Hi,everyone. I'm a newbie here though I have been a reader since a long time ago.

I'm not a native English speaker but I'm learning English. I feel awkward in composing, so I'm trying to write diaries in English to practice it. I'm very unconfident in it. So recently a flakey idea came to my mind. Can I post it on wordsmith and get some directions?

I hope it's acceptable here. So I would like to have a try here. And if some of you have any suggestions on its correction or alteration, I hope you could post them and I could learn from it.

I don't think this may interest everyone. So if this is not interesting to you, just ignore this.

Thanks very much.

Callithump
Sep.11,2004
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Hi Callithump.

Welcome to the madness!

I gave some thought to your post, and I wonder if there might not be a better way to proceed. A diary might take up quite a bit of space here, and while many of us would be happy to help you with your English, which is by the way excellent, this might not be the proper forum.

Does your internet service provider (ISP) provide space for you to have a web site? If so, perhaps you should post it as a blog and give access to those people who express an interest in helping you. Or give access to the world at large and let everyone have a look at it. But then you get heaven knows what for advice. And I predict that here you are likely to get five or six different solutions to the same problem (of which seven or eight are valid solutions!) English is a strange and wonderful language.

If you are studying English in a formal setting, ask your instructor for assistance and advice. There are probably a lot of resources available when you put your mind to it.

Stick around, though. This is a fun place and you can learn a lot.

TEd

Welcome, callithump. Stick around. Read our ramblings and write. Don't be afraid to ask questions. the only stupid question is the one you don't ask. Also, try to identify those of us you feel most comfortable with and ask us by Private Message, if you don't feel comfortable asking in public. So far your use of the language is quite good so you don't have to worry.

Hello!

Your syntax is advanced! I wish my students could correctly punctuate subordination when they entered my class--and they're native American speakers of (American) English. You're doing very well. I was most impressed with:

And if some of you have any suggestions on its correction or alteration, I hope you could post them and I could learn from it.

I'd call that sentence particularly advanced for a non-native speaker of English. Very impressive, in fact. The only noticeable bumps in the road were the use of the preposition 'on' which seemed a bit off to my ear--but that's just my ear, calli'--and a pronoun agreement problem (i.e., 'post them...learn from it'/better: 'post them...learn from them', even though I realize you mean here that 'it' is the process of learning. Pronouns provide numerous opportunities for debates and nitpicking.) How long have you studied English? You are truly cruising along at a terrific clip.

Enjoy yourself here and tell us about your intriguing name, callithump.

Best regards,
Wordwind

a noisy, boisterous mock serenade, a charivari (shivaree)

I guess we'll see if the shoe fits...

oh,as to the name callithump, sometime when I register with a website, I just try to find an English word totally strange to me. That will help me remember some words, I have thought.
So this time when it came to Wordsmith.org, I surfed to gurunet.com and found this word on its today's tips. Yes, wordsmith.org happened to give today's word as shivaree. That's it, and great websites always have the same.

Thanks very much, all.

Callithump.
Sep.12,2004

'on' which seemed a bit off to my ear...

-Should it be better using 'of'?

better using 'of'?

I'd suggest 'for':

if some of you have any suggestions for its correction or alteration

Prepositions can be very tricky to master.

Welcome Callithump, and do keep posting! I note your use of US idiom - "flakey idea" - Heaven knows English is difficult but to use an idiom correctly is impressive! Keep up the good work.
What is your native language?

Dear all, with all of your valued work I would like to rewrite my post again for your review. I hope you can raise your ax again if there are something (that?) can be said differently.
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Hi,everyone. I'm a newbie here though I have been a reader since a long time ago.

I'm not a native English speaker but I'm learning English. I feel awkward in composing, so I'm trying to write diaries in English to practice it. I'm very unconfident in it. So recently a flakey idea came to my mind. Can I post it on wordsmith and get some directions?

I hope it's acceptable here. So I would like to have a try here. And if some of you have any suggestions for its correction or alteration, I hope you could post them, from which I could learn.

I don't think this may interest everyone. So if this is not interesting to you, just ignore this.

Thanks very much.

Callithump
Sep.11,2004
=====================


I’m learning English. If u find anywhere I can improve my composition, Pls do let me know. Bow.

Callithump, hello again.

Since I posted corrections on another thread, I'll take this one on too.

"since a long time ago" is not correct. "since" is a preposition and needs a noun or pronoun as its object, which "a long time ago" strictly isn't. Better would be, "for a long time".
"composing" generally refers to writing music; "writing" would be better in this context. "it" at the end of the sentence -- what does this refer to? (every pronoun must refer to a noun); "it" would be better left out. The sentence would therefore be better, "I feel awkward in writing, so I'm trying to write diaries in English to practice, but I don't feel confident ("unconfident" is not a word).

You're doing great!