calebmelvern

This is something that a lot of people get confused about. I've noticed that some don't even use the word sina at all. So to clarify things, here's a simple explanation. Sila is used as a pronoun (pronoun). It shouldn't be followed by a noun. Sina is a pointer/article (pantukoy). It is followed be a group of nouns. So it is incorrect to say: Sila Martin at Jane ay pupunta sa simbahan mamayang hapon.

Have you guys heard about the Pomodoro technique? I have been using this technique for several months now and it has improved my productivity by a lot. Basically, you work, study or do whatever you need for 25 minutes, take a 5 minute break and then start another 25-minute session. The idea is to work in short, productive bursts, and take multiple rests. I highly recommend this technique to anyone. Try it for at least a couple of weeks and see if it works for you.

I am fluent in English and my writing skills are quite good, but I am not confident when it comes to speaking in English. I have always had a problem with my diction, especially with the letter R. Some say that I tend to pronounce my Rs as Ls, and that's something I want to change. What can I do to improve my diction? Do you have any sites, apps or exercises to recommend?

What do you think about the Taglish problem? Or do you think it isn't a problem at all? I can't help but feel sad that people nowadays couldn't seem to finish one complete sentence in Filipino. There would almost always be an English word or two in there. And then there's the thing about parents raising English-speaking kids, as if being fluent in English and ignorant in Filipino make their kids smarter. Any thoughts?

I experience the same problem of zoning out when I listen to audio books. I haven't finished a single audio book yet. I don't know if I just make bad choices or if audio books are simply not for me. Thanks for the links above, though. I'll definitely check them out. And the one about World War Z.

The first book I read as a kid was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I enjoyed reading it so much and I never looked back since. Before that, I never thought reading would be so magical.

When I was in elementary, we were taught cursive writing but just for a little bit. I believe this is still the case today. Just a few lessons on cursive writing and from it's up to the student whether to write in cursive or in print. My handwriting is so much more legible in print, but yeah it's sad that cursive writing is being cut altogether from the curriculum.

Exactly. Generally, the best way to learn anything is through application. When it comes to learning a language, the biggest obstacle I have faced is not having anyone to communicate with using the language I'm trying to learn. It kind of gets boring practicing on your own, so having a buddy to chat with in a foreign language helps a lot.

This is something I often use interchangeably, and I'm quite sure that I shouldn't be doing that. The proper usage of these two words were taught back when I was in elementary school, but unfortunately I can no longer remember it. Can anybody please enlighten me?

I notice many people don't put a dash after "pag", like in pagibig. I often see this in social media so I'm not sure if it is intended to shorten the length of the post. But in any case, I find it annoying.

I'm actually surprised at how many get this wrong. I'm really careful when using these words, especially in writing. I admit, however, that sometimes I use the wrong word when speaking.

Hahaha! You just made my day! I literally laughed out loud! I absolutely know that r sound and I hate it, too! "Parang, it's like, you know, so trying hard!"

You are right in saying that there are many words that similar in the Filipino and Malay/Indonesian languages. I know how the variety of inflected words could be difficult to understand for foreigners. Sadly, I do not know of any site that teaches this particular subject. I'll be sure to get back on this thread to inform you if ever I stumble upon such a site.

Wow I never thought of this. I couldn't imagine dreaming in my 3rd language! But that's partly because technically, I still don't have a third language. I remember one time I was speaking some sort of alien language, but of course that doesn't count!

This is something that confuses me sometimes. Are these two words interchangeable? I think upon is slowly becoming obsolete. I find that "on" is usually the better word to use. The only time I use upon is when I mean "thereafter" and when I'm writing something formal. I'll be glad to hear your thoughts on this. Perhaps I'm missing something here.

As a writer, correct grammar is of utmost importance to me. Back when I was still studying, I didn't really care about proper grammar. Well, actually I did but it was limited to my own. I didn't care if others made mistakes. I would correct them if I see the need to. I also live in a country where English isn't the primary language.

This is one reason why the English language could be so frustrating at times. I usually don't use a comma before the word "and" unless doing so would make the sentence ambiguous. As others have said, this comes down to a matter of choice, as there isn't really a hard rule about this.

Back in college, I took up Basic Spanish. At first, my friends and I already agreed that after this course, we would take up advanced classes. However, we didn't enjoy the classes as much as we expected to. This led to us not pursuing learning Spanish. I'm still interested though, but as of now I'm focusing on learning Japanese.

Many people say French is the most romantic language there is and I would have to agree. I would also like to add another language that is not included in the choices above. In my opinion, Filipino sounds very romantic, too. I think this is the reason why many people love it when they listen to Filipinos singing.

Well, it is a little irritating to see so many people commit this error. But I'm pretty sure that most people know the correct usage of these terms; it's just that when typing they do not immediately recognize the error. This happens to me from time to time as well when using words with homonyms such as "hear" and "here." This is why proofreading is a must.

I speak fluent Filipino and English. Right now, I'm studying Japanese. I studied Spanish back in college, but I didn't pursue it. I still plan to learn Spanish in the future though. I really want to be fluent in these four languages. I'm not sure if I'd want to learn any more. How about you? How many languages do you want to learn?

In addition to what LauraM said, you can also use a semicolon before the word however instead of a period. Let's take your post as an example. You could write: I've recently been told by my tutor that I shouldn't begin a sentence with however; however, I think that I can. Interestingly, The Chicago Manual of Style and Garner’s Modern American Usage actually recommend using but or yet instead of however. They say that but or yet is more impactful. In a way, your tutor is right. Many people consider using however to start a sentence to be wrong. So in any formal writing, it may be best to avoid doing this. For example, it is not recommended to start a sentence with however in a cover letter for a job application. The reader may see this as a mistake, and your application will be put to an unjust and silly end.

Great post! This reminds of me of my elementary teacher. My classmates and I used to ask her "Can I go to the restroom?" She would tell us " Yes you can, but you may not." Before that, I thought can and may were interchangeable.

I like to make an outline first before writing. I usually make a list of the points I'd like to tackle. If I think I've covered all the important areas, I would start filing in the details. I would read my work and usually an idea pops into my head and I'll include it. Sometimes, I let somebody read the essay and have him/her say something about my piece, though I rarely do this.

It's strange how we accept some shortcuts and despise others. I wonder if the time will come when we will accept some of the less-accepted terms today such as "r u" (are you), "2" (to), and those that omit vowels like "smthng". I sure wouldn't want that time to come!