When it comes to improving the use of English, myths and prejudices rooted in people often create more difficulties than the rules of spelling and syntax.
Although my training is not a linguist, for years I have made a living dictating writing workshops for youth and adults. It is not easy to teach others how to write, especially when those who want to learn are embedded a number of myths and prejudices about the use of English.
Experience has taught me that the biggest problem of people who attend my workshops is not poor use of syntax and spelling-contradictions are in fact serious, but the stubbornness to persist in error only because the leader or chief, tradition, habit, routine or the other he is sent. Who speak and write poorly rely more on what your environment rather than repeat the rules disclosed manuals and dictionaries of the SAR.
myths and prejudices that most repeated are: the case is not accents, they write these words or phrases to highlight entire meaning and that is sufficient to take only a question mark end. Where have taken these reckless English users these beliefs? Because of their environment and the force of habit. I know because every time I wonder why and I reply that read in the official documents as well as practice writing their superiors or so people around them.
My students know that the occasional case are not exempt from the general tildación rules and not doing so is a serious offense, to write with whole words and phrases case is an exception reserved for book covers, abbreviations and acronyms, daily headers and magazines, enumeration and verbs Roman legal and administrative texts (CERTIFIED; REQUESTS, etc.), and the signs that are used for a question are two: «¿?». Anglophones to correct the sign of closure, but we are speaking and we must respect the rules of spelling.
The myth is so widespread that the capitalization is not tildan start practicing at the time were made manually types of printers. Because members had technical and aesthetic problems if they were added oblique hairline at the top, printers chose to ignore the accents, which instituted a bad habit that ended up becoming a myth. The same happened with typewriters: users prefer not to place because they were damaging the aesthetics of the lines text.
mental resistance to accept the mistakes the widespread misuse passed as correct is somewhat unbearable. At a recent workshop, one student objected strongly to write "about me" instead of "near me" because it simply "appeared" that the second form was correct. He was unable to argue their point of view or less quote the rule that it was based. Another held that office in lowercase letters or name of dignity that accompanies the name of a person (eg the downstroke Perico director or president Alan Garcia), was a moral offense and could damage the honor of a person. When did the rules Spelling collide with the honor of English speakers? There was a third case, that of someone who claimed to obsessive persistence after "That" with starting the paragraphs in the preamble of a resolution should put a comma. I explained that this was unnecessary, but he insisted that it was a practice of public administration and, therefore, must be complied with. These problems are so settled in the minds of the workshops that take them out of there is a daunting task and sometimes impossible.
The problem is that the language myths attributed to rules apocryphal qualities or excellences that have not, or a reality that lack. Something similar happens with prejudice, which consist of pre-and unfavorable opinions about a rule that is poorly understood. Some users of English act impelled by these harmful situations, thus endangering my workshops and above all, secure for itself an unfortunate fate: no correction never overcome language.
Experience has taught me that the biggest problem of people who attend my workshops is not poor use of syntax and spelling-contradictions are in fact serious, but the stubbornness to persist in error only because the leader or chief, tradition, habit, routine or the other he is sent. Who speak and write poorly rely more on what your environment rather than repeat the rules disclosed manuals and dictionaries of the SAR.
myths and prejudices that most repeated are: the case is not accents, they write these words or phrases to highlight entire meaning and that is sufficient to take only a question mark end. Where have taken these reckless English users these beliefs? Because of their environment and the force of habit. I know because every time I wonder why and I reply that read in the official documents as well as practice writing their superiors or so people around them.
My students know that the occasional case are not exempt from the general tildación rules and not doing so is a serious offense, to write with whole words and phrases case is an exception reserved for book covers, abbreviations and acronyms, daily headers and magazines, enumeration and verbs Roman legal and administrative texts (CERTIFIED; REQUESTS, etc.), and the signs that are used for a question are two: «¿?». Anglophones to correct the sign of closure, but we are speaking and we must respect the rules of spelling.
The myth is so widespread that the capitalization is not tildan start practicing at the time were made manually types of printers. Because members had technical and aesthetic problems if they were added oblique hairline at the top, printers chose to ignore the accents, which instituted a bad habit that ended up becoming a myth. The same happened with typewriters: users prefer not to place because they were damaging the aesthetics of the lines text.
mental resistance to accept the mistakes the widespread misuse passed as correct is somewhat unbearable. At a recent workshop, one student objected strongly to write "about me" instead of "near me" because it simply "appeared" that the second form was correct. He was unable to argue their point of view or less quote the rule that it was based. Another held that office in lowercase letters or name of dignity that accompanies the name of a person (eg the downstroke Perico director or president Alan Garcia), was a moral offense and could damage the honor of a person. When did the rules Spelling collide with the honor of English speakers? There was a third case, that of someone who claimed to obsessive persistence after "That" with starting the paragraphs in the preamble of a resolution should put a comma. I explained that this was unnecessary, but he insisted that it was a practice of public administration and, therefore, must be complied with. These problems are so settled in the minds of the workshops that take them out of there is a daunting task and sometimes impossible.
The problem is that the language myths attributed to rules apocryphal qualities or excellences that have not, or a reality that lack. Something similar happens with prejudice, which consist of pre-and unfavorable opinions about a rule that is poorly understood. Some users of English act impelled by these harmful situations, thus endangering my workshops and above all, secure for itself an unfortunate fate: no correction never overcome language.
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