Writing emails in English could be a challenging experience
for English learners. Emails share some peculiarities between formal and
informal language, which represent an additional difficulty for non-native
speakers.
For the above reason, I am very cautious when I write an
email in English. I carefully review each word, verb tense, and punctuation
symbol. And I usually take a second look at prepositions, the nightmare of
English learners.
On top of that, if the email is written for business purposes,
I always use the Word’s spell checker. In addition, I print the email to detect
any hideous errors. Finally, I copy and paste the email and send it. I know
this process is time-consuming for just a few lines, but in business, errors can
be costly.
On the other hand, in Spanish I write directly into the
message’s body. Rarely I consult a dictionary or a grammar book. Seconds later,
the email is sent without much review. Is my online communication in English
better than in Spanish? Probably. Maybe it is time to dust off my Real Academia
dictionary before sending my next email in Spanish.
Writing emails in English could be a challenging experience for (English learners)(better: those learning the language). Emails share some peculiarities between formal and informal language, which represent an additional difficulty for non-native speakers.
ReplyDeleteFor the above reason, I am very cautious when I write an email in English. I carefully review each word, verb tense, and punctuation MARK. And I usually take a second look** at prepositions, the nightmare of English learners.
On top of that, if the email is written for business purposes, I always use [***] Word’s spell checker. In addition, I print the email to detect any hideous errors. Finally, I copy and paste the email and send it. I know this process is time-consuming for just a few lines, but in business, errors can be costly.
On the other hand, in Spanish I write directly into the message’s body (better: the body of the message). Rarely DO* I consult a dictionary or a grammar book. Seconds later, the email is sent without much review. Is my online communication in English better than in Spanish? Probably. Maybe it is time to dust off** my Real Academia dictionary before sending my next email in Spanish.
*The DO is optional but it sounds better to me. I can't explain the grammar of it, however.
**good expressions
***I spent some time thinking about why "the" is incorrect here. If you had said said "the word processor's spell checker", that would be OK. So I think the problem is with the proper noun. In general, you cannot precede a proper noun with an article, even if it is acting as a possessive.
Thanks Matt.
ReplyDeleteRarely do I... I saw that in a grammar book and I wrote a note in my grammar notebook. It is called "negative inversion." With words like "never", "rarely", "seldom"... we should invert the verb/subject. One example: Seldom has he seen anything stranger.
It is impossible to have in our mind all the grammar rules. Hahaha!
You're right. So it's better to try to impress in your mind what you have heard and seen. Our brains figure out the rules without telling us. Imagine trying to explain "negative inversion" to a 3-year-old who is already mastering the language. :-)
ReplyDelete