And the irony is that YOU used poor English, in a sentence we would correct for you, but not judge you for. Then you both want to throw insults at the people correcting your sentence (because they aren’t educated enough, for your liking), and the people who talk vernacularly (because they aren’t educated enough, for your liking).
I see that there is no need to be rude to everybody who isn’t you, whether they are someone who values grammar rules more highly than you (and offer to correct your writing for free - why insult someone being helpful? These are whom you’ve called poor), or whether they value grammar less highly and speak less prescriptively (whom you’ve now used the “r” word on. Why insult someone?)
Again, you’ve described native-level correction of your text as being a “poor correction.” Your reasoning was that it was too much a native correction. It may not suit your needs - a journal would be the place for laidback writing practice without native corrections - but there isn’t a reason to insult everyone who doesn’t speak as you do, from the tutors who are educated, to the native speakers who speak colloquially with non-prescriptive speech.
If there’s a correction you aren’t comfortable with, for whatever reason, just ignore it. Don’t insult the correctors for giving you native feedback on your writing. In general, insult people less.
This is interesting. I certainly couldn’t disagree that “Cohen_Shekelburger” is a troll. He (she?) very frequently hurls childish insults at me using various forum-names.
However, the unpleasant name-calling aside, I actually have to agree with what he is saying here.
I do find it bizarre to suggest that “in your summer holiday” is somehow wrong or substandard English. Why is it? Who says so??
As far as I am concerned you could say “in your summer holiday” or “during your summer holiday” or even “on your summer holiday”. Where I am from in the South West of England one would very naturally hear all three of these - but the first two especially.
If I think about it, the use of “on” perhaps somewhat implies that that one is talking about the whole vacation/holiday, while using “in” or “during” somewhat refers to an event within part of the broader holiday-timeframe. Thus:
“I’m going to Paris on my summer holiday” => the trip to Paris will comprise the entire holiday
“I’m going to Paris in (or during) my summer holiday” => the trip could be one part of the holiday (maybe one week out of two weeks total holiday time.
At any rate, I don’t see ANY difference in quality or register between the use on “in” or “during” in these examples.
He ironically is a good example of what i was talking about with the sort of erroneous correction which is rife on italki.
He doesn’t personally think something is ‘good’ enough or whatever and so says it’s wrong when it isn’t. If i were a learner of English i would be very confused by all this.
Language learning is hard enough without having to put up with several natives giving you their own explanations for why something is right or isn’t, and often arguing about it themselves, when all you wanted to do was get a message across.
Rank beginners are being corrected on things that aren’t wrong. That sets people up to fail. And it annoys me.
I have lessons with a teacher once a week through italki. Its great, really gives me direction and if nothing else, helps me notice things I am getting wrong.
My teacher transcribes and corrects the free talking periods of each lesson, which I then import into Lingq and practice more. Personally I think italki + Lingq is a winning combination.
In fact, my teacher is one of the main reasons I am active on Lingq, she keep on telling me I need to read more, more, more. And so here I am, doing just that.