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Old 09-Dec-2006, 01:31
pljames
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Unhappy Words English

I love my Language...English. But there are a lot of people that swear words are ambiguous and confusing. I use simple and basic words and go to great lengths to get the sentence right the first time.

I love my spellchecker. Is there a perfect way to construct sentences to be perfectly understood?

This sentence could be right for you and bad for me and vice versa. I am getting discouraged with these people(philosophers) that always criticize my language.


How else am I going to communicate if not my language...English? pljames

Last edited by pljames; 09-Dec-2006 at 01:36. Reason: Missed a word.
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Old 09-Dec-2006, 03:04
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Default Re: Words English

I don't think that there is a perfect way to construct sentences because reading is itself a creative act and you cannot always predict the way your reader will respond, nor guarantee that they will receive exazctly the message you wished to send. However, language is an amazingly effective tool and we can generally succeed in communicating, but standards of perfection are not assured.
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Old 09-Dec-2006, 06:06
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Default Re: Words English

Quote:
Originally Posted by pljames View Post
I love my Language...English. But there are a lot of people that swear words are ambiguous and confusing. I use simple and basic words and go to great lengths to get the sentence right the first time.

I love my spellchecker. Is there a perfect way to construct sentences to be perfectly understood?

This sentence could be right for you and bad for me and vice versa. I am getting discouraged with these people(philosophers) that always criticize my language.


How else am I going to communicate if not my language...English? pljames
I can teach you my native language with the help of my favourite English.
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Old 09-Dec-2006, 09:37
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Default Re: Words English

Language is flexible, but basic grammar is not. So long as you keep to its rules, and make sure that the words you use are the correct words for the context into which you are placing them, you need not worry. It's worth looking at books written for children to see how to write simply.

NB spellcheckers are not always the answer - cannon/canon are not the same but are each spelled correctly; their/there - the same. So be a bit careful!
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