONE.

My mother tongue's (TONGUE IS might sound better here, but the contraction isn't wrong) French, my second is Dutch, then I can speak a little bit OF English and German. For me GERMAN GRAMMAR IS THE MOST DIFFICULT ; all those den, die, das, er, ihn etc... HOW CONFUSING!

I find Dutch and English OF about the same (or equal) difficulty, although I know Dutch much BETTER. Especially WITH English I can't understand when they talk, and the verb : ''to do'' I don't like HOW IT CHANGES ITS FORM ALL THE TIME. Dutch is horrible but I like English VERY MUCH, and I want improve it. Aquatar, if you would like TO, PLEASE CORRECT my MISTAKES in English.

Hope this helps :)
Aquatar   Wed Sep 06, 2006 12:55 pm GMT
Also, it should be 'I want TO improve', and I think it would be better to say 'I don't like how the verb 'to do' changes its form all the time'.
Aquatar   Wed Sep 06, 2006 1:09 pm GMT
Another thing, I haven't corrected the punctuation, as I'm afraid I'm pretty clueless about that myself lol
Pauline   Wed Sep 06, 2006 1:48 pm GMT
Aquatar,

Thank you very much for correcting!!!

I'm very happy that you've written my English is good and I can get my points across, because at school I haven't succes in this subject, and I've fear for speak it.

Yes, often they're telling me that my english it's typically french ; probably I translate too much and not think in english. French-speakers we've a manner quite distinctive to construct and pronounce english I think, and it's very difficult adapt. But the next summer I will be in the US, and I don't want they immediatley hear I'm francophone.

Anyway, about this thread, in my opinion it's not a good thing to unnaturelly change a language ; it develop himself, and you better don't influence. It's like in french, they try to enforce the version standardised, but this create much discontentement, and some languages they disappear, for example the tongue of my grand-parents : walon, and other ones in regions of France.

Language is for communicate, and if you would prefer speak a simplified one, then learn esperanto, don't impose fake changes at english.
Aquatar   Wed Sep 06, 2006 6:53 pm GMT
>>Anyway, about this thread, in my opinion it's not a good thing to unnaturelly change a language<<

Well, I don't see how you realistically could anyway, at least the spoken form of the language. You can create new rules for the written language, as has happened with German, but then look at all the resistance that has met with.

But really, if you were to create new grammar rules for English, say that all past tense verbs have to become regular i.e. write becomes writed, how on earth would this be enforced. A £10 fine every time you forget and utter 'wrote' or 'written'? Actually maybe this could be an excellent source of revenue for the Government... lol
Aquatar   Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:06 pm GMT
Pauline

One thing that will make you sound far less French is if you remember that in English we don't say things like:

'They're telling me that my English IT'S typically French', or French speakers WE'VE a manner'. We say '...my English IS typically French' and 'French speakers HAVE a manner...'I don't know much about French, but am I right in saying you would say something like 'Mon Anglais c'est...' and not 'Mon Anglais est' (sorry I only know a tiny bit of French, so that could be completely wrong). But basically in English, once you have introduced the subject, you simply follow it with the appropriate verb, and you don't need any kind of further pronoun construction using it, he, she, we etc.

And also, remember to put the adjective before the noun :)
Pauline   Fri Sep 08, 2006 12:02 pm GMT
Aquatar,

Thank you very much for your help:)

I will try to remember this things. The adjective before the noun, I knew about but I forget so I must better concentrate. The other point, yes in french sometimes we're saying for example : ''c'est'', after we introduce the subject, but not always, so it must be possible for me to stop to do it.
Adam   Fri Sep 08, 2006 6:25 pm GMT
"I am , I ain't
You am, You ain't
He/She/It am, He/She/It ain't
We am, We ain't
You am, You ain't
They am, They ain't "


Ain't? What an ugly Americanism.

And we don't need to simplify English gramamr. Surely it's not that difficult.
Pole   Fri Sep 08, 2006 7:16 pm GMT
You should really try Polish grammar once if you want to see the difficulty.I am a Pole and a Pole cannot speak his own language native and perfectly till the age of 8 or 9.So don't try to make english easier like esperanto.