While most of us think it's helpful to be corrected, some people might not think so.
You may think it's embarrassing to be corrected in public - you may feel frustrated or disappointed or even offended.
Making mistakes is part of learning, though. It's hard to imagine you'll be fluent in English without making any mistakes. So, chances are you'll make some mistakes in your writing. That is to say, the mistakes are always there whether somebody corrects you or not. So, why pretend your English writing is already flawless?
Don't try to bury your head in the sand or don't fool yourself - accept it. It's not that you'll lose face - you'll learn from the corrections. We should appreciate the corrections other members made for us. We even encourage you to invite others to correct you.
The thing is, however, other members may have failed to correct you - they may have read your blog, but somehow failed to make any corrections for you; they may not have been so interested in what you just wrote; they may not have had so much time to correct all the mistakes or they may have thought the mistakes were just minor ones or typos.
Don't be afraid of making mistakes or being corrected in public - I don't assume your English writing is already good enough if you don't publish any blogs here.
Anyway, I'll make mistakes, too, so I'd appreciate it if any of you tried to correct me or even if you corrected me incorrectly:))
'lose face' - to become less respectable because you have been defeated
Comments
Dear Expector! You have got how to use "unless", no comments! Thank you!
Hi Danny,
Thanks for sharing your experience with Russian. Thankfully, I don't need to learn it. Chinese may not be that hard for you to learn, though. Yes, Chinese is my first language.
And, I agree idioms can be so tricky to use - unless you're sure you can use them correctly.
Thanks again!
Hi, dear Expector! You are 100% right! Russian is considered to be one of the most complicated languages. I think, only your native language is more complicated than Russian. Your first is Chinese, right? At least, I mean Chinese. You won't believe, a Russian noun has six different forms and these forms depend on a gender and a suffix. Not to say about an adjective that has 24 different endings and those endings are different for different groups of adjectives! OMG! On the other hand, there are only three tenses: present, past and future, that's all! I sound so knowledgeable today as I have just had a grammar lesson! Tanya managed to find me a very good teacher who speaks quite understandable English and she told me a lot of interesting things today.
As to "a piece of furniture", I don't think it is an essential English idiom. It is rather Russian expression. My wife says so all the time and it makes great sense. So, you can use it, no problem.
I have noticed you use many idioms. There is nothing wrong about that unless you use an idiom incorrectly. Then, it sounds funny or absurdly. Have you ever read "The Woman in White" by W. Collins? By any means, I don't want to say you sound like that Italian professor! You use idioms correctly. But that professor is a very good example of how NOT to speak English. You know, I am not an English teacher, but Tanya is. And she always tells her students (and she is right!) not to use idioms if they are unsure. As to me, I am used to speaking essential English as at least one third of my university students are not native speakers, but I'd like them to understand each word I say. My EC friend A7, a very bright personality, uses too much slang and I always tell her to make herself clearer writing for learners.
As a matter of fact, I can explain you in a few words how to use "unless". Ha-ha!
Hi Danny,
Sorry you don't speak Russian - you can communicate with your wife, though:) I hear Russian is hard to learn. By the way, I wonder if 'feel a piece of furniture' is an idiom.
Yes, I've been learning English since I was little - it's not like 'I've learned it in an English-speaking country', though. I wish I were a native English speaker!
Sorry, as you may have noticed, I've been trying to use English in a 'colloquial' way - I'm not sure if it'll make me sound natural:)
Thank you, Expector! I will join you for sure as I have nothing to do right now staying in the country where almost nobody speaks English. I can hardly go out without my wife and feel so helpless! I speak three languages but none of them is spoken here. So, I have already started learning Russian not to feel a piece of furniture in Ukraine.
As to your English. Wow! Only half a year! I think, you have been learning it since your childhood like Tanya. She told me she started writing and reading English before she could do it in Russian.
Many thanks, Danny!
Yes, you can say that again. I studied in Canada for only half a year, but I've been learning English for ages. I find English is much harder to learn than it may seem to be. Making mistakes is part of learning. I've learned my lesson - 'unless' can be so tricky to use. Thanks again, Danny!
I just published a blog challenge and you're welcome to join in it - feel free to correct us if you spot a mistake in any of the blogs.
Hi, dear Expector! Let me comment again. I do like this discussion. Needless to say I agree with you. What I want to say is for learners. Look guys, I teach natural science at the university. If I didn't correct my students or if they didn't ask me any questions, they would never be able to become good technologists/engineers. I am not young, I am living through the fall of my life, but I still learn from my mistakes and from my students. All our life is learning process and when we stop learning it will mean we passed away. Some people ask me if I can learn from younger generations. And my answer is SURE, If I didn't learn from younger, I wouldn't be able to be one of them. Honestly, my students accept me as equal and I am just happy about that. It makes me feel young despite my age. So, live and learn!
Dear Expector! We know you are not a native speaker, but your English is quite impressive. May I ask how long you lived in Canada? Anyway, as to that sentence, Tanya's is much better and not because she is my wife!
Thank you for this discussion!
Hi Samouel,
Thank you for the comment! I'm glad you agree with me. Yes, you can say that again.
Good luck!
Dear Expector! I totally agree with you because learning a new language regarding to my point of view,needs a lot of patience, time and self evaluation through corrections consideration whatever from teachers or members.
The most important thing for me is how to keep doing right thing in the right way and by the correct manner, that's what I need as assistance.
Hi Tanya,
Thanks for keeping it going - that's what I want. I hope other members will benefit from this discussion, too.
As you know, I'm not really a native English speaker, let alone a native English teacher. So, I know I'll make some mistakes in my writing. There may still be mistakes in the blog even though I've edited it many times. That's why I encourage our members to help correct each other or ask a native teacher to correct them.
As for the sentence, I just looked up the word 'chance' in a dictionary and it seems 'chances are' (= it is likely) can be used without 'there are'.
Thanks again, Tanya.
By the way, I've been trying to write in a 'colloquial' way - I'm not sure if it can help make me sound natural:)
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