better grammar

[Dylan_Chica]

this is going to sound kinda stupid and it's embarrasing for me to ask but ok, basically i've been told to go to an AA meeting to check it out and see what it's like and i've decided i might do it but thing is i'm kinda afraid to speak to crowds and what's more is i'm from east end london redbridge and my grammar when i talk (my writing is ok) ain't the best because that's how people talk around here and i don't want to have really bad grammar when i speak to them so i just want to learn real quick how i can be a lil better because there's going to be all sorts of people there i think like people from west end and everywhere and i don't want to be embarrased or nothing, i've kinda avoided speaking to crowds all my life but now i think i have to so... i wanna be better at it so can anyone help me? also when i'm going to look for a job i want it to be better because it's gonna be hard enough getting a job as it is being both female and black but i've never spoke to people like that before and i don't wanna sound like i'm stupid or nothing so... can anyone who's good at this help me? would be appreciated, thanx

 

[bliz]

At an AA meeting, no one will care about your grammer. Go.

 

[tapero]

Hi Dylan Chica,

Please pm me for anything. It's true though that at aa no one is going to be concerned about how you communicate. They are there to help each other. But I would love to help you in any way I can. Please send me a pm. Take care, Tapero

 

[meh]

At an AA meeting, no one will care about your grammer. Go.

Ditto

They won't care, Dylan. If you have the experience I had, you'll meet some of the nicest, most accepting and understanding people in the world.


To prepare for job interviews...a good thing to try is to just speak slowly and plainly. I know when I get nervous I start talking a mile a minute and make mistakes. If I slow down and take my time, it gives me time to work out the next word in my head and try to get it right

 

[luvmyhubby]

Dylan I am so glad you found a meeting to go to. I can understand your concern about being nervous speaking in a crowd. It is true that they are not going to care - I think you will be surprised at how accepting these people are. Do you watch TV? If so, watch the news and listen carefully to the grammar. Think through what you are going to say. Most likely the first meeting you won't be asked to say more than your name. Practice saying Hello I'm _____. Also between meetings practice talking properly -- go into stores and ask advice or something like that. Eventually it will come just as naturally to you as your own dialect. I love the scene in MY FAIR LADY where Liza is at the horse races, being all proper and speaking perfectly, and all of a sudden she belts out "Come on _____ (can't remember the horse's name)- move your bloomin' ****." We all have our own dialects, and it is nothing to be ashamed of. Just be who you are at these meetings. Good luck.

 

[Dylan_Chica]

thanx for your posts everyone, yeah "luvmyhubby" i finally decided to go after talking to debi ("debiwebi") about it i don't want to change my dialect but it's more my grammar, if you know anything about east end london well basically most people talk with slang and not the best grammar but i want to be able to talk better so i won't be embarrased later in life... like i seen a show on tv last night and i want to be able to talk more like a west end londoner, like proper english... because that might help me to get jobs later too... you know?

 

[luvmyhubby]

thanx for your posts everyone, yeah "luvmyhubby" i finally decided to go after talking to debi ("debiwebi") about it i don't want to change my dialect but it's more my grammar, if you know anything about east end london well basically most people talk with slang and not the best grammar but i want to be able to talk better so i won't be embarrased later in life... like i seen a show on tv last night and i want to be able to talk more like a west end londoner, like proper english... because that might help me to get jobs later too... you know?

I don't know a whole lot about London, but I do know that the grammar differs from section to section. I know just what you mean, and you are smart to want to improve your grammar. But don't hold of going to AA until you accomplish that. It took a lifetime for you to learn it, it will take some dedication and hard work for you to learn to speak properly. Is there any way you could sit in on an English class at a school? That might help you a lot. I hope things are improving for you.

 

[Dylan_Chica]

I don't know a whole lot about London, but I do know that the grammar differs from section to section. I know just what you mean, and you are smart to want to improve your grammar. But don't hold of going to AA until you accomplish that. It took a lifetime for you to learn it, it will take some dedication and hard work for you to learn to speak properly. Is there any way you could sit in on an English class at a school? That might help you a lot. I hope things are improving for you.

thanx for your kind words,well i think that would be kind of embarrasing to do lol... i don't know if i can learn it by reading books cause everyone around me talk a certain way but i don't want to change who i am or nothing like that i just want people to show me my mistakes so i can have better grammar for when i go there or to job interviews

 

[live4grace]

Hi Dylan Chica,

Moses stuttered so much he wanted his brother Levi to speak for him. Paul was criticized for not being a trained speaker yet God founded the church through him. D.L. Moody (a GREAT leader of the 19th century church) had such poor grammar that the learned church made fun of him, but God used him mightily. Just pray for your heart to come through when you speak and people will be blessed. Don't be afraid, God has opened this door for you...

 

[fishstix]

this is going to sound kinda stupid and it's embarrasing for me to ask but ok, basically i've been told to go to an AA meeting to check it out and see what it's like and i've decided i might do it but thing is i'm kinda afraid to speak to crowds and what's more is i'm from east end london redbridge and my grammar when i talk (my writing is ok) ain't the best because that's how people talk around here and i don't want to have really bad grammar when i speak to them so i just want to learn real quick how i can be a lil better because there's going to be all sorts of people there i think like people from west end and everywhere and i don't want to be embarrased or nothing, i've kinda avoided speaking to crowds all my life but now i think i have to so... i wanna be better at it so can anyone help me? also when i'm going to look for a job i want it to be better because it's gonna be hard enough getting a job as it is being both female and black but i've never spoke to people like that before and i don't wanna sound like i'm stupid or nothing so... can anyone who's good at this help me? would be appreciated, thanx

Grammar tends to be a lot more important in writing than in speaking. For example, a run-on sentence written with no capitalization or punctuation is very hard to read. However, that same sentence might make perfect sense when spoken out loud. Most people tend to be grammatically incorrect when they are speaking - including well-educated professionals. Just listen carefully to news reporters sometimes. Even they occasionally make mistakes while speaking. I'll give you a couple of points to consider when you're speaking to a group:

-try not to speak too quickly (too slow is better than too fast)
-practice speaking in front of a mirror or to a stuffed animal (no need to memorize exactly what you're going to say though)
-pretend that you are just having a conversation with a friend