The more time I live the more time I have to respect linguistic professionals.
The one strength I have in life is that I recognize the strengths in others. The one weakness I have is not realizing my own weaknesses. Thus, it is with great pride that I admit a weakness: I struggle with the English language.
In the past, this was not something I would admit. Instead, I’d share a quasi-truth.
“Yes, I’m bilingual. I speak both English and the Queen’s English.”
Truth is (no lie), this was both a lie and a truth. I loved nothing more than to speak with a British accent, inviting others for a spot of tea with, of course, a spoonful of sugar.
Fact (and truth) is I was just a Dick Van Dyke. Minus the Van Dyke. I would make them tea, but it would be instant; unlike my grammatical skills, which are quite delayed. In fact, to provide an analogy, my grammatical skills are like many women’s bodies in this state – not fully developed until ‘corrected’ by others.
As much as I appreciate the corrections, like implants, they come at at price. And, as time goes on – mostly time spent with my ESL instructor, Live Longer, the more I realize I should just focus on English as a first language and leave seconds to buffets and husbands.
Capiche? According to Live Longer, that’s either Italian or Spanish. Either way, it sounds good at the end of a strong statement.