English is not my first language:

>>16563537
You just did

>>16563537
Flawless grammar eludes most native English speakers. Some are violently opposed to the observance of such practices. Just make that sure you read a book every few weeks and you'll be fine.

>>16563541
I usually make a grammatical error or two when I write a paragraph.

>>16563537
Three names for you:

Joseph Conrad
Jerzy Kosinsky
Tom Stoppard

Read them and see if you can tell English wasn't their first language.

>>16563552
So do most native speakers. English grammar is notoriously difficult to master.

If you really want to get good at it, study German, French, and Latin. You don't need to be fluent in any of these, but understanding the basics of how they work is important, because most (though not quite all) of English grammar and spelling are heavily influenced by these languages. If you understand the basics, you will begin to see patterns in what rules apply in which situations.

For bonus points, add Greek and Yiddish to the list of languages you study. Greek will clear up a lot of the spelling issues that remain after you've studied the first three, while Yiddish clears up some of the grammatical edge cases. But prioritize the first three languages I mentioned.

>>16563537
This is something most anons are touching on but I should make this clear.

Read the hell out of some english books.

They don't have to be highbrow well written masterpieces, just anything published that will likely have correct grammar. Eventually when you try and express an idea in english you will use techniques you noticed in your earlier reading. You might still slip, but what have you got to lose? Time wasted reading books that look interesting?

>>16564858
Their editors probably did a lot of work

English grammar is so easy that by now, most people whose first language is English have basically forgotten what the word "grammar" even signifies. You're going to be okay, OP. English is mainly slapping some words together in a violent fashion, and then they mate, multiply, and send their convicts to Australia.

>>16563537
>what is practice

>>16564897
>english
>hard
>learning 5 fucking languages for english
Fuck you

>>16563537
Yes, most people who speak with perfect grammar aren't even native english speakers.

>>16564970
Maybe with Kosinsky. But not the other two, definitely.

>>16565230
>But not the other two, definitely.
And how do you know?

File: american-splendor-1.jpg (120KB, 400x527px) Image search: [Google]

120KB, 400x527px

I've noticed that ESL people can get the grammar right, but they still use slightly "off" word choices and turns of phrase. The funny thing about that is that there's nothing that one can point to to explain why it is incorrect, it just sounds wrong.