Books

Don’t Speak Good. Speak Well!

Maria Redillas

Table of Contents

This book has been published by American English Development Center., Inc. It first came out in 2010 hoping to fill a gap in the way English was taught in schools and other learning institutions.

Don’t Speak Good, Speak Well!

This book has been published by American English Development Center., Inc. It first came out in 2010 hoping to fill a gap in the way English was taught in schools and other learning institutions. It departs from the traditional way like textbooks and this provides snappy tips on grammar and pronunciation with lots of exercises and examples to help us improve on our communication skills.

As a student, we were taught the correct ways to construct sentences or even the technical aspects of the language yet when we grow up, we sometimes forget what we learned and stick with the ones we hear in everyday use. Grammar nazis exist because they may be conscious with their own grammar and became OC with it. I for one am conscious about the construction of my posts or tweets or even my blog posts. I was told of being a grammar nazi but I just can’t help mentally correct those errors I see online.

This edition is called the “nosebleed” edition because it has been a trend in our country that if we don’t understand something (particularly something said or written in English), we connote that it makes us feel nosebleed or even feel the nosebleed. It has been a Filipinism (which means a nonstandard English expression used by Filipinos) that eventually became an inside joke among us. We always want to get better at the language so we study it deeply to become better and feel less nervous and anxious when it comes to events, social gatherings or even job interviews.

This “Nosebleed” Edition is their contribution to Filipinos who want to get better in speaking English. It may be hard at first but with ample amount of practice, anything can be learned and achieved.

The book consists of three (3) parts:
  • Part I: The Rules of English Grammar
  • Part II: Conversation Strategies and Expressions
  • Part III: The Sound of English

Blogging became an intellectual exercise for me since constructing and thinking about titles, contents and manner of writing can be tricky. I personally encountered hardships with the language since I had difficulties with prepositional phrases since it confuses me at times.

Part I

Filipinisms are accepted English yet the can cause confusion when utilized in conversation with native speakers or other non-Filipinos.
For example:
  • “For a while”
  • “It’s so traffic today”
  • “Fill up this form”
We almost hear this everyday or most of the time yet we got accustomed to using so we have accepted those. But, there are always better ways to say these and the book tells us why it’s wrong and how to say it better.
For example:
  • “Fill up this form” is wrong because it means pouring something until a container is full. It’s better if you say, “Fill out the form” or “Fill in the form”.
Truly it has enlightened me about the errors I have committed in the past. Part I of the book is about the rules of English Grammar and tackles parts of speech. It contains exercises and examples that would teach us. Confusions with the modal verbs (e.g. can / could / should / et al) can be confusing also. There are exercises and lectures that would aid us improve and ease the confusion with these.

Part II

Part II of the book tackles about expressions and conversation strategies. Greatly, it would help with starting a conversation with a person you like or even with friends or colleagues. It would teach us the better way of asking or inquiring about certain objects, knowing what possible alternative statements you could say in conversations (which may end up in awkward situations).

Part III

Part III is about the sounds of English. Pronunciation between Filipinos and other native English speakers vary depending on how long have you spoken the language and practice it. We know that some of us speak English differently depending on where you are located. The book may help you a lot in adjusting how to be better with the language.
My copy

Reasons why I think every Juan should have this book:
  • It is really a great help for those whose careers or endeavors make use of English as a primary language of conversation.
  • It refreshes your mind with the rules of English.
  • It aids you to evade the errors you might possibly commit if not yet corrected.
  • It’s nearly a pocket size book. It’s thin so it may be carried with you in your everyday life.
  • If you want to review your innate skills, this will surely help you regain your prowess in the language!
You can look for more details on their site and Facebook page.

Let’s avoid getting nosebleeds then!

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Written By

Maria Redillas

Hola! I'm Maria Redillas. I'm a leftie, dreamer, and calligraphy & art lover.I work as a content marketing specialist and as a freelance senior content writer.

11 Comments

  1. English is such a tricky language. Even for native speakers! I think good grammar will never go out of style but there is a place for casual colloquial language as well. Sounds like a very interesting book for those looking to master English.

  2. I love this post. Inspite of being well versed with the language I think there’s so much more to learn. English is a tricky and funny language. I always look forward to learning new and more about it 🙂

  3. Hey, that is nice. As a blogger, I know of some who refuse to learn and improve their grammar and writing. One of the things I do when I listen to talk shows is I tend to pick up a phrase here and there and use it. When I look at my old posts, I am surprised at how I was writing before to how I am writing now. It means I have learned but there is so much more to learn yet. A good pick up for you, this book.

  4. I love this. In Dutch I’m very precise in the grammar. For English I still have some rules to learn. It’s always good to keep learning. There are some funny Dutch books about mistakes Dutch people often make in English. One of the books is called ‘I always get my sin’. (when you know Dutch it’s funny haha). Do you know the YouTube video word crimes? Watch it ;). It’s so funny.

  5. This is interesting. Sometimes i am really not confident with my grammer. Its one reason why years ago i am too skeptical in publishing my blogs. I thought i suck in english. Hahaha! There’s still a lot that needs to be learned and this book’s good! I’ll check it out..

  6. Would love to have that book, too. The title is eye catching as well. There are so many grammar books but they seem to be so stiff and too focused on teaching you sentence construction etal that it sounded too serious. would love to read books that are light yet at the end of my reading, I know that I learned from it. Thanks for the recommendation.

  7. A friend of mine once said, “as long as it sounds good, it’s fine and correct”. I remember how I wanted to disagree on that line. It’s not necessary to master every grammar rule as it still vary on which English you use. But for filipinos who tend to correct one’s English, that book is highly recommended. Nothing wrong if we learn and get used in speaking well, instead of speaking good. 🙂

  8. Yes, I am guilty with this Filipinism.. I often see myself writing awkward grammar. But writing a blog exercises my speech muscles ( if there’s a term like these! LOL!) … that’s a good book.. and I think I need to have one. but for my personal opinion, Filipinos must sometimes not be so conscious on grammar.. I mean, we still have our own culture.. we do have our own language. It’s ok to have mistakes in English, but what’s worst is we have flaws on our own native language..

  9. Who’s guilty of Filipinism? me: *raises hand*!!! I really need to get this book for me. If that would refresh my mind then it’s definitely a must have! It’s about time I exercise my mind about english language. English has always been a very tricky language.

  10. I always get my sin is indeed funny. As I am Dutch =) But, in Dutch I’m pretty awesome with grammar. However in English, I know I’m not perfect at all.. what is wrong with ‘for a while’ by the way hahahaha ? You see, not that smart at all…

  11. When I traveled last summer, people around me kept complimenting not only me but Filipinos in general on how good our English skills are. But you are right, there’s a different between good and well. Now Im wondering, where can I get a copy of that book? 🙂

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