Hi everybody, this is Misterduncan in England. How are you today? Are you OK? I hope so! Are you happy? I hope so! Here we all are, reunited once again for another delve into my big bag of e-mail questions concerning the English language and my work here on the internet. So without any further procrastinating, let us have our first question for today!
How can I improve my English writing skills? This question comes from Farakh Sattar, who is from Pakistan, but now studies here in England. There is of course a difference between speaking English and writing English, but these differences vary depending on what you are trying to express and the situation you are using the language in. For example, written English tends to be more formal. We can express ourselves much better (clearer) when writing. There is time to think about what we want to say. When (While) writing, always have a dictionary nearby. Refer to it when you need to check such things as spelling or suitable synonyms. Even native English speakers use dictionaries.
Expressing yourself in writing is not an easy thing to do, but it can be much easier than speaking. Believe it or not, as a child, I found it very hard to read and write. I ended up having to attend extra English lessons. It took many months of intensive studying before I finally grasped the way in which grammar in written English should be used. I found that by improving my reading ability, I was able to improve my writing skills too. So my writing weakness was actually caused by my inability to read well. In my later years I found that I loved writing so much - I could not stop. So my advice is to read as much as you can, read out loud and do not be (feel) afraid to write about how you feel. Learning to express your own thoughts in writing is a great way to improve your written English. Be it your first or second language.
Is there a website where I can see all of your lessons? The answer to that question is yes! In fact this question comes from Shahid Sattar who is studying in Canada. All my full lessons can be found on youtube.com/duncaninchina and all my question and answer videos can be viewed at youtube.com/askmisterduncan. I know that these days there are hundreds and hundreds of websites on the net where my English lessons can be viewed. These videos are normally embedded on to those sites from both of my YouTube channels. So take a look and don't forget to subscribe and say hi! Or else you'll make Misterduncan cry!
What is the difference between 'speak' and 'talk'? This question come from Ruth Lara, who lives in Spain. Speak, talk, and say are direct actions. Now I'm speaking to you. I'm talking to you now. This is what I'm saying. I'm using words to express myself. Both speak and talk can be used as direct ways of asking a person to say something. 'You have not said anything all night, please speak to me!' 'We must speak soon.' 'We must talk soon.' 'We need to talk soon.' So generally speaking, their uses are the same. However, talk can also be used instead of chat. A talk show. A chat show. A conversation between two people. Have a chat. Have a talk. Then there is speech and talk. Give a speech. Make a speech. Give a talk. (Lecture)
Before I wrap up today, I would like to say a big special hello to… Allan Sperandio in Brazil, who sends me three thanks, one big thank you and a big hug too. Rishab Gupta in India and Alisenia Uta, who is now studying here in England. A big hello to you two and thanks for saying hi to me on Facebook last week!
Hung Phan in Vietnam, who is a crazy fan of my English videos and now works in the IT field. Well then, the next time my computer stops working, I know who to call. Hung Phan in Vietnam. Finally a big ni hao to Chun Yu Qu, who lives in Shandong province, China. That is all from me for today. Thank you for asking me! If you want a question answered next week… come on… send in an e-mail. Who knows? I could be answering you! This is Misterduncan in England saying… ta-ta for now.