My english is horrible !!!

[earthlovers123]

Hello all,

Some of the friends in all nurses are commenting that I need to improve my communication skills in English to do better in nursing school. I am a male nursing student from another part of the world (South Asia). I have a passion for nursing. But at the moment, I need some study skills, good English language ability to get through nursing program.

It would be wonderful if you could give me some suggestions to do better in nursing school. How to improve my English communication skills (oral and written) and study skills that I need to have for nursing school to be successful.

[stevierae]

Y'all is a perfect solution to the lack of a plural form of you in the English language. It's better than the irritating west coast version, which is 'you guys'... If I hear one more perky, bleached blond waitress say that, I think I'll puke...:angryfire

LOL!!! I say "you guys" all the time. Sometimes I even say "Dude."

And I am 51.

But, I am definitely a CA girl, even though I now live in the Pacific Northwest.

Now, one of my teammates says "youse guys." I love it! She's from Jersey.

[redwinggirlie]

Try reading your text books out loud with one of your classmates or by yourself if you have to. Hearing the words will help. It's best if you have someone listening with you though. Good luck and be well!

[Mystery5]

hello, dzien dobry.

powodzenia.

it is always nice to hear someone polish speaking. not too many nurses i met my nationality.

My late husband was born in Poland. I picked up some Polish from him and my two trips to Poland.:)

[Mystery5]

LOL!!! I say "you guys" all the time. Sometimes I even say "Dude."

And I am 51.

But, I am definitely a CA girl, even though I now live in the Pacific Northwest.

Now, one of my teammates says "youse guys." I love it! She's from Jersey.

Calif native here, now Washington state. Yeah, I use 'you guys' too, especially when chastising my kids for their collective faults. I'm almost as ancient as you, at 47...(48 on August 1)

:balloons:

[z's playa]

I'm probably going to get chewed out for this but here goes. :sofahider

I'm one of the people here who had commented on the OPs english. I have nothing against ESL students and immigrants at all. What I do have a problem with is my own understanding of how one gets INTO a gruelling RN program full of essays , assignments etc in the first place !!!!!!.....I mean...the marking for some of these course assignments is extremely particular as most of us well know.

Here in Canada if you're an ESL student, a short essay test is given to make sure that the profs aren't busy teaching any students basic grammar and vocab, and both student and prof can concentrate on the content rather than the mechanics of a written work. I may sound harsh but I honestly don't see how a supposed 2nd yr student made it this far with some of the grammer I've seen here and I'm not necessarily referring only to this thread.

You all know I'm not a stickler for spelling...I don't go around pointing it out..god knows I've made my share....but I can't understand how one gets through nsg school . I'm sorry but I'm baffled by some of the past posts. Completely. :stone

Z

To OP: I know I've addressed this to you in a pm but since you felt the need to bring it up here...I felt the need to respond. :)

[Mystery5]

Well, you can't always judge someone's ability to understand English by the way they sound speaking. As I mentioned, my late husband was from Poland. His accent was quite thick, and because Slavic languages lack articles, he never mastered the use of the word 'the' or 'a' and, like many Slavic speakers of English. So, on first hearing him, one might question his ability to understand English, because if you don't use 'the' and 'a' it makes it sounds as if you are not fluent in English.

After I got to know him I realized that his command of English was quite good, and he had an extensive vocabulary. He was a Hydrogeologist, educated with a Master's degree from University of Warsaw, highly educated, and well read of English literature. Yet, because of his speech pattern, it sometimes sounded as if he was not fluent in English.

[z's playa]

Well, you can't always judge someone's ability to understand English by the way they sound speaking. As I mentioned, my late husband was from Poland. His accent was quite thick, and because Slavic languages lack articles, he never mastered the use of the word 'the' or 'a' and, like many Slavic speakers of English. So, on first hearing him, one might question his ability to understand English, because if you don't use 'the' and 'a' it makes it sounds as if you are not fluent in English.

After I got to know him I realized that his command of English was quite good, and he had an extensive vocabulary. He was a Hydrogeologist, educated with a Master's degree from University of Warsaw, highly educated, and well read of English literature. Yet, because of his speech pattern, it sometimes sounded as if he was not fluent in English.

I understand that. I'm talking about the written language part, not the sound. I can't hear anyone here after all. :chuckle I'm asking about the essays. I know all about the Slavic language etc....my family is from Croatia and Russia.

Z

[Mystery5]

I understand that. I'm talking about the written language part not the sound. I can't hear anyone here after all. :chuckle I'm asking about the[b'] essays[/b]. I know all about the Slavic language etc....my family is from Croatia and Russia.

Z

My husband's written English also appeared less than perfect because English spelling is very difficult and also he had trouble with articles. Since he came over here in his early 30's he really never mastered spelling. Yet, his comprehension was excellent. He loved the English language because of the rich vocabulary, and he made good use of it. Also, his use of idiomatic phrases was charmingly off kilter because he would leave out crucial small words and the articles, and those phrases must be said precisely word for word in order to be correct.

[z's playa]

My husband's written English also appeared less than perfect because English spelling is very difficult and also he had trouble with articles. Since he came over here in his early 30's he really never mastered spelling. Yet, his comprehension was excellent. He loved the English language because of the rich vocabulary, and he made good use of it. Also, his use of idiomatic phrases was charmingly off kilter because he would leave out crucial small words and the articles, and those phrases must be said precisely word for word in order to be correct.

Yes..I understand but in school...we need to WRITE essays. I know you can understand something and say it in your head fine..but the profs dont care. If you can't write a sentence to save your life on paper.... in University or college..all the comprehension in the world won't save you until the exam scantrons. In school. Or at least in my school. I'm beginning to wonder if it's only us up here that need to write huge essays.

[mendu]

I understand that. I'm talking about the written language part not the sound. I can't hear anyone here after all. :chuckle I'm asking about the[b'] essays[/b]. I know all about the Slavic language etc....my family is from Croatia and Russia.

i can say only that it depends on person. how much time you want to put into your study, what way you use to gain knowledge. i had extremely good experience with my english instructor on my composition class at college here before i got to nursing program. i mean, she had never desrespect me because of my ESL but if i had problem she set down and work it out with me. i ended with A in her class.

i think we as foreighn students are more motivated to study and do well in school or work because we do not want to be judge by other just base on english ability to speak, to read, to understand. i know my english never will be perfect, but i see deferences between now and high school struggeling. i will never completely get over my accent and that is one of marks that ESL. just remember people can do a lot. people can achieve a lot. it just depends how much each wants to give to improve and to learn. :)

[student4ever]

I understand that. I'm talking about the written language part not the sound. I can't hear anyone here after all. :chuckle I'm asking about the[b'] essays[/b]. I know all about the Slavic language etc....my family is from Croatia and Russia.

i can say only that it depends on person. how much time you want to put into your study, what way you use to gain knowledge. i had extremely good experience with my english instructor on my composition class at college here before i got to nursing program. i mean, she had never desrespect me because of my ESL but if i had problem she set down and work it out with me. i ended with A in her class.

i think we as foreighn students are more motivated to study and do well in school or work because we do not want to be judge by other just base on english ability to speak, to read, to understand. i know my english never will be perfect, but i see deferences between now and high school struggeling. i will never completely get over my accent and that is one of marks that ESL. just remember people can do a lot. people can achieve a lot. it just depends how much each wants to give to improve and to learn. :)

I totally agree with you... I am English speaking from birth, but in college I dated a guy not from the US. He was the only person at our school who spoke his language (he's from Yugoslavia/Croatia), and he worked really hard at learning English and speaking it well. In fact, he worked so hard at it that by the end of his first year he no longer needed ESL. I noticed however, that his English was much better than those students from Japan or Spanish speaking countries (the two most highly populated languages at our school) because he had no one to fall back on when he was scared speaking English. In fact, he was talking to his mom on the phone one day, and he got this panicked look on his face and said to me, "Oh my God, I don't know how to say this in Croatian!" I totally think it's a matter of practicing and immersing yourself in spoken language. English is a hard language to learn to write properly, no matter what culture you're from, even if it's your first language. There are nurses at my hospital who make more mistakes and spelling errors than those for whom English is their second language - but somehow they think it's okay because English is "their language to butcher if they want to" but jump all over the nurses/nurse assistants who make a few minor spelling mistakes. This mentality burns me so badly!!! But at the same time, I think it's so important to speak clearly and with as easy to understand accent as possible, because especially in the rural area I live in, there are a lot of patients who are poorly educated and have a VERY difficult time understanding the numerous accents of the MDs, nurses and other clinical staff who are trying to give them instructions on their care. Good luck OP and any others who are struggling with English... I hope you come into contact with many people who are open to helping you learn the complex English language!

[Sumatra]

As an English teacher for over 30 years, may I offer some suggestions?

1. Build vocabulary by reading. Read for pleasure--magazines, novels, cereal boxes--anything. It takes about 13 exposures to a new word to learn it. When you acquire a new word, use it.

2. Speak English as much as possible. It does make a difference. Don't worry about making mistakes or not being misunderstood. Speak up.

3. Join an English conversation group. Check your public library or town hall to see what's available at no or low cost.

4. Consider accent reduction practice if you can find a speech therapy program at a university. Speech therapy students are required to do a certain number of clinical hours in order to graduate. You may be able to get services for free. I would think that clear (not perfect) pronunciation is important in nursing.

5. See if there's a tutoring or writing center where you go to school. Take advantage of these services as they are usually free.

6. If you can afford a private tutor, consider hiring one. Choose someone with experience.

Good luck with your career!