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/lit/ - Literature

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14104243 No.14104243 [Reply] [Original]

How do I improve my abysmal English vocabulary in spite of disability (being raised in the USA)?

>> No.14104246

Read a variety of different works and study etymology. Gaining different contexts for words and being able to source where the words came from and how they're constructed will help.

>> No.14104247

>>14104243
if you think being raised in the USA is a disability then............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

>> No.14104274

Read books written before the 20th century.

>> No.14104281
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14104281

My biggest problem is prose. I read so much but yet when I write it's so fucking bare, grammatically incorrect. English is my second language to be fair but I've been taught and have been writing in english for 15 years. In High School I used to be really great at essays and creative writing but now I'm so shit. It's fucking painful and it hurts bros

>> No.14104301

>>14104281
Share an example of your writing. Maybe I can help

>> No.14104320

>>14104301
https://pastebin.com/Ej0Li2NN

>> No.14104325

>>14104243
I learned a large vocabulary as a kid by reading a thesaurus for fun and never being afraid of longer and more challenging books.

My problem is actually that I don't fully understand the rules of punctuation. Parenthesis is confusing because commas, hyphens and semi-colons can all be used interchangeably. Semi-colons and hyphens also apparently share the same function. I've never understood which is the most appropriate puncuation to use in what context.

>> No.14104773

>>14104281
On a mechanical level, its pretty decent. I wouldn't have guessed English is not native to you. Then again it reads (and I don't mean it as an insult) like its written by a teenager 17-19 year old.

You need to read more, expand your diction. Use better words to say the same statement in fewer words. Try to avoid colloquial lingo unless you are writing dialogue. Create an atmosphere in your writing, but don't dwell upon it with ornate descriptions beyond the truly necessary.

Don't imagine your characters like they are living in a movie. That often makes a writing feel like shlock because its deriative. Try to bring more realism in your writing, show people how you see the world. That is more interesting to the reader than an imagined world that is trying to be a cliched film.

Lastly, you should be driven to writing with a purpose. You need to work out your story, plot, characters on cards/worksheet/scrapbook to a T, so much that you cant wait to fit the puzzle by finally writing it. If your story has a greater unspoken meaning that you truly feel like sharing with the world, that is more interesting to the reader than just another 200 pages of easy reading.

You're good. Strive to be better. I know you're already doing that. I think you will benefit from this excerpt from Ira Glass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbC4gqZGPSY

Good Luck!

>> No.14104780

>>14104325
semi colon is used to attach two parts of a sentence which could be complete sentences on their own

comma is used to break up an overlong sentence to let the reader breathe

Full stop is to end a sentence and used as a longer break while reading.

>> No.14104983

>>14104773
Thanks for the feedback anon. I really appreciate it

>> No.14105005

>>14104320
>>14104281
Your problem is that you're trying too hard.
I can instantly tell that you've made conscious effort to ensure that your prose appear "flowery" and high-brow. That's not a good look.

>> No.14105025

>>14104243
>in spite of disability (being raised in the USA)?
You don't have a disability, you just don't read. Read books and look up words you don't know. Then try to use them on your own at some point so you can remember them. That's how you build a large vocabulary.

>> No.14105313

>>14105005
I disagree there. I think it's the opposite problem where his prose is too simple. Not to mention the general sentiments are expressed in a way that feels trite.

>> No.14105332
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14105332

>>14104320
This is terrible.

>> No.14105365

>>14105313
I didn't say his prose was flowery. I said that he's TRYING to make it look flowery, and it shows.

>> No.14105418

>>14105332
I know it's terrible anon, hence why I said my writing is so shit that it actually hurts me >>14104281

>> No.14105892

>>14105332
Let's see your writing Mr.Wordsworth

>> No.14106756

>>14104243
and thats what gives things character