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Hi everyone, my name is Eric and I'm from sunny San Diego, California, USA. I'm interested in improving my French, German, and Spanish, and I would also like to learn Swahili, Persian, Arabic, and Somali (I hope that I can learn all of these and more, someday). I speak English with a Southern Californian accent, which isn't that different from a "proper" American accent, just a little more casual (if you've seen the Saturday Night Live sketch, "The Californians," it's a little like that, but not that extreme). I have a Bachelors Degree, and have spent time in more professional settings, so I know how to communicate in a more formal setting, but in causal conversation, I tend to sway towards informal. I'm a high school history teacher, I tutor refugee children, and I work in retail. I'm interested in learning more about other cultures and the history of other countries, while also talking about books, movies, games, and tons of other things. Hope to talk soon! Je compris francais assez bien, mais je parle jamais. C'est difficile a empecher ma francaise ici, et je suis trop timid a parler. Hablo un pequeno de Espanol, pero no bien. Ich kenne ein bisschen Deutsch, aber gut nicht.
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  • Answered
    "A lot of" would fit in better; unfortunately, I'm not exactly sure why it sounds right, but English is a strange language. "A lot" or "a lot of" is often used to describe more tangible things, whereas "much" is often used to describe more intangible things - but they are interchangeable. People would understand either sentence, but "there is a lot of salt on the table" sounds more natural to me. (Native speaker, California, USA)
    0 voted
    April 26, 2016
    1
  • Corrected

    Writing an application letter.

    To whom it may concern,
    I would like to apply for the job of waiter that had been published in the newspaper. I would be a real benefit to your company and I meet all your requirements. Please find my resume attached.
    I am looking for flexible, part-time work, as I am working towards a degree in marketing in the University; therefore, I have a flexible timetable to adapt your needs. I believe that joining your company could be a wonderful opportunity for me to learn more about advertising and sales, as well as to improve my level of service.
    I have skills relevant to those you seek, such as excellent personal presentation and extraordinary communications skills. In addition, I have a working level of English.
    As you can see in my resume, I worked for two months at the Hotel Queen Elisabeth, and as a busboy two years ago; I have experience in this line of work. 
    I appreciate you taking the time to look at my application, and I look forward to hearing back from you.
    0 voted
    April 24, 2016
    0
  • Answered
    At the University level, in the US, "what is your major" is the more commonly used phrase (i.e.; I'm majoring in Anthropology and minoring in Linguistics). "What do you study" tends to bring on a list of interests or current classes (i.e.; "I'm taking polisci, English 110, Math 111, Comm 122, and Underwater Basketweaving). Based on Paul's comment, it seems like it depends on whether you are in the UK or the US. Hope this helps!
    0 voted
    April 23, 2016
    0
  • Commented

    What are your interests? Some of my favorite books are from the Freakonomics Series, Bukowski's novels (although I haven't read Pulp yet), R. A. Salvatore's whole Drizzt series (based on the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons and Dragons setting), the English translation of All Quiet on the Western Front (Im Westen Nicht Neues), Jeff Smith's graphic novel Bone, Ernest Hemmingway's The Old Man and the Sea (great taste in books, Nathalie) and The Sun Also Rises, Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep, Mark Millar's Civil War (soon to be loosely released as the new Captain America Movie)... and the list goes on...

    For starters, I'd suggest graphic novels / comic books. The way sentences and passages are constructed tend to reflect spoken English, and, with the pictures to supplement them, the added context make them a little more valuable. This, coupled with the explosion of comic book based movies, has made them that much more popular, available, and approachable. 

    Dr. Seuss remains a classic (in the US, at least), and is an easy read. If you're at the lower-levels of English learning, he tends to fit well (in the US, children ages 4-8 tend to learn with his books). Caution: he tends to make up a lot of words.

    If you want to tell me some of your interests, I can try to recommend books based on them. 

    Hope this helps!

    0 voted
    April 23, 2016
    0
  • Commented

    Haha, Trisha beat me to it. The addition (or subtraction) of "u" in many words is a big one. 

    Presumably, you mean in a formal / academic way? In such a case, both are almost used interchangeably, so it wouldn't be a big deal - assuming you're writing about a formal topic. In college (at university), we were exposed to both US and British documents (among others), and any minor differences in spelling tend to go unnoticed / do not interrupt the document.

    At the colloquial level, both British and American English have many of the own dialects. For example, in my dialect (Southern Calfornian), we're made fun of for things like "forgetting" to pronounce (or add) the end of words, and calling our freeways "the <number>." We've even been honored (or honoured) with a spot on a popular variety show, Saturday Night Live. 

    Ultimately, if you're looking at communicating in a more professional or academic setting, either should work fine. If you're looking at chatting with people online or corresponding in a more informal manner, you might want to adjust your vocabulary slightly, based on where the person is from. 

    Hope this helps!

    0 voted
    April 23, 2016
    0