Kenji Wrote:So far, I'm reading The Haunted Air smoothly.Kenji, I am very impressed. Your English and grammar have gotten noticeably better during your time on this board.
At first, I always used English-Japanese dictionary. But now, I'm sometimes using dictionary. Per page, I can understand 70% English, and I need dictionary for 30%. Someday I wish I can read it without dictionary :o
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. ... The piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the light into the peace and safety of a new dark age.
~ Howard Phillips Lovecraft
Yes, Kenji. I'm humbled by your use of English. It's not an easy language to learn, and you are doing very well. If I tried to learn Japanese, I don't think I would do as well as you are doing with your English!
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The mind soars, no earthly cares,
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Years ago my mother used to say to me... "In this world, Elwood, you can be oh so smart or oh so pleasant."
Well, for years I was smart.
I recommend pleasant.
You may quote me.
Elwood P. Dowd
Thank you, everybody. My English is not perfect yet, but I'll do my best. 
Kenji Wrote:Thank you, everybody. My English is not perfect yet, but I'll do my best.
When your English gets to be perfect, you can start correcting us. Because our English isn't.
Ken V.
Ken Valentine Wrote:When your English gets to be perfect, you can start correcting us. Because our English isn't.
Ken V.
It ain't?!
Ken Valentine Wrote:When your English gets to be perfect, you can start correcting us. Because our English isn't.
Ken V.
Nah! C'mon! You kiddin' me.
When I can read perfectly English without dictionary, it may be too far away.
Sometimes, I found some of unknown words in THE HAUNTED AIR, but I couldn't find out that meaning in dictionary. For example, "WWJD" in page 100......(What is WWJD?) :confused:
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WWJD stands for What Would Jesus Do. Don't forget that Charlie was a born again Christian in this story and that he would sport items on his apparel such as WWJD buttons.
Kenji Wrote:Nah! C'mon! You kiddin' me.
When I can read perfectly English without dictionary, it may be too far away.
Sometimes, I found some of unknown words in THE HAUNTED AIR, but I couldn't find out that meaning in dictionary. For example, "WWJD" in page 100......(What is WWJD?) :confused:
WWJD stands for What Would Jesus Do. Don't forget that Charlie was a born again Christian in this story and that he would sport items on his apparel such as WWJD buttons.
Mike Wrote:undefinedundefinedundefined
WWJD stands for What Would Jesus Do. Don't forget that Charlie was a born again Christian in this story and that he would sport items on his apparel such as WWJD buttons.
Ah! I see! Thank you, Mike. I can understand "What Would Jesus Do", but sometimes I can't understand shortened words. :o
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They are called acronyms. Each letter stands for a word that is part of (usually) a slang phrase. Quite often acronyms are area and culture specific and it would be difficult for someone who has little experience with American culture to grasp our acronyms or slang phrases. Your English, by the way, is very good and you probably speak and write it better than most Americans. The rules and regulations of the English language, however, does not lend itself to the understanding of acronyms. That is just something you pick up by spending time reading the literature of a culture and communicating with the people of that culture.
Kenji Wrote:Ah! I see! Thank you, Mike. I can understand "What Would Jesus Do", but sometimes I can't understand shortened words. :o
They are called acronyms. Each letter stands for a word that is part of (usually) a slang phrase. Quite often acronyms are area and culture specific and it would be difficult for someone who has little experience with American culture to grasp our acronyms or slang phrases. Your English, by the way, is very good and you probably speak and write it better than most Americans. The rules and regulations of the English language, however, does not lend itself to the understanding of acronyms. That is just something you pick up by spending time reading the literature of a culture and communicating with the people of that culture.
Kenji Wrote:Thank you, everybody. My English is not perfect yet, but I'll do my best.
I'm sure your English is far better than my son's Japanese after 4 years of high school and a year of college study. I've heard that English is one of the hardest languages to learn, due to the exceptions to every rule of spelling and pronunciation and the idiomatic expressions. I can believe that, especially considering how often I hear Americans butcher our native tongue.
I took German throughout high school and college, and the nice thing about German is that the rules are the rules (somehow that figures).
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