What do you make of "plain speaking"?

[Johnny.]

Dear Alan Townend,
For a long time I have been reading your articles . They are great! They help me much.
I hope in future you will be able to send more and more interesting materials .

So thank you very much!

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Johnny.

[Jahanara]

hanks Alan for the comprehensive details about English. I teach
English but always considered myself as a learner of Language English.
I really would like to appreciate the noble work which you are doing
for language learners. Honestly speaking I prefer Jack blunt style to
all. But I do realise and observed people that they take a long time
on coming to the point. English speakers first try to build ground
for the conversation and then come to the point. May be this is
because language English speakers are polite. I am lost of words.
Once again your recent blog is commendable.

Regards,

Jahanara

[saniko]

Alan,s last letter is a little bit difficult to understanding for me, because I,m in a low intermediate level, I think.
I.ll try again, later,

Regards
saniko.

[Guest]

Dear friends,
Hello! I am a keen learner of English. I am from Myanmar. I am very fond of reading book like the power of positive thinking. Besides this, I like composing poems and writing essays of the nature of life and thinking system. " Business and its ethic" are my most favorite thing. This is my paradigm shifting. I love teaching and learning , sharing of our experience each other. How to share of people who are getting suffering from "identity lost" because of poverty. I am so interested in " Social Work". I am very happy to join your discussion. Thank you all.

[Jibu]

Dear Alan Townend,
I'm Jibu. working as a counselor and also a student. so I have to speak English to my client. so i want to know more about English language. so i need you articles, english tests, vocabulary and grammers.

Thank you
Jibu

[kaung myat san]

Dear sir,

Plain and short to the point is the best way in English. Some Idioms
and ambiguous words make us misunderstanding. For a student of
English is as a second language, slang and colloquials are difficult
to understand. Some don't know what they are. If we need some idioms
to use some topics, we can use everyday word expression of idiom.
If you use a new idiom, you need to show their meaning somewhere like
appendix. Thank you for my joining your net.

Best Regards,
kaung myat san

[Sarah Kyomugisa]

Greetings
Thank you for the newsletter - figuratively speaking!

The English language is very interesting and its sophistication is really admirable! In our local languages in Africa,I come from Uganda, East Africa, classifications are not necessarily applied. The words are spoken as they are; their meanings are what they mean; Figurative speech only becomes practical if it is a proverb or an olden saying, and comparison is made to give clarity to a message.

I must say I am honoured to be a part of your noble cause in tutoring the English language!

Thank you,
Yours
Sarah Kyomugisa

[Javier Salas]

Dear Alan,
I could say I am a learner, even when I have been using English for a long time since I am a salesman of industrial equipment living in México.

I enjoy your "articles", they are very good and I like to tell you that my first goal is to improve my understanding of spoken English, but also I would like to learn to write properly in English.
Thank you.
Javier Salas

[Lynda.]

Dear Alan,

Thanks for all the excerpts of idioms, etc.
It is always very pleasant when I read your descriptive notes, so I have kept it in my mail, perhaps I should archive it, so to refer from time to time.

I am not in as teaching as a profession, but some other field of work.
I do join Toastmasters in my country Malaysia, so we get to brush good our English as we must have left it for a decade.

In Toastmasters, we do have the thought of the evening, word of the day, manual speeches, and humor session, etc. One time, I was Grammarian and I gave a word that sends ears to question as to why it should be an adjective when it sounds like a noun. The word is of course, "commensurate".
Would appreciate your enlightenment on this, if possible.

Thank you again.
Have a pleasant day.
Lynda

[Jude.]

Dear Alan:

Thank you for this little gems. They sure are helpful.
Provido, Jude

[nataliru]

Dear Torsten

Abt plain speaking

Well, 'plain speaking'... It can work well and is easy to use when you deal with plain things. But... if you have to desribe something where there are no such simple things as spades? When it is a patent or a contract? Or a financial document? It is difficult to avoid 'legalese' there, although, I think, the language tends to become simplier now.
So, I think, plain speaking is often OK unless it is dull or primitive

nataliru

[sunshineteja]

sir i want to learn english and also my intention to speak english efeectively and fluently please help me how to talk with others spontaneously please i read your topic i felt really very happy because some phrase s please send me daily conservations examples i am looking forward to your next letter
yours faithfully,
raviteja

[Tina.]

Hello Mr. Torsen and Mr.Alan! Thank you for your lessons. It's very interesting for me. I'm Tina from Georgia. I live in Tbilisi.Many years ago I had graduated the Institute of Foreign Languages and after I didn't work anywhere by my profession so I forget much things elementary I know, but I don't remember many words, I can't write correctly. That's why I don't like to post on forum. Now I have time and I want to improve my knowledge. With your lessons you are helping me and thank you very much for this.
With best wishes TINA. Excuse me for mistakes which I'm sure my be in my letter.

[rosap]

Hi!

I enjoyed very much this newsletter. I'm always interested in this sort of information because I tend to be a bit of a ¨Jack Blunt¨when it comes to the English language as I don't know much figures of speech. Not having much opportunity to speak in English nor write it is what keeps me away from using them.

I definitely would like to learn more about this subject.

Thanks Alan

[Rayne]

Hi Alan, I am 12 years old. I busy preparing for my benchmarking English test. I feel so nervous really want to do well in English and not embarrass myself i live in south Africa and apparently the test come from core skills in Australia which is a standard test throughout the world thank you very much for all your help so far. Any tips for Comprehension skills?

Regards,
Rayne