How Important is Good Grammar?

As someone who owns a company that provides translation and interpretation services, I feel the need to give a disclaimer here. The following article is about language learning for adult students of English. This is not for professional interpreters or translators.

Good grammar helps people communicate more clearly - until it doesn’t. I am a word nerd and think grammar is important. The essence of what we do it to teach people English to help facilitate clear communication. Most of the people we work with have studied English in their native country and can write quite well. Speaking is another story. I have learned that people hold others to different standards than they do to themselves. When reading an email, article, blog post, etc. from an American, I expect impeccable grammar. I also hope for perfect English (but don’t often hear it). When reading or listening to non-native speakers of English, or as we in the language industry call LEPs (Limited English Proficient), I expect to hear errors. I don’t think I am the only one.

There are those who find it difficult to speak to people who have thick accents - whether they be native English speakers from other parts of the United States, other countries, or LEPs. Many people can understand what someone is trying to say with thick accents and imperfect grammar. We fill in the blanks with words that make sense within the given context of the situation.

If one’s goal is to speak with perfect grammar, then the road is long and lots of practice is going to have to take place. Living in the country where the language is spoken every day is helpful if one takes the opportunity to interact with people and not hole themselves up in their new house or apartment for weeks on end. If one wants to communicate, which should be the goal of taking language classes of any kind, perfection is not necessary. I don’t know if it is a cultural difference or a difference among individual students, but I have noticed that adult students from Japan often try to formulate perfect sentences in their heads before uttering them aloud. Thinking before speaking is generally considered a virtue, but in some cases, it’s a hindrance to communication. On a sentence per minute basis, I once taught a woman from China who worked in the automotive industry. She could speak multiple imperfect sentences per minute, yet was able to communicate very quickly and effectively.

There must be a fine line between speaking with fewer grammatical errors and daring to speak imperfectly.

How Long Does it Take to Learn a Language?

How long does it take to learn a language? It depends on what you want to learn to do with the language and how fluent you want to be. People often say that children pick up languages very easily; however, although children might be able to communicate on a playground or in a classroom, they are not able to read or write complex text or give formal speeches in perfect English. They also don’t have the same responsibilities that adults do. People often have higher expectations of what passes for fluency of adults than they do of children. People forget that adults have study skills that can help them learn a language to help them reach their goals.. Fluency is, in part, a matter of frequent practice over time.

Learning a language is different from speaking it. Most adult Japanese people I know learned English in junior high school, but prefer to use email than talk on the phone. (This also seems to be a trend with young people in the United States, but that is a different matter.) Many Japanese did not have much practice speaking the English language, but can write quite well and can understand much of the written word. In this case, they have learned the English language, but need more speaking practice.

Tests of English proficiency can give instructors a general idea of the ability levels of their student. No one assessment can give a 100% accurate picture of what a student can or cannot do. Our free English assessment includes, grammar, reading, writing, listening, and speaking. We also provide the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) that has more of a focus on business English. Contact us about your goals for learning English and we can help you.

Online English Courses for International Business

Do you want to learn English, but you have a busy schedule?

Midwest Language Services, LLC offers several options for busy professionals like you.

Independent English Course Plans that you can take at your own speed from the convenience of your computer. This is ideal for people who want to practice their reading and writing skills.

Video English Lessons are available online on our YouTube channel and we will be adding more in the coming weeks. As we add more videos, the quality will improve. Also, please send us your feedback about what English lessons would be helpful to you. For example, do you want to learn English for the hotel and hospitality industry or do you need English to work for the automotive industry or at a restaurant?

Group English Lessons help students learn from their classmates. We currently offer online group lessons and hope that we can offer more in-person lessons at your place of business! Contact us today about having English lessons at your location whether you are located in Indiana or in another state or country.

Private 1:1 English Lessons are conveniently scheduled at a time that works for you and your instructor. We provide English assessments to check your current level and offer regular homework (if this works for your schedule) and we can retest you every three months, every six months, or once a year. We also offer TOEIC training for business executives and their families who are interested in taking this assessment that is known worldwide. In case you are not familiar, with it, it is the Test of English for International Communication. Although there are options to take the test online, we currently offer training for the listening and reading test, but recommend that everyone also learn speaking and writing skills to improve their ability to communicate.

Watch Our YouTube Videos for English Mini-Lessons

Be sure to watch our YouTube videos to learn how to improve your English. Each of our English Mini-Lessons will teach you how to improve your English in less than ten minutes. This is one way for busy people like you can learn to improve your intonation, grammar, and vocabulary.

Our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions About Midwest Language Services) video talks about our translation and interpreting services in addition to our private and group English lessons.

See, Look, and Watch

English has many words with similar meanings. In some languages, one word has multiple meanings. Here is a basic breakdown of what these words mean:

see = to open one’s eyes

When your eyes are open, you can see if there is light. If your eyes are closed or there is no light, you cannot see.

To see can also mean to understand. People often say, “I see” instead of “I understand.”

To see is automatic. It is something we do with no effort.

To look is to focus your eyes on something.

Look at the picture.

I know you are listening if you look at me while I am speaking.

To watch is to look at and wait for an action to happen.

People usually use “watch” before “tv,” “a movie,” or a sporting event, but sometime “watch” can mean you are looking at something while you wait for something to happen that is very slow.

“We watched the turtle slowly come out of its shell.”

To watch can also mean to take care of someone for a short time.

“His grandmother watched him while his parents were away.”

Easily Confused Words by Non-Native English Speakers: Most and Almost

Most/Most of

Almost all/Almost every/Almost none

Most + plural noun

Most people

Most Americans

Most cars

Most of + a particular group

Most of the people in this building are under the age of 50.

Most of the Americans who live in Indiana are familiar with the Indy 500.

Most of the cars that are made in the United States are manufactured in the Midwest.

A common mistake I often hear is the use of “almost” in place of “most.”

INCORRECT: Almost people have brown eyes.

CORRECT: Most people have brown eyes.

INCORRECT: Almost Americans like to drive.

CORRECT: Most Americans like to drive.

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Almost all + plural noun

Almost every + singular noun

Almost none + of + particular group

Almost no + plural noun

INCORRECT: Almost sidewalks are made of concrete.

CORRECT: Almost all sidewalks are made of concrete.

INCORRECT: Almost none of the sidewalks are made of asphalt.

CORRECT: Almost every sidewalk here is made of concrete.

INCORRECT: Almost nothing sidewalk here is made of asphalt.

CORRECT: Almost no sidewalks here are made of asphalt.

Say Something and Tell Someone

Say something.

Tell someone.

A common error I hear is misuse of the words, “say,” “tell,” “said,” and “told.” To say something is to speak words. We can say something to another person. We can say something to ourselves to help us remember something. The past tense of “say” is “said.” In sentences, “say” and “said” should not have a pronoun or proper noun like a name of a person in after them. For example, it is incorrect to use “say” like this:

INCORRECT: He said me he is going to check the status of the project.

CORRECT: He told me he was going to check the status of the project.

INCORRECT: She said me she was sick yesterday.

CORRECT: She told me she had been sick yesterday.

Notice that when we report what someone told us, the verb becomes a past tense verb. He is going to check the status (now or soon), but we change “is going to” to “was going to.” This is because it is not direct speech, but reported speech. The original speaker is not saying the words. We are reporting what the person said. Past tense becomes past perfect.

When using the word “tell” or “told,” we use a pronoun or a proper noun (a name) after the word. We tell someone something.

The pattern is (Subject + tell/told + someone + independent clause)

Example: He told me he was going to back to Japan later this year.

The independent clause is “…he was going back to Japan later this year” because it expresses an entire idea with a subject and verb.

In short, remember this:

Say something.

Tell someone.