Who's English is the best here?

[boedicca]

But we didn't determine Who's English is Best?

Well my own nominations were the two X-guys and also koshergrl since each of you is a professional writer of sorts.

I mostly edit. I rarely write formally anymore.

The writing process is best mastered by professional active writers.

It involves making an outline of what you need to say.

Then next organizing your outline.

Then drafting an intro and a conclusion.

Then drafting your body with documentation of facts and citations/links.

Then modifying your intro and conclusion to be consistent with your facts and disclosures.

Then proofreading it yourself.

Then having someone else proofread it.

Then having it peer reviewed.

That's not a job for amateurs.

But there are plenty of amateurs who have chimed in on this thread.

Since I am an editor I will edit the top 3 writers' answers to Comrade Johnson -- sort of like what koshergrl joked about.

We will need a vote afterwards about who thinks who is the best.

Methinks a writer whose every paragraph consists of a single sentence.

Needs an editor.

Space --- the lineal frontier.

When it comes to reading posts on a forum, I prefer to have paragraphs broken into single (or very few sentences).

If one paragraph of text is more than 5 lines, I skip it.

My threshold of pain is at 1/2 page/screen.

How it is subdivided does not matter. But I do look for complete sentences, a brief intro, a brief conclusion, and substantive material between the intro and conclusion linking the two and supporting them both.

Moses always did long run-on scrolls with occasional "chapter" (a Latin word meaning "head") breaks.

I have found that for public speaking you need single sentence "paragraphs" (a Greek word meaning "written together").

I actually do more public speaking or classwork instruction than writing, so I have tended to list sentences this way -- single sentence paragraphs.

For technical or creative writing neither works, so some sort of comfortable paragraphing is necessary in modern (non-ancient) writing.

Content, fluidity, and the ability to advance a thought.

That's what I look for. And it's a pretty good gauge. There are people like my ex who write perfection from a technical viewpoint...but lord god his writing puts me to sleep.

Because no matter how technically proficient you are, if you're shallow and soulless, it will read as vapidity.

Indeed. If I don't find it amusing, intellectually stimulating, or informative, then I'm not interested.

 

[Pogo]

Well Comrade Johnson can chime-in with his questions on American English and we can all reply and give reasons.

We're ready Comrade Johnson !!!

But we didn't determine Who's English is Best?

Well my own nominations were the two X-guys and also koshergrl since each of you is a professional writer of sorts.

I mostly edit. I rarely write formally anymore.

The writing process is best mastered by professional active writers.

It involves making an outline of what you need to say.

Then next organizing your outline.

Then drafting an intro and a conclusion.

Then drafting your body with documentation of facts and citations/links.

Then modifying your intro and conclusion to be consistent with your facts and disclosures.

Then proofreading it yourself.

Then having someone else proofread it.

Then having it peer reviewed.

That's not a job for amateurs.

But there are plenty of amateurs who have chimed in on this thread.

Since I am an editor I will edit the top 3 writers' answers to Comrade Johnson -- sort of like what koshergrl joked about.

We will need a vote afterwards about who thinks who is the best.

Methinks a writer whose every paragraph consists of a single sentence.

Needs an editor.

Space --- the lineal frontier.

When it comes to reading posts on a forum, I prefer to have paragraphs broken into single (or very few sentences).

If one paragraph of text is more than 5 lines, I skip it.

My threshold of pain is at 1/2 page/screen.

How it is subdivided does not matter. But I do look for complete sentences, a brief intro, a brief conclusion, and substantive material between the intro and conclusion linking the two and supporting them both.

Moses always did long run-on scrolls with occasional "chapter" (a Latin word meaning "head") breaks.

I have found that for public speaking you need single sentence "paragraphs" (a Greek word meaning "written together").

I actually do more public speaking or classwork instruction than writing, so I have tended to list sentences this way -- single sentence paragraphs.

For technical or creative writing neither works, so some sort of comfortable paragraphing is necessary in modern (non-ancient) writing.

This is not public speaking. Nor does Moses post here. But I must say this is prolly the most intense stretch I've seen here all day. Feel like I just came from a yoga class. Namaste, dood.

 

[Pogo]

An old favourite chestnut for the OP --- note this list is entirely facetious:

• Remember to never split an infinitive.
• The passive voice should never be used.
• Do not put statements in the negative form.
• Verbs have to agree with their subjects.
• Proofread carefully to see if you words out.
• If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.
• A writer must not shift your point of view.
• And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.

• Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.
• Don't overuse exclamation marks!!
• Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
• Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
• If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
• Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.
• Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
• Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
• Always pick on the correct idiom.
• The adverb always follows the verb.
• Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives.

---- Bill Safire

 

[AugmentedDog]

Me. You've already asked this and I've already told you.

My English is so good that my "mistakes" are on porpoise. Which is kinda fishy.

See what I did there?

Not only am I an experienced writer/editor but my spoken English is standard "broadcast" American English, which I had to learn for that profession. Although I can and do mimic a few regional accents if code-switching is called for.

I should add that I'm a linguistic archconservative. I'm probably the only person left still using the traditional spelling of Hallowe'en.

It was called "Hallowed Evening" originally.

It was originally called Samhain

 

[RodISHI]

I went to an exhibit of the Stein collection a few years ago. One painting that I committed to memory was by an artist who was quite unhappy with Gertrude's bullying to gain cheap or free art. The painting was a rendition of the gates of Hell, with Gertrude and Alice as the demons on either side of the gate.

Faboo!

How did we get sidetracked on art ???

(Three question marks in chess notation means a blunder.)

Most likely because Boedicca appreciates the true artist that actually have God given talents. My English and grammar may suck but I have other talents that cannot be learned in an educational setting. My husband is the writer of the family. He gained my trust through his poetry which is also an art form that comes through having raw God given talent.

 

[koshergrl]

Me. You've already asked this and I've already told you.

My English is so good that my "mistakes" are on porpoise. Which is kinda fishy.

See what I did there?

Not only am I an experienced writer/editor but my spoken English is standard "broadcast" American English, which I had to learn for that profession. Although I can and do mimic a few regional accents if code-switching is called for.

I should add that I'm a linguistic archconservative. I'm probably the only person left still using the traditional spelling of Hallowe'en.

It was called "Hallowed Evening" originally.

It was originally called Samhain

Oh for pete's sakes.

 

[AugmentedDog]

Me. You've already asked this and I've already told you.

My English is so good that my "mistakes" are on porpoise. Which is kinda fishy.

See what I did there?

Not only am I an experienced writer/editor but my spoken English is standard "broadcast" American English, which I had to learn for that profession. Although I can and do mimic a few regional accents if code-switching is called for.

I should add that I'm a linguistic archconservative. I'm probably the only person left still using the traditional spelling of Hallowe'en.

It was called "Hallowed Evening" originally.

It was originally called Samhain

Oh for pete's sakes.

It was. Look it up

 

[Unkotare]

Me. .....

You?

 

[Unkotare]

Please list all candidates. Foreigners are not counted, I want to speak pure American English

....

In Boston they don't pronounce the R....

Oversimplification.

 

[yiostheoy]

I went to an exhibit of the Stein collection a few years ago. One painting that I committed to memory was by an artist who was quite unhappy with Gertrude's bullying to gain cheap or free art. The painting was a rendition of the gates of Hell, with Gertrude and Alice as the demons on either side of the gate.

Faboo!

How did we get sidetracked on art ???

(Three question marks in chess notation means a blunder.)

Most likely because Boedicca appreciates the true artist that actually have God given talents. My English and grammar may suck but I have other talents that cannot be learned in an educational setting. My husband is the writer of the family. He gained my trust through his poetry which is also an art form that comes through having raw God given talent.

Ok so THAT's how it got sidetracked onto "art".

Just wondered.

Let's not also get sidetracked onto nuclear physics or astronomy or anything else like that.

 

[yiostheoy]

But we didn't determine Who's English is Best?

Well my own nominations were the two X-guys and also koshergrl since each of you is a professional writer of sorts.

I mostly edit. I rarely write formally anymore.

The writing process is best mastered by professional active writers.

It involves making an outline of what you need to say.

Then next organizing your outline.

Then drafting an intro and a conclusion.

Then drafting your body with documentation of facts and citations/links.

Then modifying your intro and conclusion to be consistent with your facts and disclosures.

Then proofreading it yourself.

Then having someone else proofread it.

Then having it peer reviewed.

That's not a job for amateurs.

But there are plenty of amateurs who have chimed in on this thread.

Since I am an editor I will edit the top 3 writers' answers to Comrade Johnson -- sort of like what koshergrl joked about.

We will need a vote afterwards about who thinks who is the best.

Methinks a writer whose every paragraph consists of a single sentence.

Needs an editor.

Space --- the lineal frontier.

When it comes to reading posts on a forum, I prefer to have paragraphs broken into single (or very few sentences).

If one paragraph of text is more than 5 lines, I skip it.

My threshold of pain is at 1/2 page/screen.

How it is subdivided does not matter. But I do look for complete sentences, a brief intro, a brief conclusion, and substantive material between the intro and conclusion linking the two and supporting them both.

Moses always did long run-on scrolls with occasional "chapter" (a Latin word meaning "head") breaks.

I have found that for public speaking you need single sentence "paragraphs" (a Greek word meaning "written together").

I actually do more public speaking or classwork instruction than writing, so I have tended to list sentences this way -- single sentence paragraphs.

For technical or creative writing neither works, so some sort of comfortable paragraphing is necessary in modern (non-ancient) writing.

Content, fluidity, and the ability to advance a thought.

That's what I look for. And it's a pretty good gauge. There are people like my ex who write perfection from a technical viewpoint...but lord god his writing puts me to sleep.

Because no matter how technically proficient you are, if you're shallow and soulless, it will read as vapidity.

Technical writing is often dry, but if done right it also tells a story that keeps the reader interested.

Journalism of some kind is the most interesting factual writing, because it tells a story.

Good writing normally tells some kind of story.

 

[yiostheoy]

But we didn't determine Who's English is Best?

Well my own nominations were the two X-guys and also koshergrl since each of you is a professional writer of sorts.

I mostly edit. I rarely write formally anymore.

The writing process is best mastered by professional active writers.

It involves making an outline of what you need to say.

Then next organizing your outline.

Then drafting an intro and a conclusion.

Then drafting your body with documentation of facts and citations/links.

Then modifying your intro and conclusion to be consistent with your facts and disclosures.

Then proofreading it yourself.

Then having someone else proofread it.

Then having it peer reviewed.

That's not a job for amateurs.

But there are plenty of amateurs who have chimed in on this thread.

Since I am an editor I will edit the top 3 writers' answers to Comrade Johnson -- sort of like what koshergrl joked about.

We will need a vote afterwards about who thinks who is the best.

Methinks a writer whose every paragraph consists of a single sentence.

Needs an editor.

Space --- the lineal frontier.

When it comes to reading posts on a forum, I prefer to have paragraphs broken into single (or very few sentences).

If one paragraph of text is more than 5 lines, I skip it.

Oh I do too, and I note that to those with no paragraph breaks.

But one line per paragraph?

That's a bit much in the other direction.

Kind of implies a scatterbrain.

Or a haiku.

Or some kind of ad copy.

Hard to take seriously.

Burma Shave

One line per paragraph = poetry

When you speak in public and you can make it sound like verse, then you capture your audience and carry them along mesmerized by your speech or talk.

Some verse is written like that too -- one sentence per paragraph.

 

[xotoxi]

OXFORD COMMA PLEASE!!!

I was just reading this article on CNN (Scientists to file motion to defend chemical plant rule, fearing Trump admin won't - CNNPolitics.com) and was bewildered by this paragraph:

In March though, a group of fossil fuel groups including the American Chemistry Council, American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufactures and American Petroleum institute sued the EPA to petition a review of the final rule, arguing in the suit it is "unlawful, arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and not otherwise in accordance with law."

This paragraph is ripe with bullshit...at least two or three commas are missing as I see it.

FAKE ASS NEWS!

 

[yiostheoy]

I always start with NO commas, since this is modern construction -- where less is more.

Then I re-read it.

Then I put in commas as needed to clarify it until it has the "right" meaning.

Too many commas (comma-kazi) is just as bad as not enough.

 

[koshergrl]

Well my own nominations were the two X-guys and also koshergrl since each of you is a professional writer of sorts.

I mostly edit. I rarely write formally anymore.

The writing process is best mastered by professional active writers.

It involves making an outline of what you need to say.

Then next organizing your outline.

Then drafting an intro and a conclusion.

Then drafting your body with documentation of facts and citations/links.

Then modifying your intro and conclusion to be consistent with your facts and disclosures.

Then proofreading it yourself.

Then having someone else proofread it.

Then having it peer reviewed.

That's not a job for amateurs.

But there are plenty of amateurs who have chimed in on this thread.

Since I am an editor I will edit the top 3 writers' answers to Comrade Johnson -- sort of like what koshergrl joked about.

We will need a vote afterwards about who thinks who is the best.

Methinks a writer whose every paragraph consists of a single sentence.

Needs an editor.

Space --- the lineal frontier.

When it comes to reading posts on a forum, I prefer to have paragraphs broken into single (or very few sentences).

If one paragraph of text is more than 5 lines, I skip it.

My threshold of pain is at 1/2 page/screen.

How it is subdivided does not matter. But I do look for complete sentences, a brief intro, a brief conclusion, and substantive material between the intro and conclusion linking the two and supporting them both.

Moses always did long run-on scrolls with occasional "chapter" (a Latin word meaning "head") breaks.

I have found that for public speaking you need single sentence "paragraphs" (a Greek word meaning "written together").

I actually do more public speaking or classwork instruction than writing, so I have tended to list sentences this way -- single sentence paragraphs.

For technical or creative writing neither works, so some sort of comfortable paragraphing is necessary in modern (non-ancient) writing.

Content, fluidity, and the ability to advance a thought.

That's what I look for. And it's a pretty good gauge. There are people like my ex who write perfection from a technical viewpoint...but lord god his writing puts me to sleep.

Because no matter how technically proficient you are, if you're shallow and soulless, it will read as vapidity.

Technical writing is often dry, but if done right it also tells a story that keeps the reader interested.

Journalism of some kind is the most interesting factual writing, because it tells a story.

Good writing normally tells some kind of story.

No my ex wasn't a "technical" writer per se. He writes articles and wrote a book as well.
A book that I couldn't get through, because despite the fact it was perfectly written, it was trite, shallow, and boring as hell. Which is probably why it didn't fly off the shelves, despite being a very popular genre.

 

[yiostheoy]

Methinks a writer whose every paragraph consists of a single sentence.

Needs an editor.

Space --- the lineal frontier.

When it comes to reading posts on a forum, I prefer to have paragraphs broken into single (or very few sentences).

If one paragraph of text is more than 5 lines, I skip it.

My threshold of pain is at 1/2 page/screen.

How it is subdivided does not matter. But I do look for complete sentences, a brief intro, a brief conclusion, and substantive material between the intro and conclusion linking the two and supporting them both.

Moses always did long run-on scrolls with occasional "chapter" (a Latin word meaning "head") breaks.

I have found that for public speaking you need single sentence "paragraphs" (a Greek word meaning "written together").

I actually do more public speaking or classwork instruction than writing, so I have tended to list sentences this way -- single sentence paragraphs.

For technical or creative writing neither works, so some sort of comfortable paragraphing is necessary in modern (non-ancient) writing.

Content, fluidity, and the ability to advance a thought.

That's what I look for. And it's a pretty good gauge. There are people like my ex who write perfection from a technical viewpoint...but lord god his writing puts me to sleep.

Because no matter how technically proficient you are, if you're shallow and soulless, it will read as vapidity.

Technical writing is often dry, but if done right it also tells a story that keeps the reader interested.

Journalism of some kind is the most interesting factual writing, because it tells a story.

Good writing normally tells some kind of story.

No my ex wasn't a "technical" writer per se. He writes articles and wrote a book as well.
A book that I couldn't get through, because despite the fact it was perfectly written, it was trite, shallow, and boring as hell. Which is probably why it didn't fly off the shelves, despite being a very popular genre.

... which is why he is probably now your "x". Just saying.

You obviously want exciting guys in your life.

Not boring ones.

 

[xotoxi]

This is how I would rewrite your post.

No changes in the first two sentences.

I always start with NO commas, since this is modern construction -- where less is more.

Then I re-read it.

Then I liberally apply some commas to the third sentence.

Then I put in commas, as needed, to clarify it, until it has the "right" meaning.

And then I go Shatner on the last sentence, for dramatic emphasis.

Too, many, commas, (comma-kazi), is, just, as, bad, as, not, enough,,,

I added a commellipsis at the end to allow for continuation of thought.

 

[yiostheoy]

This is how I would rewrite your post.

No changes in the first two sentences.

I always start with NO commas, since this is modern construction -- where less is more.

Then I re-read it.

Then I liberally apply some commas to the third sentence.

Then I put in commas, as needed, to clarify it, until it has the "right" meaning.

And then I go Shatner on the last sentence, for dramatic emphasis.

Too, many, commas, (comma-kazi), is, just, as, bad, as, not, enough,,,

I added a commellipsis at the end to allow for continuation of thought.

COMMA-KAZI !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[yiostheoy]

I know you're just joking though xotoxi .

Great joke.

Most people won't get it though.

koshergrl will get it though. She is a super smartie.

 

[Comrade Johnson]

Who's English is the best here?

More importantly, however, what is the point of determining/discussing whose English is best? There is no competition for that "title."
Thus, even if we were to arrive at a consensus on who among us does have the best English, then what? What is there to do with that knowledge/agreement? Indeed, I'm amazed this thread topic has garnered some 125+ posts that are presumably on-topic.

Strange questions The point is that I need 3 persons with perfect English to copy them for my personal education
It will be honest voting and we don't need any consensus. It's not the Russian Duma