I have inferiority complex on my written communication

Discussion in 'Education & Personal Growth' started by EnglishNotGood, Dec 4, 2015.

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  1. Dec 6, 2015 #21
    sokanasanah

    sokanasanah IL Hall of Fame

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    Oh, I don't know. She gives me an awfully hard time. I would be careful if I were you.

    Once, when I did not know the difference between Richard II and Richard III, she ganged up with her friend Aria and they ridiculed me. Come on, it's not like I have a degree in English history - I'm not some know-it-all, like they are, y'know?

    Then she makes fun of me writing in Tamil, of my inability to translate. Makes fun of my hair and of stories about my mum watching the 'Friends' TV show when I was in daycare. About the music I listened to in my crib. And then, she calls me 'professor' because I don't know stuff that she does.

    I'm sure other people have similar horror stories to tell. One of these days I'm going to report her (and Aria) to the moderator of the Education & Growth thread. waitingsmiley

    @Gauri03, @Lyraa, @Deepslikes, @Rihana
     
    sokanasanah, Dec 6, 2015
    sokanasanah, Dec 6, 2015
    #21
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  2. Dec 6, 2015 #22
    vaidehi71

    vaidehi71 IL Hall of Fame

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    :rotfl

    One thing I could not gauge till now is the senior neurites nature..
    Will probably never be able to..
    Too complicated for my neurons..
     
    vaidehi71, Dec 6, 2015
    vaidehi71, Dec 6, 2015
    #22
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  3. Dec 6, 2015 #23
    jskls

    jskls IL Hall of Fame

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    what would you say if you listen to Kannada from other parts of south India. Just joking ....
     
    jskls, Dec 6, 2015
    jskls, Dec 6, 2015
    #23
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  4. Dec 6, 2015 #24
    Gauri03

    Gauri03 Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    All the folks who have chimed in here are people I consider excellent writers, including you OP. Your problem seems to be a confidence issue more than one of grammar or style. If you so wish, you can write 500-750 words on any subject and post it either here, or on English Matters. Each one of these ladies and gent(s) will be happy to provide feedback.
     
    Gauri03, Dec 6, 2015
    Gauri03, Dec 6, 2015
    #24
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  5. Dec 6, 2015 #25
    butterflyice

    butterflyice Local Champion Staff Member Platinum IL'ite

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    Akkaare, hanga anthirthaara bidri, neev yaaka thali kedoskothri :)
    (Sista, they do say such things, don't you mind them).

    I relate to what you say, I have come across many Bangaloreans who are that way wrt North Karnataka kannada. To them I have learnt to say, Uttara Karnataka kannada is the ancient kannada. The Tamil that I speak is also ancient, so is my Hindi - you get the drift? ;)

    Your H's relatives' remarks are pretty insensitive and smack of arrogance. I know plenty of convent-educated folks who do not write as well as you do. What is convent-educated english btw? Saying " Oh men, not like that men!!" with an accent that does not sell in US! Do not let such people get to you.

    I was just reading this book called You are special to kiddos. Pretty neat. Read it if you are upto reading kids' stuff.

    And yes, all the people whose language skills I admire have had to work pretty hard to get there, yes even in adulthood. I am not sure if mere convent education can get you there. As of today, my cousins who studied in kannada medium have better English skills than some of us convent-educated heathens.

    To get the US popular expressions, which seems to be your concern, you should probably watch TV shows or hear tapes. I find that tends to pick up language faster that way. I also like New yorker the magazine for the style, although it can a be dense read if you are not familiar with that kind of writing.
     
    butterflyice, Dec 6, 2015
    butterflyice, Dec 6, 2015
    #25
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  6. Dec 6, 2015 #26
    rossie

    rossie Gold IL'ite

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    ENG.. Your English is definitely good. Looking forward to see your snippets in IL. :)
     
    rossie, Dec 6, 2015
    rossie, Dec 6, 2015
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  7. Dec 6, 2015 #27
    rohsiK

    rohsiK Gold IL'ite

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    Written or oral? If you want to do a course in English then learn grammar, but if your sole aim is to become fluent in English then forget about that grammar part and jump into the field directly, do watch lot of movies, read books (especially the ones from Eliot, Shakespeare), now there are lot of apps that can help you to learn a language try them, do participate in discussions, by following all these would definitely boost your confidence levels, there is nothing wrong with your English, its just that your self esteem is low, try to overcome that first....

    Even my understanding of grammar is not that good, but still I have scored pretty decent in all of my exams, to be frank, we dun know most of the grammatical rules in our own mother tongue,then why to worry about this one...
     
    rohsiK, Dec 6, 2015
    rohsiK, Dec 6, 2015
    #27
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  8. Dec 6, 2015 #28
    satchitananda

    satchitananda IL Hall of Fame

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    Your English is perfectly good, ENG. Don't worry too much. Prepositions are trouble areas in all languages. So chill!
     
    satchitananda, Dec 6, 2015
    satchitananda, Dec 6, 2015
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  9. Dec 6, 2015 #29
    meVaidehi

    meVaidehi Platinum IL'ite

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    ENG, your English is definitely not bad enough to make you feel inferior. There always is room for improvement but you do not need to feel so bad. Do you know so many people from USA, UK, Australia etc. whose first and only language is English, are bad in English mostly written. Feel proud that you know Kannada, English and i'm guessing Hindi.

    Suggestions on how to improve:
    First of all exposure. Read all the emails you receive very carefully. Learn from them. While reading focus on English not on translating to understand.
    Think in English that is extremely helpful. Thinking in mother tongue and translating on the go is the biggest obstacle people face.
    Watch a lot of English movies, TV shows, news with subtitles. Concentrate on learning how they are using words and grammar. You don't need to know heavy words. Basic is enough.
    Find someone who is willing to help you and talk to them without feeling guilty, inferior, conscious . Let them correct you, remember the corrections.

    But start by believing its just something you are learning and sooner or later you are going to master it. Just a matter of time.

    Best of luck,

    Vaidehi
     
    meVaidehi, Dec 6, 2015
    meVaidehi, Dec 6, 2015
    #29
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  10. Dec 7, 2015 #30
    EnglishNotGood

    EnglishNotGood Silver IL'ite

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    @butterflyice, I am sort of tube light in quick paybacks. If people make comment on my English or Kannada, my neuron lights up only after a while. More than to impress my relatives or H, I have inner desire to become better at it for my kids' sake. To be able to assess their assignments and essays with authority. To offer them useful suggestions in their improvement. Currently, my self assessment falls short on these.

    I will try to write a snippet on any life's event and will request readers to offer feedback on inaccuracies and mistakes, so I could learn from them.

    My current schedule at work and home does not allow me to enroll in any writing courses in community college or university nearby.

    Thanks for all your replies.
     
    EnglishNotGood, Dec 7, 2015
    EnglishNotGood, Dec 7, 2015
    #30
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