Participating in this site !!!

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Hi,In our country we rarely use the English language in our daily life, but does participating and replying to others in this forum will help me to improve my grammar?The problem is I can't post any  new subject without Referring to the grammar books, and checking the spelling mistakes.Believe it  or not it took me half an hour to write this subject!!Do you advice me to participate in this site  without returning to the grammar books ?

MrPernickety · Accepted Answer

I advise that you participate in this forum indeed.
It will improve your command of the language, and it will probably be some years before you're able to write WITHOUT resorting to grammar books, if you're a newbie to the language.
Grammar rules are somewhat like crutches - you can compare them to crutches. They help you learn to walk again (speak) after an accident. As soon as the wounds are healed over (and you have attained fluency in the language), you don't need them (you might forget about grammar books for good). The only nuisance is that it takes usually a lot of time and effort on your part to attain the fluency I'm talking about here. But in the end it's worth it.

Peaceblinkfriend · Answer

Hi mubrik88

Among other things, I believe my English has definitely improved quite a bit since I first joined this forum. Not just my knowledge of English grammar but also my ability to use English naturally in casual conversations or in a more formal academic setting. I find learning to use English idiomatically by paying attention to the way it is naturally used helps with my grammar at an organic pace, so to speak. I don't consciously study grammar rules anymore because that has led me using English in an unnatural and awkward way.

That said, I always try to make sure what I have written is grammatical and natural. This includes looking at the parts that are not in question. I would sometimes spend a lot more than what it took you to compose your post just then scrutinising what I have typed out with reference to grammar guides, usage guides, past posts, etc. It is not uncommon that I write another post only to check with what I'm uncertain about in one post. I must say this is at times quite time-consuming, having to go through all that effort just to post a question or reply. Sometimes I even wonder whether I am being obsessively perfectionistic

. But I don't mind doing so because it allows to me to put what I have learnt in practice, which I think is an integral part of learning the language. For instance, you might have come across a particular way of structuring a sentence the other day and spending time to write a post gives you the opportunity to use it yourself. Paying extra attention to the way I compose each post also helps me realise what my common errors are, thus providing me with an idea of what I should be working on. This is true for every type of writing you do in English.

Sometimes I would also look into the way I wrote a post after it has been posted and ask questions about it. This maybe because I wanted to learn from the actual query at hand first.

As my English gradually improves, I find myself spending less and less time on the way I ask a question and focusing on the actual question instead. Of course, this is not to say I can now detect all that needs improvement with my English. On the contrary, it gives me more time to notice and question particular meanings of known words/phrases and stylistic features as well.

To me, spending time to compose a post not only serves as a valuable learning experience, it also gives me great satisfaction in knowing that I am applying what I have learnt, which is really motivating. I can't stress enough how important it is to stay motivated if you want to learn English well and enjoy the process at the same time.

This is my experience of learning English and I hope it could shed some light on your query.

Happy New Year!

PBF

[Edit] typo

Peaceblinkfriend · Answer

Just a quick tip that you might find useful. I don't know if this is a feature of the EnglishForward' software but there is a spell check function embedded in the content editor that I'm using, which is the 'Advanced (Yahoo YUI)' one. Otherwise, you could run spell checks with a word processor. Just be mindful that a long chunk of formatting information tags along what you've copied from a word processor. This is certainly the case with Microsoft Word. Clicking 'erase format' reveals them and you can then proceed to delete them.

PBF

Mubrik88 · Answer

Mr. MrPernickety: thank you for your advice, And the example that you have mentioned was great .
*** bless you my friend.

Mr. Peaceblinkfriend :thank you for your precious time, and sharing your thoughts .I will definitely follow your great advice .
You're such a good person

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