How would you rate your command of the English language? / LJWorld.com

Asked at Massachusetts Street on July 24, 2007

“Advanced I guess. It compares on what I’m comparing it to, but I teach English as a second language and translate documents.”

— Patience Allen, entrepreneur/translator, Oslo, Norway

“I’d probably say average. I don’t have to use proper English where I work, and living in a rural area has something to do with it.”

— P.J. Metzen, toll collector, Wellington

“A little above average. I’m a college graduate, but I wasn’t an English major.”

— Caitlin Curry, young adult reference assistant, Lawrence

“I’d say a bit above average. I have dyslexia, but it doesn’t really hold me back.”

— Nathan Jervis, musician, London

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Marion Lynn 6 years, 8 months ago

Yeah; it's pretty correct except for the German accent which would go along with it.

Americans don't like Germans, especially old Germans.

Prost!

jonas 6 years, 8 months ago

I don't know, Marion, are you sure that's not a slightly bastardized version? I could understand all of that, and I seem to recall the Old English side of the page being much more incomprehensible.

sundancewierdo 6 years, 8 months ago

we do not speak english as americans we speak a bastardized version of english we should call it 'merican and since i'm calling it whatever i want i can skip punctuation and spell it however i want i can skip the ugh in donut the u in color and favor etc.

Marion Lynn 6 years, 8 months ago

Spywell is 100% correct on the evolution of the language.

From "The Canterbury Tales"(with pronunciation guide below each sentence):

Whan that Aprille with his shoores soote Wan thot A'prill with his sure-es so-tuh

The drought of March hath perced to the roote The drewgt of March hath pear-said to the row-tuh

And bathed every vein in swich liquor And ba-thed every vane in sweech lee-coor

Of which vertu engendred is the flour of wheech ver-too en-jen-dred is the flu-er

When Zephyrus eek with his sweete breeth When Zeph-er-us ache with his sway-tuh breath

Inspired hath in every holt and heeth In-spear-ed hath in every holt and heth

The tendre croppes and the yonge sun The tawn-dray crop-pays and the young-gay soan

Hath in the ram his halve cours yronne Hath in the rahm his hall-vey coors e-rown

And smale fowles maken melodye And smal-ay foe-lays mock-en mel-oh-dee-uh

Marion writes;

yeah

Marion Lynn 6 years, 8 months ago

I know the language well enough to be able to abuse it properly.

spywell 6 years, 8 months ago

If you lived 300 years ago, you would not understand a single sentence written today. English has evolved, and what is collegate english is in fact the difference between theory and reality.

packrat 6 years, 8 months ago

I speak English vey goodly

aeroscout17 6 years, 8 months ago

OTOH, it is all about communication. If people know what you are saying, who cares if it grammatically correct. Anybody remember diagramming snetences?

spywell 6 years, 9 months ago

Wayno, Wayno, Wayno, How do you say Rats A$$, in spanish. "hinny-ole redento".

RETICENT_IRREVERENT 6 years, 9 months ago

sgt, I think it was when mommaeffortx2 said:

"I am with sgt."

I took it as a proclamation, an asseveration.

jimincountry 6 years, 9 months ago

It was better before Lawrence blogging came along and now it really doesn't matter considering the recipients of my blogs!

ramsrevenge 6 years, 9 months ago

Speaking of language, this site made me laugh. I'm sorry.

http://www.kerman94.com/mexicotourism.html

sgtwolverine 6 years, 9 months ago

Whoa! How did rumors start flying about me?

4th_grade_education 6 years, 9 months ago

"Advanced I guess. It compares on what I'm comparing it to..."

ell oh ell

greyheim 6 years, 9 months ago

"I took that to mean that she LIVES in Norway. I suspect she is from the US originally" -- oh yeah, i guess i didn't think about that. duh for me! :)

"Of course, I could be wrong, but then I would have to question the quality of her ESL teaching and document translation." true dat.

Norma Jeane Baker 6 years, 9 months ago

Actually, greyheim, I took that to mean that she LIVES in Norway. I suspect she is from the US originally. Of course, I could be wrong, but then I would have to question the quality of her ESL teaching and document translation.

jonas 6 years, 9 months ago

Impaul: And what, pray tell, is wrong with saying "you have got?"

A world where I can't say "AY! You have got da soul insida yuu!" is a world suddenly a little bleaker, if you ask me.

Next, you'll be telling me I can't say "You dun got dat der motorhuckle runnin guud, budzo!"

I'm going to have to dispose of a lot of hats and overalls.

JJE007 6 years, 9 months ago

I play a poetically licensed axiom murderer on TV and acoustic/electric bass so when a note falls in a forest I hear tell and know whereof I speak, if you catch my adrift drift.

prospector 6 years, 9 months ago

It has a good beat and is easy to dance to. I give it a seven.

massst 6 years, 9 months ago

english is good for doing

Sean Livingstone 6 years, 9 months ago

Huh, wot ez "English"? I are not god :P

Linda Endicott 6 years, 9 months ago

Depends on who you ask. I've always thought I had a little better than average command of English...but other posters on this forum (the grammar and spelling police) have had different opinions.

Ah...screw them!

beatrice 6 years, 9 months ago

Gooder then most people do.

Souki 6 years, 9 months ago

What's wrong with "you've got" or "you have got"? You've got to tell me.

greyheim 6 years, 9 months ago

"It compares on what I'm comparing it to"

blue harley and informed,

i saw that too, but then it does say she is from oslo, norway.

Das_Ubermime 6 years, 9 months ago

Abusive. I make the English language do things it does not want to do.

The_Original_Bob 6 years, 9 months ago

The English language is my bitch.

Gootsie 6 years, 9 months ago

Impaul, you will have better luck getting people in Boston to use their turn signals!

lmpaul 6 years, 9 months ago

Occasionally I am quite embarassed for writers and speakers. Today's grammar is terrible. My current gripe is everyone saying, "You've got" which literally is "you have got". Then I received a letter that said, "Thanks for speaking with myself and John." (Should be "speaking with John and me.") Eeeeek! I don't want to go all Elizabethian, but come on, people, stop murdering grammar.

RETICENT_IRREVERENT 6 years, 9 months ago

sgt &mommaeffortx2 are an item?

Christine Pennewell Davis 6 years, 9 months ago

I am with sgt. as any one who reads these posts know.

geppetto 6 years, 9 months ago

Que

jonas 6 years, 9 months ago

Well, I was going to say very good, but as FerdinandLanghoff doubts my grammar, and that other poster, whose name apparently failed to imprint, questions my spelling, my entire world has been thrown into a dark morass of self-doubt and loathing.

So I'll stick with saying that my command of English is better than my command of the several other languages I'm learning. Better than dreadful is still better, after all.