What is Good English ? Good English is the language spoken by the majority of educated English people and written by their best writers, and good current English is that which is spoken and written by the educated people of our own time. Chang is the law of nature and current English keep abreast of these changes which are taking place everyday.
How to write Good English ? How to write good English is faced. In this respect it is essential to remember the following four cardinal things :-
A. Study the main rules of Grammer and Composition
B. Read good literature
C. Write something everyday
D. Think for yourself.
the Indian student is in a particularly unfortunate position because English is a foreign language-foreign to him in spirit, in origin, in traditions, and in genius. He can not be blamed if he finds it difficult to master the intricacies of English grammar and idioms.
The errors which an Indian student generally commits fall in to three main categories :-
A. Errors of Grammar
a. Misuse of Article,
b. Wrong Tense-sequences and other difficulties with the verb.
c. Misuse of Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, Adverbs, Prepositions and Conjunctions.
B. Error of language
a. Use of Indianisms or Indian English,
b. Incurrect use of words,
c. Wrong construction of sentences,
d. Faculty division into paragraphs,
e. Bad style
f. Wrong idioms,
g. Use of slang,
h. Wrong punctuation.
C. Errors of thought
a. Repetition of ideas
b. Irrelevant ideas
c. Omission of important facts,
d. Introduction of wrong facts,
e. Failure to grasp ideas,
f. Misunderstanding.
If errors of this type are avoided, there will be a good deal of improvement in the style of an Indian student. But it must be emphasized that command of English can be achieved only by wide reading and extensive practice in the art of writing. First, the mind of a student must be stocked with information and with ideas, and secondly, he must acquire the out of expressing these in the most adequate way. The more he practises this, the greater will be his acquaintance with the goodness of language.
Grammar : Will a knowledge of the main rules of grammar help us in writing good English ? We question with wry face. Well, to be very frank, it will not. But it will help us in many other ways. For grammar is a record of the way in which most educated people speak and write, and the rules of grammar will consequently enable us to get a clear idea about language, and to check the accuracy of what we have written if we wish to do so.
The undigested knowledge of grammar is of little use. We must not only possess the knowledge, but know when and how to apply it, In this way only we will learn to write good English.
Read good literature : I have already pointed out that good English is that which is spoken by the majority of educated people and written by the best writers of the day, Hence the reading of good English must play an important part in the writing of good English. Indeed many eminent authorities insist that this is the only satisfactory way in which we can learn to write good English and that the study of grammar dues little or nothing to improve the speaking and writing of good English. They advice that we should model our work upon the writing of the great master of English language .
Write something everyday : If we wish to write good English as well as to appreciate it reading is not sufficient, we must practice incessantly practice. Hence write something everyday , even if it is only half a page. But write as well as you can taking pains to improve upon what only yesterday you regarded as your best. Model your work on passage from some of the great books you have read. Study their effects and imitate their style and you will gradually be a master of English language.
Think for yourself : Lastly, think for yourself. How many young people think for themselves ? Very few indeed. Why should they think when they find it much easier to take their opinions at second hand ? To follow blindly what others have said makes your dull. Therefore, think for yourself.
Study carefully the best specimens of English : Perhaps the best way to form your style is to study carefully the best specimens of English written by great masters and to imitate carefully their manner of writing.
How to write Good English ? How to write good English is faced. In this respect it is essential to remember the following four cardinal things :-
A. Study the main rules of Grammer and Composition
B. Read good literature
C. Write something everyday
D. Think for yourself.
the Indian student is in a particularly unfortunate position because English is a foreign language-foreign to him in spirit, in origin, in traditions, and in genius. He can not be blamed if he finds it difficult to master the intricacies of English grammar and idioms.
The errors which an Indian student generally commits fall in to three main categories :-
A. Errors of Grammar
a. Misuse of Article,
b. Wrong Tense-sequences and other difficulties with the verb.
c. Misuse of Nouns, Pronouns, Adjectives, Adverbs, Prepositions and Conjunctions.
B. Error of language
a. Use of Indianisms or Indian English,
b. Incurrect use of words,
c. Wrong construction of sentences,
d. Faculty division into paragraphs,
e. Bad style
f. Wrong idioms,
g. Use of slang,
h. Wrong punctuation.
C. Errors of thought
a. Repetition of ideas
b. Irrelevant ideas
c. Omission of important facts,
d. Introduction of wrong facts,
e. Failure to grasp ideas,
f. Misunderstanding.
If errors of this type are avoided, there will be a good deal of improvement in the style of an Indian student. But it must be emphasized that command of English can be achieved only by wide reading and extensive practice in the art of writing. First, the mind of a student must be stocked with information and with ideas, and secondly, he must acquire the out of expressing these in the most adequate way. The more he practises this, the greater will be his acquaintance with the goodness of language.
Grammar : Will a knowledge of the main rules of grammar help us in writing good English ? We question with wry face. Well, to be very frank, it will not. But it will help us in many other ways. For grammar is a record of the way in which most educated people speak and write, and the rules of grammar will consequently enable us to get a clear idea about language, and to check the accuracy of what we have written if we wish to do so.
The undigested knowledge of grammar is of little use. We must not only possess the knowledge, but know when and how to apply it, In this way only we will learn to write good English.
Read good literature : I have already pointed out that good English is that which is spoken by the majority of educated people and written by the best writers of the day, Hence the reading of good English must play an important part in the writing of good English. Indeed many eminent authorities insist that this is the only satisfactory way in which we can learn to write good English and that the study of grammar dues little or nothing to improve the speaking and writing of good English. They advice that we should model our work upon the writing of the great master of English language .
Write something everyday : If we wish to write good English as well as to appreciate it reading is not sufficient, we must practice incessantly practice. Hence write something everyday , even if it is only half a page. But write as well as you can taking pains to improve upon what only yesterday you regarded as your best. Model your work on passage from some of the great books you have read. Study their effects and imitate their style and you will gradually be a master of English language.
Think for yourself : Lastly, think for yourself. How many young people think for themselves ? Very few indeed. Why should they think when they find it much easier to take their opinions at second hand ? To follow blindly what others have said makes your dull. Therefore, think for yourself.
Study carefully the best specimens of English : Perhaps the best way to form your style is to study carefully the best specimens of English written by great masters and to imitate carefully their manner of writing.
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