Lerner's avatar
Lerner

today

147
Writing, reading and literal words

During the last few months I didn't have much writing practice in English. I think it has detrimentally influenced my speaking skills, although I speak quite consistently, several times per week and mostly with natives. These two skills, writing and speaking, are inseparably linked, though plenty of people tend to underestimate the importance of the former. When writing, you have as much time as you need to convey your idea in the most precise way. If you can't do it in an hour, how do you expect yourself to be fluent in a conversation?
More than 8 months ago, I've embarked on reading classical literature in English. What seemed overwhelming at first, turned out to become my favorite (and subsequently only) leisure activity. Every day I look forward to the evening, when after taking a hot shower and writing my daily diary entry, I turn on my e-reader and delve deep into captivating worlds of literature. When I look up a word, I never forget to check it so that later I could download the list of all previously unknown words. I've been doing it for quite a while and have already accumulated more than 500 words learned exclusively via reading. Most of them are very literal or formal, and it is almost impossible to encounter them in average conversation. In fact, they are being so seldom used that sometimes I think that it was all in vain. But of course it was not, for coming across these words while reading and not stopping to look them up brings me so much joy!


Hi! Feel free to correct not only my grammar mistakes, but also any formulations that might seem unnatural. Thanks in advance!

some random examples
lugubrious
tormenting
obstinate
wade
inquietude
adroit

Corrections

I think it has had a detrimentally influenced effect on my speaking skills, although I speak quite consistently, several times per week and mostly with natives.

More than 8 months ago, I've embarked on reading classical literature in English.

Every day I look forward to the evening, whenand after taking a hot shower and writing my daily diary entry, I turn on my e-reader and delve deep into captivating worlds of literature.

When I look up a word, I never forget to check it so that later I could download the list of all previously unknown words later.

I've been doing it for quite a while and have already accumulated more than 500 words learned exclusively via reading.

But of course it was not, forn’t, because coming across these words while reading and not stopping to look them up brings me so much joy!

I think it has been detrimentally influenced to my speaking skills, although I speak quite consistently, several times per week and mostly with natives.

More natural phrasing here, "detrimentally influenced" is a little too verbose to be natural here I think.

More than 8 months ago, I've embarked on reading classical literature in English.

Since you specified "more than 8 months ago", you're talking about a single point in time at the beginning, rather than your current state of being, so it's more natural to say "I embarked" (describing the action of embarking) than "(I have / I've) embarked" which is describing you as being in the state of having embarked. If you didn't specify a specific point in time, then "I've embarked" would be more natural.

(This is pretty nitpicky feedback - both are perfectly understandable)

When I look up a word, I never forget to checmark it so that later I couldan download the list of all previously unknown words.

Tense is a little finicky here, but once you explain why you take the action, you're no longer in a conditional context.

I think it has detrimentally influenced my speaking skills, although I speak quite consistently, several times per week and mostly with natives.

"quite consistently" is correct, but it may not be the best way to convey your meaning because each time you speak, it is different--so it's not like doing the same activity regularly over time. My first thought is "frequently." But that's explained in "several times a week" so maybe the best revision is to shorten the sentence to sharpen the focus: "although I speak several times a week with native English speakers."

More than 8 months ago, I've embarked on [ ] reading classical literature in English.

Replace "embarked" with "started" in your mind: you only embarked or started once. However, "embarked" needs more than "started" to feel complete. For example, you could say "embarked on a journey, an adventure, a course of reading" Because it literally refers to getting on a boat, plane, (not sure about a train), it needs supporting words.

Every day I look forward to the evening, when after taking a hot shower and writing my daily diary entry, I turn on my e-reader and delve deep into captivating worlds of literature.

There's nothing wrong with the plural, but it tends to be used as a singular noun in the expression " the captivating world of literature." (Within each book you may enter a different world, but you are probably delving into one book world at a time; and they are all part of classical English lit.)

When I look up a word, I never forget to check it so that later I couldan download the list of all previously unknown words.

Since you actually to check them, I think "can" is right. It also sounds right grammatically.

In fact, they are being so seldom used that sometimes I think that it was all in vain.

"being used so seldom" is confusing.
If you mean that YOU are using them seldomly, then make the sentence active: "I use them so seldomly" or "rarely"
If you mean used by everyone, or everywhere, or in conversation, etc. then that needs to be clarified.

Feedback

As you may know, we sometimes talk about different vocabularies that a person has. A person's speaking vocabulary can be quite small compared to their reading vocabulary. It's worth an internet search on the subject to see how many thousands of words an educated person might have in their reading vs speaking vocabulary.
Some people enjoy using words from their reading vocabulary in word games like crossword puzzles, etc., while others, of course, use many of those words for their work.

Liag's avatar
Liag

today

2

some random examples
lugubrious
tormenting
obstinate
wade
inquietude
adroit

So these words could be sorted by a native speaker (me in this case) into two categories
1. common enough that I would use them or hear them in a conversation "wade, tormenting, obstinate."
2. only in my reading vocabulary "lugubrious, inquietude, adroit"

I think there may be an online tool that tells you how frequently a word is used; and if I recall correctly, it's by decade and goes back a few hundred years. It's actually fascinating. You can see where some words started and where others rose and fell in use.

araigoshi's avatar
araigoshi

today

326

I think obstinate in spoken English would actually come off a little old fashioned - most people would just use stubborn.

I would not assume a random native speaker understands the word "adroit" and almost certainly most people won't understand "lugubrious". They'd be able to derive the meaning of inquietude from its components, but it's not necessarily something they will have encountered.

What seemed overwhelming at first, turned out to become my favorite (and subsequently only) leisure activity.


Every day I look forward to the evening, when after taking a hot shower and writing my daily diary entry, I turn on my e-reader and delve deep into captivating worlds of literature.


Every day I look forward to the evening, when after taking a hot shower and writing my daily diary entry, I turn on my e-reader and delve deep into captivating worlds of literature.

There's nothing wrong with the plural, but it tends to be used as a singular noun in the expression " the captivating world of literature." (Within each book you may enter a different world, but you are probably delving into one book world at a time; and they are all part of classical English lit.)

Every day I look forward to the evening, whenand after taking a hot shower and writing my daily diary entry, I turn on my e-reader and delve deep into captivating worlds of literature.

When I look up a word, I never forget to check it so that later I could download the list of all previously unknown words.


When I look up a word, I never forget to check it so that later I couldan download the list of all previously unknown words.

Since you actually to check them, I think "can" is right. It also sounds right grammatically.

When I look up a word, I never forget to checmark it so that later I couldan download the list of all previously unknown words.

Tense is a little finicky here, but once you explain why you take the action, you're no longer in a conditional context.

When I look up a word, I never forget to check it so that later I could download the list of all previously unknown words later.

I've been doing it for quite a while and have already accumulated more than 500 words learned exclusively via reading.


I've been doing it for quite a while and have already accumulated more than 500 words learned exclusively via reading.

Most of them are very literal or formal, and it is almost impossible to encounter them in average conversation.


In fact, they are being so seldom used that sometimes I think that it was all in vain.


In fact, they are being so seldom used that sometimes I think that it was all in vain.

"being used so seldom" is confusing. If you mean that YOU are using them seldomly, then make the sentence active: "I use them so seldomly" or "rarely" If you mean used by everyone, or everywhere, or in conversation, etc. then that needs to be clarified.

But of course it was not, for coming across these words while reading and not stopping to look them up brings me so much joy!


But of course it was not, forn’t, because coming across these words while reading and not stopping to look them up brings me so much joy!

Writing, reading and literal words


During the last few months I didn't have much writing practice in English.


I think it has detrimentally influenced my speaking skills, although I speak quite consistently, several times per week and mostly with natives.


I think it has detrimentally influenced my speaking skills, although I speak quite consistently, several times per week and mostly with natives.

"quite consistently" is correct, but it may not be the best way to convey your meaning because each time you speak, it is different--so it's not like doing the same activity regularly over time. My first thought is "frequently." But that's explained in "several times a week" so maybe the best revision is to shorten the sentence to sharpen the focus: "although I speak several times a week with native English speakers."

I think it has been detrimentally influenced to my speaking skills, although I speak quite consistently, several times per week and mostly with natives.

More natural phrasing here, "detrimentally influenced" is a little too verbose to be natural here I think.

I think it has had a detrimentally influenced effect on my speaking skills, although I speak quite consistently, several times per week and mostly with natives.

These two skills, writing and speaking, are inseparably linked, though plenty of people tend to underestimate the importance of the former.


When writing, you have as much time as you need to convey your idea in the most precise way.


If you can't do it in an hour, how do you expect yourself to be fluent in a conversation?


More than 8 months ago, I've embarked on reading classical literature in English.


More than 8 months ago, I've embarked on [ ] reading classical literature in English.

Replace "embarked" with "started" in your mind: you only embarked or started once. However, "embarked" needs more than "started" to feel complete. For example, you could say "embarked on a journey, an adventure, a course of reading" Because it literally refers to getting on a boat, plane, (not sure about a train), it needs supporting words.

More than 8 months ago, I've embarked on reading classical literature in English.

Since you specified "more than 8 months ago", you're talking about a single point in time at the beginning, rather than your current state of being, so it's more natural to say "I embarked" (describing the action of embarking) than "(I have / I've) embarked" which is describing you as being in the state of having embarked. If you didn't specify a specific point in time, then "I've embarked" would be more natural. (This is pretty nitpicky feedback - both are perfectly understandable)

More than 8 months ago, I've embarked on reading classical literature in English.

You need LangCorrect Premium to access this feature.

Go Premium